Icaria is a beautiful collection of silver feather jewellery, featuring gold-plating over sterling silver with pearls and colourful gemstones. It is classically elegant and designed to take you from daytime to evening. Inspired by myths, legends and modern day beliefs it has an eclectic appeal. Read on for more detail on my inspiration...
Growing up I went to a fairly unexceptional high school in a small town. However, in a previous life this had been a Grammar school and some of the old 'masters', as they were known, remained. They swept down the halls in their graduation robes, spreading fear and respect in equal measure and teaching their niche subjects. This meant that in the first year I was made to choose either Latin as a subject or Classical Studies. Both seemed irrelevant, but I chose the latter and was instantly captivated by the huge stories these myths and legends had to offer. They were as confusing as they were fascinating and I still enjoy reading about them today. My guilty pleasure is watching the 1963 version of Jason and the Argonauts!
This collection, Icaria, was born from one of the most famous of these myths plus more modern storytelling. The glowing gold feathers teamed with red and pink jewels evoke the sight of Icarus' feathers under the hot blaze of Helios as he famously flew too close to the sun. The cooler silver feathers with blue and green speak for the seas below. It is a classic collection, which like the myth, will stand the test of time.
Whilst designing this collection I also wandered in the woods around my home with designs swirling round my head. I began to notice the little white feathers that often appear from seemingly nowhere. Since suffering a bereavement I was reminded of the saying 'when a feather appears an angel is near', so this too became part of my inspiration. The small feathers in particular have been shaped to represent the lightness and fluffiness of these downy feathers.
When I was approached to create a piece to support the charity 'Winston's Wish' I worked through lots of ideas, but couldn't get it just right. Eventually it dawned on me that one of the small feather pieces would be perfect, so the Winston's Wish bracelet was born - an elegant piece with understated beauty and a subtle nod to personal loss.
