THIS MONTH: THE FIFE JEWELLER
We celebrate the home-grown entrepreneurs who have turned their hobby into a thriving business
amass of wild flowers sway in the breeze outside jeweller Ebba Goring’s studio on this warm May day. The door and windows of the former railway waiting room are flung open, letting in the cry of gulls and the squeak of trains braking on the approach to the still-functioning Georgian station in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. A black, smooth-haired lurcher called Nessa lies by Ebba’s feet as she sits at her workbench immersed in the miraculous business of turning crochet into gold for her unique creations, which combine the appearance of textiles with the
delicate beauty of jewellery. “My technique does have a modern-day folktale quality,” she says, holding up one of her dainty pendants so it catches the afternoon sunlight. “Often people aren’t sure what my pieces are made from. I like the confusion – something that was once soft and malleable but also very fragile has become something glimmering and hardwearing that will last for ever.”
Ebba’s interest in jewellery began when she was only eight years old: “A family friend gave me a bag of glass beads from India in an assortment of colours and shapes, and I still remember that first glimpse… To me they looked like treasure.” Around the same time, she began demonstrating her entrepreneurial flair, spending all her pocket and birthday money making pendants and earrings to sell at school fairs. Her passion for textiles began later, ten years ago during her degree in Jewellery and Metal Design at the University of Dundee, just as handicrafts were enjoying a revival: “I was interested in the skills passed down from generation to generation and what use we had for them in today’s society.” Her two interests knitted together when she began literally preserving pieces of needlework – encasing crocheted motifs and designs in silver and gold – as part of her coursework. To perform this remarkable process, she initially used a method called electroforming, which coats a material such as sewing cotton with metal deposits.
After graduating, Ebba spent some time running a craft gallery just over the Fife border in Perth, which she owned with her now husband. “It taught me some valuable lessons about owning a small business,” she says. “I discovered the
importance of good branding, merchandising and how to price my work.” It also proved to be an invaluable platform from which to sell her creations, where she could gauge customers’ reactions and tailor her pieces accordingly. As a result, she launched her first full jewellery collection in 2012, selling it at carefully selected galleries and trade fairs. She also continued to experiment with various processes of converting thread to metal. These included crocheting a design before creating a wax mould, which she then used to cast it in precious metal: “When I was starting out, some pieces would get stuck in the mould. Now I know what the limitations of the process are and can also enjoy pushing the boundaries.”
To develop her business, Ebba successfully applied for support from a number of Scottish organisations. In 2010, Creative Scotland awarded her a grant that match-funded the purchasing of her tools, and contributed to the cost of attending trade shows. Even her workspace is the result of a local project: Fife Historic Buildings Trust restored the redundant buildings of Burntisland Station in 2012 for the use of artists and craftspeople. Her mother, who lives nearby in Kinghorn, suggested that Ebba rent one of the beautifully converted studios. The timing worked well and in 2016, Ebba moved to one, having outgrown her garden-based workshop. She quickly made it her own – filling it with characterful old wooden furniture, moodboards and flowers, as well as her armoury of equipment.
Since launching her business, Ebba has become mother to Euan, six, and Matilda, three, and appreciates the flexibility her business provides, but her family responsibilities have also helped shape her artistic direction: “When Matilda was born, I scaled everything back. I used to have lots of stockists but found I didn’t have the time to make the same number of silver pieces with a baby and a pre-schooler. So I focused on fine jewellery – wedding and engagement rings (some of which are secret projects). It’s rewarding work.” The bespoke process can take four weeks and begins with a client consultation followed by a sketch; once this is approved, Ebba stitches it and sends a photo and video to them. Next, she discusses the stones to be used and then starts on the final piece.
Another dimension to Ebba’s craft that has evolved is the way she sources materials: she has always cast her creations in
“Now I know what the limitations of the process are, I can push the boundaries”
recycled precious metal but now also offers her 18ct pieces in Fairtrade gold with ethically sourced precious stones. “I have always bought fairly traded coffee and try to make similar choices in the rest of my life, so I wanted to carry it through in my business, too.”
Ebba still finds the whole process as exciting, if not more so, as when she first began crafting jewellery. “When it bears my own hallmark and it’s all polished up, I get a real rush,” she says. Now that Matilda is going to pre-school, Ebba is looking forward to having the opportunity of building up her business again. Her ambitions? To keep learning new skills and grow a good base of stockists both in the UK and abroad: “It’s always been a dream of mine to be sold in Liberty in London, ever since I first visited the store.” In the meantime, she will continue to produce beautiful jewellery that feels both ancient and modern, with the preservation of time-honoured textile skills providing the common thread.
For more information about Ebba Goring’s work, visit ebbagoring.com. Country Living readers can receive a 15 per cent discount until 30 June 2018 when using the code CLJUNE at the checkout.