In this edition, we meet the highly talented young jeweller Frances Wadsworth-Jones

Hi Frances.  Perhaps we can start off asking how it all began?  Have you always loved jewellery?  What started you off on the path to being a jewellery designer?

Funnily enough it began at school, when I didn’t get on to a short course in photography and was forced to take my second choice, jewellery making.  It was a case of having an inspirational teacher who really kindled my enthusiasm. I guess that this would be a really good opportunity to thank him, because that short course led to a Foundation Btec in 3 Dimensional design, that then became a degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery and has now spiraled into a masters. I never had any doubt that I would go into the arts, but I really responded to jewellery as a way in which to explore my ideas with the parameters of craftsmanship and wearability. Like a lot of jewellers I know, I don’t actually wear jewellery (in fact don’t even have pierced ears!), but I believe in it as a medium, and, although I see it as a kind of miniature sculpture, wearability is important to me.

What is your most recent collection of jewellery called?

Well, this is my degree show collection, and the first I have put together, but I’ve never really thought about giving it a name…I suppose that that is because I see it as just a beginning; part of a continuing process.

What inspired the collection?

The initial inspiration came from my fascination with Japanese craft and culture, especially the way it portrays nature.  Traditionally in the west we tend to portray nature in a very idealised almost ‘chocolate box’ way, and shy away from its ephemeral realities. The Japanese, however, adopt a far more ‘warts and all’ approach that embraces, and actually celebrates, a much realer, some might say darker, side of the natural world. This, in combination with my love of surprises and contradictions, led to the idea of trying to make something that should be 'ugly beautiful' (that is really at the heart of my work). I like to think that the pieces sit on the boundary between repulsion and seduction and play with the strange tension that you find there.

Creating pieces that look normal at a casual glance, but are anything but on closer inspection…It’s a subversion – but a gentle subversion.  I really like the idea of getting someone to desire and wear something that they would not go near in real life.

For all that though, the work is not meant to be ‘dark’…it is meant to be a playful celebration of the small things in nature that we often disregard as unpleasant or unimportant.

Someone described my work as ‘uncanny’ the other day, and I enjoyed that.

Can you tell us more about the materials you used and why you chose them?

All of the pieces are made using oxidized silver and 18ct gold, sometimes combined with semi-precious stones and pearls; partly because I love working with these materials, but partly because I like to play with the intrinsic value of them…by making something in, say, gold, it automatically gains value, status and therefore desirability. For me, using these materials is another way of making something that might actually be un-desirable in the real world, beautiful through craft. I guess I am trying to seduce through the materials.

What would you like wearers to gain from wearing your jewellery?

Most importantly, pleasure. On top of that, the feeling that they have a secret, and perhaps even a sense of playful subversion…you can wear one of my pieces into the office and not be questioned (only you would know that your brooch is really covered in flies, and that your bracelet opens up to reveal a large pearl).

How can people buy your jewellery right now?

A website is in production (so watch out for franceswadsworthjones.com – quite some url, eh?), but I am currently contactable for commissions by email (see below).

What is your price range?

£150+ for one-off pieces

What are your future ambitions?  Where would you like to see your jewellery being sold?

I intend to be a designer maker working on my own account…I would love to gain an international reputation and set up a workshop/gallery with friends that I’ve made along the way.

Any hints on what you'll be designing next?

I see my current time at the RCA as a real opportunity to be brave, because I’m very aware that later I won’t have the time to experiment and really think about what I am doing in the same way.  So, though my themes remain the same at the moment, I will be taking everything a step up…I plan to experiment with materials, and I am even exploring computer aided design techniques (I really like the idea of creating something that seems natural using technology… another nice kind of contradiction).  Whatever I come up with though, craft will be very important and things will not be as they seem.

Who would you love to see wearing your jewellery and why?

Anyone who would enjoy wearing it, and enjoy a little act of rebellion! I think that that is one of the wonderful things about being a jeweller; I have the opportunity to make something that could be treasured by someone for years, even generations, to come.

To contact Frances Wadsworth-Jones, please click here