Royal approval for ‘Shell’s Heart’
A beach walk and Sligo’s famous shells are the inspiration behind local award-winning goldsmith Martina Hamilton’s has launched a new collection for Christmas.
The collection is called Croi Sliogan, which translates as Shell’s Heart or Shell’s Core, and will be available exclusively at Kilkenny Shop and online at martinahamilton.ie
It was launched on Friday, Sept 27 th at the Kilkenny Shop on Nassau Street in Dublin where Martina was in-store meeting members of the public.
The handmade sterling silver pendants, earrings and bangles feature a signature shape available in different sizes.
And, the collection got the Royal seal of approval.
During the launch at the ‘meet the designer’ event at the Kilkenny Shop, HRH Sophie, Countess of Wessex met Martina and ended up buying earrings from the new collection.
Martina describes how the collection came about while she was walking on a beach during a rainy summer’s day and spotted some beautiful shells.
“As usual, the very generous landscape of Sligo gifted me. Something about those shells spoke to me and I started thinking about the core of the shell and how it related to our own core; our essence.
“Something resonated with me when I looked into those shells and it was the start of a creative process that percolated within me for a year.
“I looked into the empty space inside the shell’s core and felt it resembled a heart and that is what I have tried to recreate in the collection. When you look into the core of the pieces, you see what appears to be a heart.
“The fact that ‘shell’s core’ translated into Croi Sliogan, which is very close to the phrase ‘ the heart of Sligo’ excited me as Sligo is part of my essence.
“Its meaning is very beautiful and poetic and, of course, is so close to the line in Sligo poet W.B Yeats’ The Lake Isle of Innisfree: ‘I hear it in the deep heart’s core.’
“The way the collection has taken shape really speaks to a lot of things and, in a way, it’s quite sentimental. I am so proud of this collection.
Martina Hamilton has been designing distinctive jewellery collections for more than 30 years in her studio in Sligo. Working exclusively with hallmarked silver and gold, her award-winning designs are inspired by the ever-changing Atlantic coastal landscape and all her pieces are handmade in Ireland by studio craft makers.
Also available this Christmas is Martina’s Leaf Collection, which features freshwater cultured pearls and are available in both sterling silver and gold.
The collection includes two different pairs of earrings, pearl pendants and the extremely popular leaf and pearl bracelet.