Birmingham, England 
Collar made from found, corroded iron washer; found, corroded iron CO2 cylinder; silver; fine silver; gold; 3D-Printed bronze-infused stainless steel; porcelain faux-corals; pearls; carved opal starfish; opalised fossil squid; jade; peridot; tsavorite and grossular garnets; blue and green chalcedony; chrysophrase; chrome tourmaline; natural Paraiba tourmaline crystals; diamonds; blue topaz; natural blue zircons and; aventurine quartz. Beased on the Jules Verne novel of the same name. Hand- and digitally-fabricated; hand set.
Pair of metal handbags on a handcuff-bracelet. Made from found, corroded iron spheres; found, corroded iron strip; sterling silver; fine silver; 9ct gold; 40/60 Shibuichi; porcelain; rare-earth magnets from a discarded toothbrush; rock crystal; black spinels; hessonite garnets; green quartz; peridot; carved flowers in coral, amethyst, black onyx and carnelian; mali garnets; mandarin garnets; tsavorite garnets; zircons.
One of the handbags which makes up the pair of handbags, "Fashion: Victim – In Memoriam Alexander McQueen" worn with the brooch, "Richard III" as part of a photoshoot for Judy R Clark's show at Milan Fashion Week, 2014
Collar based on jewellery of the early 1800s made from found, corroded iron auger drills; found, corroded iron escutcheon plate; sterling silver; hessonite garnets; black old-cut and white brilliant-cut diamonds; natural sapphire briolettes and; spodumene. Hand fabricated and set.
Collar worn as part of a fashion shoot for Siobhan MacKenzie.
Pendant made from oxidised sterling silver and recycled sub-standard gold. This piece was originally made in 1998 and re-made in 2010 to use digital technology. Hand fabricated chain; ball cast from digitally milled sections; spikes milled on CNC lathe from castings.
Mace pendant worn as part of a photoshoot for kilts by Siobhan MacKenzie.
Brooch made from found, corroded iron from an abandoned 1950s truck; pure iron sheet; sterling silver; polycarbonate reflector material from a crashed car; carved obsidian skull; strawberry quartz; hessonite and rhodolite garnets; black spinels. Hand- and digitally fabricated; hand-set.
Brooch worn as part of a photoshoot for Silvia Pellegrino's "ChouChou" hoods.
Brooch based on the lyrics to the opening track of David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" LP. Made from found, corroded iron bracket; sterling and fine silver; 9ct and fine gold; pure iron sheet; umba sapphires; natural emerald beads; quartz and; diamonds. Hand fabricated, hand engraved and hand-set.
Future Legend brooch worn as part of a photoshoot for Ten30 clothing and the Scotland on Sunday Magazine.
Post-apocalyptic cocktail ring made from found, corroded iron hex-nut; corroded iron electrical conduit; silver; 32ct amethyst; strawberry quartz; raspberry spinels; tasvorite and mandarin garnets. Hand fabricated and engraved. Based on the song of the same name by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
Brooch made from found, corroded iron washer; fine and sterling silver; polymer clay bird skull; found polycarbonate reflector from a crashed car; baroque pearl; quartz; blue topaz; yellow sapphires; hessonite garnets. Hand-fabricated and set.
My jewellery is primarily aimed at men. Even in the supposedly free world in which we now live, jewellery for men is circumscribed by what footballers and actors wear, reported by magazines, filtered through a corrupting veil of media; men dare not strike out for fear of being tagged an outsider, a loser, effeminate...
Using what would traditionally be seen as masculine materials – iron, steel – from traditionally masculine backgrounds – the road, the building site, the machine-shop – I look back to the last time men could freely wear jewellery: the Renaissance.
Renaissance jewellery was a glorious, allegorical, blackly humorous, alchemical mess. It was a triumph of skill and material over taste. It mixed precious with semiprecious with worthless, a riot of colour and shape. It was huge and overblown. It verged on the unwearable, comfort sacrificed, preferring to make statements about the wearer's beliefs, power and money. So it is with my own work: it takes a bold person to wear a piece by The Justified Sinner.
Having worked at the bench since I was fourteen, breaking only to study landscaping and horticulture for three years, my work uses classic bench jewellery skills to transform unglamorous found, corroded iron into mystical jewels, created with the same care as would traditionally be lavishly bestowed upon precious materials.
Born:
1964, Bothwell, Scotland.
Education:
1981 – 1985, BSc. (Hons) Horticulture, London University
1994 – 1996, PGCSE (TQFE), Strathclyde University (including D 32, D33)
Relevant Employment History:
1976 – 1988, Various part-time and full-time work with John Gilchrist/The Ringmaker, Glasgow; Bench jeweller
1988 – 1990, Part-time lecturer, North Glasgow College
Current: Withheld at request of employer
Current: Independent jewellery maker
Further Personal Development:
2007 – Hand Engraving with Sam Alfano
2007 – Introductory Blacksmithing with Peat Oberon
2008 – Mokume Gane and Damascus Steel with Mark Constable
2009 – “Design at the Edge” workshops with Prof. Robert Ebendorf
2010 – Rhino 3D CAD training
2011 – Matrix Gemvision training
Professional Organisations:
Director and Deputy Chairman: Association of Contemporary Jewellers
Member: Society of North American Goldsmiths
Publications:
2008 – Paper: “Electrolytic Etching”, SNAG Technical Bulletin, 2nd Quarter
2009 – “1000 Ideas for Creative Re–Use”, ISBN: 978–15925354082010
2010 – “500 Gemstone Jewels”, Lark Books, ISBN: 978–1600593413
2010 – “Found Object Jewellery”, Stackpole Books, ISBN: 978–0811706028
2011 – “New Rings: 500 Designs From Around The World”, Thames & Hudson, ISBN: 978–0500289334
2011 – "Contemporary Jewellery Yearbook", Promapress, Barcelona
2011 – "Serendipity Magazine" issue 3, "Apocalyptic Art"
2012 – "Humour In Craft", Brigitte Martin, Schiffer, ISBN: 978–0764340598
2012 – "The Guide To Gemstone Setting", Anastasia Young, A&C Black, ISBN: 978–1408154991
2012 – "Heat, Color, Set & Fire", Mary Hettmansperger, Lark Books, ISBN: 978–1454700166
2012 – “Art Jewellery Magazine”, ed. Theresa Ablew, May 2012, “Hardware Store Jewelry”
2012 – “Metalsmith” exhibition in print, “Gothic Jewelry – Sinister Pleasures”, curated Valerie Steele, August 2012.
2012 – “Jewel Book 12/13, International Annual of Contemporary Jewel Art”, Ed. Campos, Hogg, Dempf & Leclercq, Pub. Stichting Kunstboek, ISBN 978–9058564108
2012 – “Heavy Metal”, feature article in “Scotland On Sunday” magazine, “Spectrum”, Peter Ross, 4th November, 2012
2012 – “Pushing Boundaries”, feature article in “Silver Styles” magazine, Olivia Quiniquini, 8th December, 2012
2013 – “The Art of Soldering for Jewellery Makers: Techniques and Projects", Wing Mun Devenney, Pub. Search Press Ltd., ISBN 978-1844489626
2013 – “Showcase 500 Art Necklaces”, Ed. Ray Hemachandra and Chunghi Choo Kathy Sheldon, Pub. Lark Books, ISBN 978-1454703525
2013 – 14 – “Storytelling” – Series of articles over four issues, “Serendipity Magazine”
2013 – “Enough Violence: Artists Speak Out”, Privately published exhibition book, collaboration with photographer, Simon Murphy
2014 – "On Body and Soul: Contemporary Armor to Amulets", Suzanne Ramljak, Pub. Schiffer, ISBN-13: 978-0764346477
2014 - “Behind The Brooch”, Loren Angulo, Pub. Schiffer, ISBN 978-0764345593
2014 – (Pending) “Patina: 300 Surface Effects for Jewelers & Metalsmiths”, Matt Runfola, Pub. Interweave Press, ISBN 978-1620331392
Ongoing: book and exhibition reviewer for “Findings” magazine
Online galleries:
2008 – Carrotbox, Jewellery Website, feature
2008 – Etsy, featured artist
2009 – V&A “Find, Make, Wear”, curated by Dorothy Hogg
2009 – HCJ Project, Jewellery Website, featured artist
2009 – ACJ Website, featured artist
2010 – Mar del Color Rosa, Jewellery Website, featured artist
2010 – Crafthaus, Craft Website featured artist
2010 – Etsy, featured artist
2010 – Front Page Artist, SNAG Website
2011 – Beads–Perles, Jewellery Website, Interview
2011 – 18ct.es, Jewellery Website, Interview
2012 – Crafthaus, Craft Website, Featured artist
2013 – KOJewel, Jewellery Website, Featured artist
Solo and Group Exhibitions:
1992 –1999 – Various PLE exhibitions around Europe
1999 – “Self–Defence In The Year 2000” - Connect Gallery, Glasgow
2005 – North Glasgow College Show, Tron Theatre, Glasgow
2009 – ACJ Scotland, Winter Show, WASPS Gallery, Dundee
2010 – Goldsmiths' Hall, Craft and Design Awards, London
2010 – ACJ Show, "Treasure" - London Jewellery Week
2010 – “Re:Collect” - Llantarnam Grange, Cwmbran, Wales
2011 – Landfill Art Project, Pennsylvania, USA
2011 – “Beneath The Skin” - Sheffield Institute of Arts, Sheffield
2011 – “Treasure” - London Jewellery Week
2011 – “The Kiss: Works inspired by The Cure” - Green Lion Gallery, Grand Rapids, USA
2012 – Solo show, Llantanam Grange, Cwmbran, Wales
2012 – Group show as part of North Glasgow College, Halifax, Canada
2012 – “Gothic Jewelry, Sinister Pleasures” - SOFA, Chicago, SNAG Exhibition; curated Valerie Steele
2012 – , “Gothic Jewelry, Sinister Pleasures” - Metals Museum, Tennessee, SNAG Exhibition; curated Valerie Steele
2013 – “Ferrous” - Velvet Da Vinci, San Francisco; curated Mike Holmes, Elizabeth Shypert and Brigitte Martin
2013 - “I Am Iron Man” - Solo show, Ayse Jewellery Gallery, Istabul, Turkey
2013 - “Earrings Galore” - Heidi Lowe Gallery, Delaware, USA
2013 – “Typography” – Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, England; curated Rachael Noone
2013 - “Handmade By Machines” - The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Scotland
2013 – “Darkness Descends” – Cursley and Bond Gallery, Folkestone, England
2013-14 “Enough Violence: Artists Speak Out” – Society For Contemporary Crafts, Pittsburgh; curated by Kate Lydon; collaborative work with Simon Murphy, Photographer
Ongoing relationship with Cursley and Bond Gallery, Folkestone, Kent, UK
Competitions:
Finalist in PMC Studio open competition, 2006
Exhibited as part of Goldsmiths' Hall Craftsmanship and Design Awards, 2010
Research, scholarly activity and subject updating:
2003 – Experimental Mokume processes
2005 – Experimental Niello processes
2006 – Safer methods of Etching; Electrolytic Etching
2008 – present – collaboration with Dee Wilder (polymer clay artist)
2009 – collaboration with Sergey Jivetin (jeweller)
2009 – collaboration with Emily Watson (jeweller)
2009 – present – collaborations with Lisa Stevens (ceramic artist)
2010 – collaboration with Cóilín Ó Dubhghaill (japanese alloy specialist and jeweller)
2012 – 13 – Curating online exhibiton on Crafthaus with Jeff Zimmer
2013 – 15 – Curating exhibition with Cari-Jane Hakes, “The Culling is Coming”
2014 – 15 – Assisting with curation of "Handmade By Machines" with Karen-Anne Dicken
Ongoing – regular communications with other jewellers around the world
Ongoing – personally-driven research into 3D technologies
Invited Lecturer:
2003 – Cornton Vale Prison – Basic jewellery skills – working with offenders
2006 – PLE Conference, Glasgow – Press–forming Techniques for the Small Workshop
2010 – ACJ Conference “Crossings”, West Dean, Sussex – Electrolytic Etching
2011 – Pittsburgh Centre for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA, USA – “The New Junk Jewellery”
2012 – Pittsburgh Centre for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA, USA - “You Can't Wear That” and “Expanding Techniques – Lesser-Known Techniques for Jewellers”
2013 – California College of the Arts, Oakland, San Francisco, USA – Talk about personal processes and works
2013 – Touchstone Center For Crafts, Farmington, PA, USA - “Ferrous Jewellery”
2013 – Pittsburgh Centre for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA, USA – “Secrets and Surprises”
2013 – Shuman Detention Centre, Pittsburgh, PA, USA – “Enough Violence”, work with young offenders
Influences:
Rob Jackson; Robert Ebendorf; Pat Flynn; Keith LoBue; Gilbert Scott; Jules Verne; Edward Gorey; Tim Hunkin; Terry Gilliam; Renaissance jewellery and silverwares, especially ecclesiastical; Victorian mourning jewellery; Hip–hop jewellery.
Where to Buy
Work is not available for sale through the SNAG website. Please contact the artist directly to inquire about making a purchase.