Every coat I have has pockets full of things: I hear shells rattling about with bits of plastic when I pull one on to face the school run, I fiddle with acorn cups while I'm waiting for a flat white in my local cafe; I scrunch up bits of lichen and tangled sea-string while I'm trying to find my gloves. 

 

I am and always have been a bit of a collector: not of high value, status-ridden things that you have to be careful with. Just little, curious, quirky things that are everywhere in everybody's everyday life. I just like to pick them up, look at them and put them in my pocket. Then I like to make them into jewellery later…

 

So I make contemporary, definitely eclectic jewellery from found objects (driftwood, sea plastic, sea glass  and slate pebbles) combined with semi-precious stones and pearls linked together with chunky hammered eco-silver chains, delicate crocheted fine silver and fused silver focal pieces. I’m lucky enough to live in Cornwall and I love spending time outdoors in the fresh air on local beaches and in the woods, collecting curious things…

 

Using recycled materials, remaking old broken jewellery or basically ‘rubbish’ in this way is a sustainable way of creating unique pieces that aren’t a strain on new resources and whose material components are traceable. I’ve started setting traceable boulder opals from Australia in eco-gold and eco-silver for magically coloured statement rings and pendants; and I’ve been collecting amethysts, aquamarine and other crystals from local sites Cornish crystal claw-set rings and pendants. 

 

Everything on the site is handmade by me, my son Alf or one of my talented makers, Kath, Sue and Neve. This means you can request the length, colour, finish that you'd like: it also means pieces will vary a bit, so you definitely get an original piece. Some pieces take longer than others to make, so just let us know if you need something by a certains date and we'll do our best to get it to you.

 

Heavy pieces of silver (over 7.6g) and anything with gold needs to be sent off to hallmarking in Sheffield, so please allow 2 weeks for any bigger silver pieces and gold.

 

I run recycled jewellery workshops at my studio in St Aiustell, Stable Arts in Bodmin and at West Dean College in Chichester.

 

Along with my friend painter Karen McEndoo, we set up our Terramater Art group in 2019: we're a group of women artists from the South West who are concerned about the environment (who isn't eh?)

 

I was really happy to be accepted as a member of MAKE Southwest this year; and I'm also a member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen

 

I’ve written 3 jewellery-making books:
•    the first is  called ‘Junk-box Jewellery’ ( which is published by A&C Black) 
•    the second is called Wild Jewellery (Jacqui Small) 
•    and the third  is called Hair Accessories (GMC) 
There’s some more information about my books on my author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-Drew/e/B005J4VBHI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 

If I'm not making jewellery I'd rather be in the sea...

Looking up on a walk in Gover Valley with my kids and dog

Polly Joke, one of our favourite beaches

Looking out over St Austell Bay from our secret beach