Designer wins gold for her gold
A JEWELLERY designer, maker, and tutor has won an award for her work, made from an unusual medium.
Janet Richardson scooped gold at the Goldsmiths Craft and Design Council (GC&DC) Awards, an event regarded as the Oscars of the jewellery world.
Her winning necklace, which at first glance resembles a mythical flying creature, has wings that look as though they are carved agate or tortoiseshell.
“They’re cowhorn,” said Ms Richardson, “taken from the hollow section nearest to the head.
“There’s a slight curve to the material, and I was able to file it down to make it thinner to reveal the colours within.
“I was given the horn sections to work with by the Worshipful Company of Horners.”
This ancient organisation was first recorded in 1284, when medieval communities made eating utensils, drinking horns, mugs, buttons, combs, boxes, powder horns and shoe horns from the discarded horns of sheep and cows.
Ms Richardson sanded down the pieces she was given, before polishing them.
“Working with horn is a bit like working with plastic, but not as sticky,” she said. “It’s not
as hard as silver, and it can be carved more easily.
“It was a first for me, as I’ve never worked with horn before. I enjoyed it, and I’ll definitely use it again.”
Ms Richardson’s piece was awarded gold, not only by the Goldsmiths Craft and Design Council, but also by the Worshipful Company of Horners.
“When I was invited to the ceremony, I knew that I had achieved some kind of award for my piece, called Winged Silver and Horn Necklace, in the Horn and Polymers category,” she said, “But not at what level.
“To my delight I received gold from both organisations.”
Ms Richardson mainly works with silver.
She fell into jewellery making, partly due to a disrupted education.
“My father was in the RAF, and we moved around alot,” she said. “The various schools I attended used different examining boards, and I kept missing out on parts of the different syllabuses.
“By the time I reached A level, the only subject I had consistently been able to follow through was Art, which fortunately for me, I was good at.
“I went to art college after school, and specialised in jewellery and silversmithing before training in Sheffield.
“Making jewellery is something that I love doing – I like creating things that are a little bit different, and as a teacher of the craft I enjoy helping other people to learn new skills too.”
Ms Richardson’s work is exhibited in Britain and abroad, has featured in a variety of publications.
Her work has appeared in Vogue magazine, and is part of the contemporary jewellery collection at the Dallas Museum of Art, in the United States.
She teaches in the borough, and concentrates on making her own individual bespoke creations.
“I was absolutely astonished to get this award,” she said.
“As a jeweller, I work alone, and often I just don’t know if what I’m doing is any good.
“But this feels like a real step on the ladder, and an encouragement to keep going.
“It really helps to have been validated in this way.”