This week in our 'Meet the Jeweller' feature, we had the pleasure of chatting to Paul Stephenson, a jeweller from North Yorkshire who specialises in creating wonderful sterling silver and Seaglass pieces.
What first drew you to working with sea glass — was there a particular find or beach that sparked something?
I've always loved seaglass but never really had success in collecting anything. My first attempts at finding seaglass were on our annual trips to the Outer Hebrides of Scotland but these explorations always seemed to be unsuccessful picking up a couple of the smallest shards of glass you can imagine. It all changed when we were driving along the Durham coastline and literally stumbled upon Horden Beach, Never been before but the history of the old collieries drew us in. I do love local history. To my surprise we found handfuls of seaglass and it was so fascinating to learn that it was likely from the spoils of the Seaham glass factory that operated in the area around 100 years ago. It was on Horden Beach near Blackhall Rocks where I found my very first seaglass marble. Whilst my first piece of seaglass jewellery wasn't made from a marble, this little glass orb that had sat at the bottom of the sea all those years had me hooked though. This little blue speckled marble, just sat there waiting for me. It was like magic. My first spinning sphere pendant was about to be born.
Do you remember the moment where jewellery-making felt like more than a hobby?
My seaglass hoard grew from a little bag to a couple of jars and eventually several boxes. Collecting it was an addiction. I wanted other people to experience the beauty of these sea treasures and decided to make some little Christmas decorations. I bought some fine silver, solder paste, a hammer and a crème brûlée torch, from Amazon of all places and began having a play. I had no idea what I was doing, I didn't care, it was exciting, it was fun. I eventually made a couple of seaglass trinkets and it dawned on me that these things I had created weren't Christmas decorations, it was jewellery, I had made pendants. I sold a few pieces to friends and through social media and I started to get commissions, that was a surreal moment, getting my first commission. As a result and literally only a few months later I launched my website, that somehow made it all very real.
How has teaching yourself shaped your approach — creatively and practically?
One thing I was certain about was that I didn't want to search the internet to find out how somebody else made their jewellery, that would be far too easy, replicating something that someone else had made just didn't sit right with me. You are always going to compare yourself and your work to them and there is the likelihood that you will feel your work is of a lesser quality or not good enough. I wanted to be completely self taught, my own ideas and my own style. I wanted to learn the hard way, I wanted things to go wrong, as frustrating as that is, it was an important part of the process. When things don't go right you either throw in the towel or you find the strength to conjure up a different way of doing it and see if that works.
Learning from someone else, you automatically pick up 'their' way, which was probably the same way they were taught. Sometimes those are traits you end up stuck with, that's not a bad thing at all, nowadays I am very much into silversmithing as a heritage and mentoring other budding jewellers but for me personally I wanted to be unique and the only way I could be true to that was doing it all my own way.
Do you ever look back on your early designs with pride, horror, or a bit of both?
I have nothing but pride for what I have achieved. Every single piece of jewellery I have made from day one of my journey tells a story and was the learning curve that made me the silversmith I am today. Yes, my early designs were basic and niche. Despite occasionally getting bogged down worrying about this and that, I didn't have a style then, let's face it, I had no idea what I was doing but I enjoyed it so what did it matter. I wasn't frantically trying to carve out a whole new career at the time, I was just having fun. Every single piece I have ever made is precious to me. As an advocate of handmade I feel it's important that jewellery making is not a conveyor belt, getting through each piece and getting it sold as quickly as possible. Every piece deserves the attention to detail, takes time to produce. That reflects me as a person and as a business and I think each creation tells that story.
What role does silver play in your process — is it something you were always drawn to?
What's not to like about silver. I have always worn silver. It has always been about using silver, creating jewellery I would wear myself in styles I could never find in shops and something that wasn't mass produced. Its more affordable than working with other precious metals like gold which also means its more affordable as finished work which is really important. I don't want my jewellery to be out of the reach of anyone. Nowadays I appreciate all precious metals,
I love gold and had several commissions for gold jewellery. It's certainly an avenue I would like to progress more but when you've had that relationship with silver all these years it's nice to stay faithful to it especially when you know it like the back of your hand.
How would you describe your style now, compared to where it started?
There are obviously always elements of me in everything I create but when I first started out I had nothing, no tools, no materials, no concept of what designs would work, or not as the case may be. You have to start small, work your way up, find yourself. My pieces nowadays are big and bold. Strong statement jewellery that's not too complicated, that's contemporary but timeless. The more silver I can get into a piece of jewellery the better.
It was very important to have my own hallmark and that's something I obtained really early on. It all comes back to tradition and heritage. I didn't want a tiny hallmark hidden away somewhere like it was an uninvited guest, hallmarks are necessary elements of a lot of my finished work. Legally, not everything needs a hallmark to be classed as silver, its usually the more heavyweight items that needs stamping. I think that's when the penny dropped. If I wanted to feature my hallmark I may as well go big. I was never a fan of making teeny tiny pieces you had to squint at to see properly anyway. Bigger the better and the hallmarks on full display.
My work has definitely progressed and expanded, and its an invigorating feeling that everything I make is bespoke or one off. its nice to own something that no one else has, even my work with gemstones or seaglass, each is different, has unique colours or patterns. I launch limited collections alongside my staple designs and I always remember it started with the seaglass so whilst glass doesn't feature in all my jewellery I honour it regularly. It's always quite special to make a piece of jewellery with seaglass which is ultimate recycling. To be a small part of that process is actually very humbling.
How do you decide which pieces of sea glass to use in a design? Do you find certain colours or shapes of glass speak to particular types of designs?
Seaglass speaks to me. technically any glass you pull from the sea is seaglass I guess but the more shiny or jagged edge glass doesn't sing to me. If the glass has not been tumbled within an inch of its life at the bottom of the ocean somewhere... its got to be aesthetically pleasing to look at but also to touch. My work needs to be tactile and smooth, not something you would just wear but to play with too. When I am using seaglass from my collection I am always drawn to the ones that have the shape of pebbles, the colour isn't really important to me but white or clear glass looks so elegant married with silver so I'm a pushover for that look.
Is there a piece you've made that holds a particularly strong personal memory or story?
Not one particular piece more two. My first and second pieces of seaglass jewellery. The very first piece I made was a small oval white seaglass bezel set pendant. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, ever the perfectionist I spent literally hours on it, like hours! The bezel setting just wasn't right and eventually the silver got so work hard that the bezel split. Knowing no better I added a bit of solder and heated it up. Naturally the glass pebble, whilst held together and intact it shattered in the setting and the colour darkened. I posted a picture of my first and failed attempt of jewellery making on social media and a friend fell in love with it for all its flaws and individuality and bought it. That rang a chord, that someone wanted to buy it and appreciate it even though it was damaged because it was unique and was part of a bigger story. That was a special moment.
My second piece was much more of a success, I learnt that you don't add heat to a piece when the glass has been set, its better to restart it to avoid things breaking! I gifted the second piece to my mum. She still wears it today. The look of pride in her eyes when I gave it to her and told her I had made it was a feeling I had not experienced in that way before.
Do you have a favourite part of the process — from collecting glass to shaping, setting, or finishing?
If I said I loved every single part of the process of jewellery making I would be telling fibs. But if I can't say I enjoy every step I am doing something wrong. Throughout the whole experience its taught me to have a bit more patience. That's something relatively new to me lol. But when you jump in feet first you have to run with it, another reason for being self taught, being inventive. Coming up with a way to encounter that part of the process that you maybe don't like in a way that you do or feels less mundane. For example I whole heartedly prefer to sand everything by hand with a sheet of sandpaper but sometimes those nooks and crannies are a pain and never look quite as good as you want them to. You either live with it, which is never the answer for me, you find an ingenious way of addressing the issue differently, or, like me, you just don't make things with nooks and crannies. Win win :)
How does jewellery-making fit into your life right now, alongside work and caring responsibilities? Have you found it helps with headspace or stress in a meaningful way?
I am very regimented in everything I do, I've always got a list on the go and quite frequently push myself beyond my boundaries and I was simply struggling with the pressures I was putting on myself combined with a full time job with a long daily commute and being a full time carer for someone with mobility issues. There literally wasn't enough time for sleep and I wasn't sleeping very well anyway but to me it was just how it was and I just got on with it.
I got into making jewellery at a point in my life when I had lost my way a little bit and wasn't able to fit everything into the day that I needed to. Silversmithing was a bit of a release, It was something I enjoyed right from the start. It was my way of carving out a bit of time just for me amongst all the chaos and the things in my life that I ultimately couldn't control. It grounded me. I had held my breath for so long for the fear of anything unpredictable happening in my life, whilst it sounds silly, jewellery making taught me how to breathe again. It was my calm whilst everything around me was spinning around like a tornado.
During my journey both me and my hubby have had health scares (we are both fine!), we've lost both of our rescue dogs, and my mums been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Life has been tricky and I genuinely would not have been able to function if it hadn't been for my little jewellery studio where I could hide away for a while and bash the crap out of something and occasionally come out with a piece that I was proud of. Its been an invaluable therapy and I've leant to slow down and alter my focus and cherish what I have and enjoy life more and carve out what's actually important.
What’s the most rewarding feedback or message you've ever had from a customer?
I've always been creative. At school I was an A grade potter and ceramics was something very close to my heart but the determination and time wasn't always there and ultimately my career took a very different path to the one I intended and I found myself slap bang in the middle of the finance and banking industries where customer service was top priority. I worked my way up the ladder and became very influential and successful in these fields. I really believe that I am the world's worst customer. I'm difficult to please and you really do have to go above and beyond to win me over. Sorry to anyone that's had my wrath but I have traditional values and I stupidly expect the same in return, unfortunately these days you don't always get what you want so when you step into the world of running your own business your customer is everything and that's why I relish each and every interaction.
I acknowledge all purchases with a personal email not anything auto generated, I reply to every message myself and every comment on social media and I send cards and handwritten notes with all orders. It's important, it's basic gratitude and it's respectful. Feedback and reviews whether good or bad are equally important, preferably good but you can't get better if you don't know what's wrong. Fortunately I get lots of great feedback which is amazing and that's obviously what I strive for. How rewarding that someone decided to spend their hard earned cash on a piece of jewellery you made and then goes out of their way to tell you how happy they are and how their purchase is far beyond their expectations, it's beyond my words. I have a lovely testimonials page on my website, there isn't one stand out comment, I value them all the same.
Do you see value in keeping some things “imperfect” or rugged, especially when it comes to sea glass or found materials?
I rarely alter elements I have decided to use in my jewellery unless its for the integrity of the piece. I am drawn to symmetry and perfect curves and lines and focus more on those when I have a design in mind. The same is said I suppose for my simply silver work which revolves around nothing but the silver. As I've progressed in making I like to explore controlled imperfection, textures and patterns or an industrial or brutalist feel. It's exciting to stretch myself though and challenge my opinion on a design just because I prefer nice and shiny.
Are there any materials, tools, or techniques you’re hoping to explore next?
My work evolves, sometimes my creations follow similar formats and then all of a sudden, on a tangent I go down a very different path and so it progresses. I rarely sit and sketch a design, I don't draw!!! I like my hands and tools to guide me, I spend lots of time testing a new concept or fathoming out how to do this or that and some of my more successful work has been born that way.
I've been privileged enough to be commissioned to create some great imaginative pieces and that's always interesting but you are ultimately creating a vision that someone else has in their head so I do feel myself stepping away from that aspect to focus more on what's in my own imagination. Whilst I have amassed quite the collection of tools, and I LOVE collecting, at the moment I am focused on bringing to life texture using everyday objects that aren't usually associated with silver work so that's very exciting.
Any advice you’d pass on to someone doing this on the side, or starting later in life?
Strange to think that, as someone who taught themselves how to make jewellery, most of my social media focuses on the how to. I am so grateful that many customers stay in touch and become friends and I don't actually mind if people don't want to buy anything from me, just the interaction and the friendship that comes from a mutual love of jewellery is priceless.
A lot of the people that do stay in touch have since embarked on their own jewellery making journey, whether I have been a direct inspiration or just a guiding hand when things haven't gone according to plan I've always been eager to mentor. I like people to see how I create my work not only for the conversations that generates but the enjoyment it brings when you buy something that you have watched being made from start to finish. Not everyone is like me and happy to just give it a go and see what happens so my advice to anyone is just do it!
It doesn't have to cost lots of money to give it a go, you don't need to go on a course if you don't want to or cant afford it right now, don't think you aren't good enough just because someone else's work appears to look better, you don't need to know from day one what your style is, that will eventually find you. There is no rush, take it in your stride, have fun. The moment it starts getting stressful rethink what you want from it. You need to enjoy yourself. Never ever lose faith in yourself and as I said to a friend recently, when something doesn't quite go according to plan find your biggest hammer and smash the F*** out of it, have a coffee, take a deep breathe, pick yourself up, melt that piece down and start again, you'll laugh about it later I promise you. Take the plunge, you never know, it could change your life forever.
Visit Paul's website here to see his shop and portfolio of stunning jewellery pieces.
Be sure to follow Paul on Instagram to keep up to date with his latest creations.
0 comments