MARY-JANE SIRETT - JEWELLERY
Mary and her family live close to the coast where most mornings she goes running over the dunes and along the beach. She's always loved the dramatic beauty of this part of the world, but to live here with the changing seasons and crazy Atlantic weather is utterly inspiring – and when the Cornish rain arrives, what better way to spend time than immersed in the studio creating beautiful pieces of jewellery.
Over many years Mary has developed techniques from jewellers and artist friends, along with her own colour and sculpting styles, which she applies to polymer clays. She mixes the clays to create an offbeat palette of colours, and designs intricate clay Millefiori slices in her signature look. Millefiori is used traditionally by glass artists – an easy way to imagine the end product is think of a stick of rock with words/pictures going right through the stick. The rods of colour are rolled together to produce shapes and pictures or words. Mary uses her clays similarly, but to even greater effect as the detail is much finer than glass can produce. She then slices the Millefiori ‘cane’ and uses it in her jewellery. These are beautifully intricate, taking huge amounts of time (and patience!) to create. She then works in gemstones, pearls, crystals and beadwork to create these dazzling, contemporary and feminine pieces of modern jewellery.
Over many years Mary has developed techniques from jewellers and artist friends, along with her own colour and sculpting styles, which she applies to polymer clays. She mixes the clays to create an offbeat palette of colours, and designs intricate clay Millefiori slices in her signature look. Millefiori is used traditionally by glass artists – an easy way to imagine the end product is think of a stick of rock with words/pictures going right through the stick. The rods of colour are rolled together to produce shapes and pictures or words. Mary uses her clays similarly, but to even greater effect as the detail is much finer than glass can produce. She then slices the Millefiori ‘cane’ and uses it in her jewellery. These are beautifully intricate, taking huge amounts of time (and patience!) to create. She then works in gemstones, pearls, crystals and beadwork to create these dazzling, contemporary and feminine pieces of modern jewellery.