Anna Mcloughlin - Ethical Designer/Goldsmith
I’m a designer/goldsmith, and create one off “mini wearable sculptures” from precious metals and stones. I LOVE to bring new life to old pieces of jewellery hidden away in drawers, re-modelling them into new modern heirlooms, but most importantly, turning them into something that will worn and enjoyed.
How It All Started
“…I was born in Birmingham and graduated from the prestigious Birmingham School of Jewellery in 2000 but the magic really began to happen in 2010 when I moved out of the city! The wonderful and beautiful countryside that I can see from my window is constantly changing with the seasons and is now the main influence on my designs.
However, my interest in all things arty started at a very early age, when even at primary school, I would often tell my teachers that I was going to be an artist when I grew up! I'm not sure they took me all that seriously at age 5 but I continued to follow this dream all the way through school, taking up residence in the art room and producing numerous drawings, paintings and three dimensional masterpieces!
At age 16, my parents took me to a careers fair, probably hoping that I'd see sense and choose a proper job, but here I discovered that I could study for a degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing, and from this point on, I decided that this was going to be my chosen path.
On completion of my degree, I studied for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and taught Art and Design & Technology full time for several years before finally making the decision to set up as a designer/maker in 2006.
My business has evolved naturally over the last few years, and following a couple of breaks when I had my children, I now find myself becoming an established gold and silversmith, and am able to specialise in designing and making unique one-off pieces, mostly engagement and wedding rings.
My passion for nature and the environment is a constant influence on both my life and my business and I will always choose either recycled or fair trade/ fair mined precious metals (silver, gold, platinum and palladium) where-ever these are available. My diamonds and other gemstones are either lab grown, ethically sourced, or my favourite type - recycled from old jewellery. Everything I make is done so using traditional hand tools and techniques, but just saying this is not enough and certainly doesn’t mean I can automatically call myself an ethical and sustainable business! Being sustainable and “eco” is a whole lifestyle choice…so… I’m vegan, I don’t fly, I shop as locally as possible, I buy my clothes from charity shops, I walk or cycle wherever possible, we do have a car, but it’s electric and shared with my partner, I repair stuff when it breaks, my new “Eco Studio” is going to be off grid and powered by the sun, I could go on but you get the idea.
Finally, well done for reading to the end of this. I hope you enjoy browsing the website…”
Anna x