Deirdre McQuillan meets Irish jewellery designers whose work is highly individual
ANNA STUART
A handsome, cabinet, specially made in Burmese teak recycled from an old railway bridge, is where Anna Stuart, artist, collector, gardener and jeweller keeps her racks of unique pieces assembled from rare, ancient and semi-precious stones. An authority on ethnographic beads (she is a member of the "Bead Society"), she also uses contemporary stones which are hand-carved or cut to her own designs. The materials she uses include rutilated quartz, Chinese writing stone, shell, peridot, ruby garnet and petrified dinosaur bone. The artistry shows in the form, colour and drama of her approach, and her versatility in shaping distinctive styles. The antique beads, some of which are thousands of years old, are astonishingly beautiful. One striking necklace of pale green chalcedony mixed with dark green Indian glass beads showcases her skill in blending shades and shapes. The collection includes 17th-century African coin jewellery, dramatic Naga bone and conch shell necklaces and tribal pieces from Afghanistan, as well as funky modern items made from turquoise, coral, bone and mother-of-pearl. Her influences come from extensive travels abroad which "go into my head and pop up on the workbench when the beads are spread out around me." A strong artistic streak runs in her family; one daughter, Lara Stuart, is in the food business, another, Suki is a photographer/fashion designer, and her third, Sophia, is a sculptor. For an appointment to view Stuart's work, contact 0404-45380 or e-mail annastuart@hotmail.com. Website in preparation.
JOANNA CONNOLLY
Joanna Connolly developed her interest in silver and semi-precious stones when she accompanied a jeweller on regular buying trips to Mexico. In the silver mines at Paxco, she learnt all about the metal and also started a collection of semi-precious stones, gathering further material on later trips to Sri Lanka and Brazil. Five years ago she began making necklaces as presents for friends and then started to sell them in markets and shops. She has developed a small collection of necklaces, earrings and bracelets called JoJo Jewellery. Made in silver interspersed with turquoise, coral and red amber, her work is simple, but striking, and prices start from €80. JoJo can be found in the Design Centre and Brown Sugar in Dublin, and Bijoux in Swords. "I am inspired by the movement of stones and pebbles in seas, rivers and lakes," she says. www.joannaconnolly.com.
BEATRICE McCABE AND JULIE PEELO
"We are real magpies," say Beatrice McCabe and Julie Peelo, who have just launched their range of jewellery called Jule. Both are graduates of NCAD, one in fashion, the other in textiles, and they now work for Marni in Milan, designing accessories. In their spare time they forage, gather, design and then make up their small range of necklaces and brooches. They call it "quirky, eclectic, wearable art" and it certainly is innovative and playful, with a certain ethnic edge.
Component parts are sourced from antique markets, mostly in Milan, but also in France, or wherever they find themselves on holiday. The tortoiseshell circles were found in Normandy, for instance; and the antique ribbons and African beads in Milan. Copper rings, glass beads, ceramic discs are stirred into the mix, along with warehouse pieces and antique paper, which they enamel themselves.
"We have boxes of stuff at home and great facilities here at our disposal," they say. Their combined backgrounds include experience with John Rocha, trend forecasting in Como, and working with Fiorucci in Milan, but they had never worked together before going to Marni. "Our work for Marni is more extreme; it's more about showpieces," they say. The experience, particularly working on the production side, has given them a great training. Their second collection contains 20 pieces, 17 necklaces and three brooches. Every piece is handmade and many cannot be reproduced. "You will always have a different necklace to the person beside you," they insist. Jule is stocked exclusively in Ireland in Smock, 5 Smock Alley, Essex Street West, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Prices start at €30 for a kilt pin, going up to €126 for one-off pieces such as Lucia and Pollyanna. At the time of going to press, they were setting up a website, www.julejewels.com.