Katherine Ryan: ‘You can make jewellery out of breast milk’
All That Glitters is your new TV obsession
If an artisanal pastime exists, then a reality TV competition will be made about it – those are the rules. Luckily, we’re obsessed with each and every single one of them, and the BBC’S latest offering in the genre, All That Glitters, is no exception. Each week, a group of jewellers will create bespoke pieces to be judged by industry experts Shaun Leane and Solange Azagurypartridge. Host Katherine Ryan is on hand to offer support, and some much-needed comedy when the pressure – and the heat from the soldering iron – gets too much.
Speaking to heat, the 37-yearold comedian told us how moving the show can be. “I could tell, even just from the free therapy that I got from Shaun backstage, that jewellers are very emotional artists. And it was also emotional to see some of the bespoke clients come in [who the contestants then make jewellery for], because we had amazing stories there. That just really upped the stakes. The jewellers poured their hearts into these pieces.”
Shaun Leane – whose many famous commissions include Princess Beatrice’s engagement and wedding rings – tells us he feels the contestants are under more pressure than he was when working for royalty. “When I made Beatrice’s wedding ring, I had a lot of pressure, because obviously, there would be millions and millions of people looking at it. But I had time! I had two months to design the piece, while the contestants have three to four hours. And they not only have to make the piece, but they’re also talking to us, the camera crew were there, and then they’re going to be judged.”
When we ask if Katherine has a favourite piece of jewellery, she tells us that it’s anything her daughter has made. “I’ve worn some of my daughter’s necklaces onstage, much to the dismay of my stylist. She’s like, ‘Macaroni?!’ But you think about the making of it, the story. That’s what makes it really special.”
Although Katherine and the judges can’t give away any spoilers, they are agreed on one particular stand-out moment from the series. “It wasn’t part of the challenge, but someone made a ring out of their breast milk,” Katherine reveals. “You can actually make breast milk into a ring.”
“I’ve made jewellery with my children’s milk teeth,” Solange adds. “Anything that can adorn you can be jewellery.” n
‘I’ve worn my daughter’s necklaces onstage’