The artof creating
beautiful pieces
Jo Barnes chats two contemporary goldsmiths Gill and Alan
Saunders about their work and inspirations…
new collections each year for jewellery ideas for new pieces. Once we haveDr Who Christmas special and
shows around the world. They are finished a collection we are working ona gold award-winning
currently working on a collection for the the next one very gradually for a fewChelsea garden are just two
main British show, which is being held in months until we produce that one. Theof the more unusual places
Earls Court in the autumn. work very often evolves from theAyou may
They are also in the pre-Christmas collection we have just completed. Buthave seen the work of two Monmouth-
count down, which will see them not that is the essence of contemporarybased goldsmiths.
taking a day off until Christmas Day to jewellery - it progresses. Some people areGill and Alan Saunders, who run
make sure they fulfil all the orders which still doing the same work they were doingAtelier Gilmar in the town, are award-
come flooding in from around the world. when they came out of college, whichwinning goldsmiths whose
Gill explains: “Everything we make is can’t be contemporary as it could be yearscontemporary jewellery is sold across the
handmade. We do no casting of jewellery. old.world in 14 different countries.
The concept of going from the raw metal “It takes 10 years of sitting at theThe two creative jewellery lovers have
to produce a fashioned article by hand is bench before you become any good,” saysremained faithful to their dreams since
the appeal of what we do. We have Gill, who adds that many people don’tfounding the atelier in 1983. They create
specialised in making handmade items for have that application to the craft thesestunning, unusual pieces of jewellery
the last 25 years. We call it art jewellery days.from the small workshop hidden away in
because it is very different from the type “Our craft is all about honing the skillsthe centre of the bustling town.
of thing you would find on the high and not about just doing it. You have toWe are sitting in the couple’s workshop
street. make mistakes along the way to find outas they explain how they produce two
“I never find it difficult to come with who you are,” she says.
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