Naomi Davies Jewellery

I am a local jeweller designer maker with my own workshop in Newton Abbot. I graduated from West Surrey College of Art and Design, as it was known then, with a BA Hons degree in 3-Dimensional Design. It was there that I became interested in Japanese crafts and design, where the circle often featured in the composition of both traditional and contemporary products and images. Although my work has developed from art college, I am still influenced by the combination of geometric perfection, such as the circle, with the imperfection of more organic materials. I have developed ranges of jewellery that embrace this quality, for example with the hard and precise lines of metal, using silver or gold, and combining it with the soft material of leather; enhancing its organic texture and colour. Likewise, I enjoy using marble in contrast to the pure colour of polished precious metal with the organic shades and veins of marble, making each piece of jewellery completely unique. I use traditional jewellery making techniques and enjoy a hands on approach to my work rather than industrial techniques. Where I use only precious metals in my designs I like to create a contrast of precision and accuracy with hammered textures. Although I try to achieve a mathematical correctness to geometric pieces I feel that being handmade the jewellery holds a warmth and character that can be lost in machine made items. My techniques involve very precise use of soldering and constructing geometric frames in which to inlay the marble or leather. I also use riveting as a decorative and functional technique to hold leather in place which creates an ‘edgy’, rocknroll influenced style which incorporates my love of musical instruments and the music culture. The beauty of stringed instruments, the taut lines of the strings against the curves of the wooden instrument will always hold an aesthetic interest and fascination for me.