First up in our new Meet The Jeweller series, we're welcoming Iain of Iain Sainsbury Fine Jewellery. With a stunning array of gold and silver designs, Iain's work has a strong focus on sustainability and incorporates natural sand textures and the ancient gilding technique of Keum-boo.
How has your background influenced your approach to jewellery making?
I grew up in Cornwall, the rugged coastline, the sand and the ocean colours have always been key in the pieces I make. Frequently, I use sand from beaches I know and love in my pieces.
Transitioning careers must have been huge! What stood out in that shift for you?
It was a very challenging time, but I am happy to talk about it, indeed I did an interview with Jessica Rose from Jewellers Academy as part of the Handmade Jewellers YouTube series, talking about it.
I ended up in the jewellery world almost by accident. I spent over twenty years in the pharmaceutical industry, from finishing my PhD in cell biology to becoming a Global Scientific Director. However, one day I just hit a wall and fell apart, I had burnout which resulted in anxiety and depression. Over the past six years I have been recovering, and becoming a jeweller has helped immensely.
I now run my own business, tutor and mentor other jewellers and have fun making beautiful things!
How did you go from vintage razors to stunning jewellery?
I started restoring vintage razors as I had always wanted to learn how to shave with an old fashioned “cutthroat” razor, in restoring them I started to use metals like copper and brass to line the scales (the handle). My wife and I were celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary, which is traditionally copper, and I thought I would make something so I made a small copper heart with a silver chain. She loved it, showed it to some friends, who loved it too.
I moved from copper to silver and then onwards, initially self-taught from books, articles and YouTube and then completing Diplomas through the Jewellers Academy.
Was there a moment when you knew jewellery was your path?
From the moment I made that little copper heart for my wife I knew I had found my calling. I had spent my previous career trying to become more important in the corporate world but in jewellery I found something more valuable.
The opportunity to make something that lights up someone’s face, marks a moment, a milestone, something to love and treasure is a precious gift.
What draws you to styles like Art Deco and Anglo-Saxon?
I like the simplicity and clean lines that both styles incorporate. Anglo-Saxon era jewellery commonly featured designs which had strong motifs, and lines (for example the Sutton Hoo burial belt buckle). Art Deco moved from the whimsical and delicate features of Art Nouveau to form bold and evocative structures with gemstones and fine metalwork.
How do you blend classic and modern vibes in your work?
Every sand is unique, whether it is from a beach, a desert or a mountainside. I mostly use sands from beaches I know and love, places I went as I grew up. The geology, the marine life and the currents of the sea itself can impact how sand is formed. Some sands contain fragments and pieces of shell and coral which leave small cavities in the surface, whereas some minerals like serpentine give finer textures due to the shape and mineral composition. Each sand is like a fingerprint, and this is reflected in the texture that is formed on the metal, and as each piece is cast in a one use mould every piece is unique.
What’s your approach to sourcing materials?
I only use metals and gemstones that are acquired from suppliers with the same ethical or environmental values as me.
For precious metals I use either recycled gold or silver, this has the lowest carbon footprint this is mostly post-consumer recycled metal in the case of gold or recycled from old x-rays for silver. For new gold I only use SMO gold which is traceable from the mine to my bench, and ensures that the artisan miners are well paid and looked after (with education, healthcare etc).
For diamonds I only use stones from one supplier Ocean Diamonds, the source diamonds which are collected from the sea floor off South Africa by skilled commercial divers. They are collected from the turnover zone in the sea floor and as such there is a very limited environmental impact.
For coloured stones I use only suppliers who source them from the most ethical locations.
Any challenges with using ethical and recycled materials?
The only challenge with these materials is ensuring that the suppliers have clear ethical and environmental standards, and this is something I have spent time ensuring as sustainability and reducing my environmental footprint are crucial to how I believe jewellery should be made.
How do you make sure every commissioned piece feels personal?
I love making commissioned pieces, for me they are the pinnacle of the interaction between jeweller and client. The journey of a commission is shared between both sides. When someone comes to me looking for a piece, I think it is essential to understand them and what they are looking for, this can be achieved via either messaging, emails or a zoom call. Once the initial brief is accepted and the commission is agreed the process of full drawings (if necessary) or design is completed and once this is agreed the making begins. I give the client frequent information updates on the piece (how it is made etc) through to completions before it is packaged and dispatched. All my work is hallmarked and sent via secure delivery.
Are there eco-friendly practices you wish were more common in jewellery making?
Generally, jewellery making is not particularly environmentally friendly owing to the mining/extraction of materials.
Where I feel handmade fine jewellery far exceeds the high street, even the more exclusive chain outlets, is in the transparency of use of low carbon/high responsibility materials and the path that the jewellery has taken to be sold.
Many consumers of jewellery have simply no idea where their jewellery is made, nor do they know how the materials are sourced. Enhanced sharing of information is key to ensuring environmentally and ethically responsible practices and choices are made.
What’s been the most meaningful piece you’ve worked on?
That is a very difficult question! I have made many pieces for my direct family marking key birthdays and events (18th and 21st birthdays and our wedding anniversaries) so I have two most meaningful pieces.
Firstly, the copper heart I made for my wife on our 22nd wedding anniversary, a simple copper piece but it was also my first piece of jewellery.
The second was commission I took last year, a dear couple in our village were due to celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary and the husband approached me to make a piece to signify the 50 years (it ended up being the basis of a collection I made). It is a simple piece, a pendant of five rings entwined in the fashion of a (more complex) Russian wedding band, held with a bail set with an Ocean Diamond. What made it even more fun was trying to design it and make it, including design discussions, without his
wife finding out the surprise. All worked out perfectly and she even did the same to him for his birthday, commissioning me to make some cufflinks.
Any techniques or skills you’re eager to explore next?
I love stone setting so look out for more microsetting in my pieces!
What’s coming up for your brand? Any new collections or shows?
I have two main shows this year, Goldsmiths North at the end of May in Cutlers Hall, Sheffield and Handmade Chelsea in Old Chelsea Town Hall in Nov. I may also have the odd gallery coming up – make sure to check my website for details.
What advice do you have for someone thinking about switching to jewellery making?
DO IT! I have met many people, in the jewellery world, in similar situations, leaving careers they didn’t particularly enjoy or having to leave owing to things like burnout, like I did. Every single one has said they wished they had done it earlier.
Is it easy to do? Is there a steep learning curve? Will it take a long time?
All of these are very much personal to the individual and their situation. I found I fell into designing and making easily and wished I had done it a long time ago. The learning curve can be easy or hard depending on what you want to make and where you are aiming. As to timing – every new business takes time to start, set up and build, this is the reality – this is all part of the journey and is highly worthwhile.
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