I live in Cornwall and love making jewellery using mostly recycled materials such as:

• vintage brooches from 20s/30s/40s/50s
• antique crystals, pearls and glass beads
• vintage lace, stiffened for jewellery
• old silver and gold chains and charms
• found sea-glass
• small bits of driftwood
• bright sea-string
• abstract pieces of sea-plastic
• dark slate pebbles
• pretty shells

I like to combine all these materials with handmade, hammered chain; pretty semi-precious stones and freshwater pearls; and hand-crocheted or wirework settings.

I officially set up my business in Jan 2000 but I had spent the previous 18 months funding a trip around Australia selling jewellery through boutiques in Sydney (and anywhere else when we were desperate!). Before that, I worked as a retail manager and was at Selfridges for a while. I’ve been making jewellery since I was 14 (20years); I used to sell earrings from a small suitcase to teachers and pupils at school!

I've always loved going to jumbles sales, car boots, rumaging around in junk and antique shops, and I've always collected quirky, unusal bits of antique jewellery (and china, clothes, vintage kitchen equipment, my husband loves it!). It's just a natural progression to want to make these pieces I collect into modern jewellery to be worn in a contemporary way: so much nicer for them to see the light of day and not just languish in the dust at the bottom of my jewellery box.

I encourage customers to bring me, or send me, their own antique pieces to be made into modern jewellery: they then know the history of the piece and have an emotional link to the new necklace/bracelet or tiara.

I love living in Cornwall and make the most of the beautiful surroundings with lots of bracing beach and woodland walks (they have the added bonus of tiring out my lads and dog!). I naturally just pick up things, such as sea-glass and beach plastic,that look interesting when I'm out, then work these into jewellery later: it's nice for pieces to have a real connection to a place in this way, I think.

I sell my jewellery through galleries, fashion boutiques and bridal shops nationwide http://www.sarahdrew.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=1 , as well as directly from my website here. I’ve supplied jewellery and tiaras to large stores such as Liberty, Harrods and Browns Bride in London and I've had lots of pieces featured in editorial in magazines such as ‘Brides’, ‘Wedding’, ‘Wedding Ideas’ and ‘You and Your Wedding’.

As well as designing and making my jewellery collections, I look after my 2 boys and teach Recycled and Vintage jewellery-making workshops at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery, St Austell College, West Dean College in Chichester and at lovely, posh hotels and gorgeous beach cafes round Cornwall: you can keep up-to-date with the next courses here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/i-love-handmade-things/194162186433?ref=ts.