Treasure trove of bespoke jewellery and craftsmanship at Precious Kent exhibition in Margate

Meet the exhibitors at the Precious Kent event this month

A selling exhibition by professional jewellery makers and designers will take place in Margate this month (November).

The Precious Kent – Objects of Desire event will be held at Pie Factory Gallery Margate from November 30- December 2 and will feature pieces that range from traditional silver and gold to fun-inspired Perspex.

Their celebration of the best of British talent offers a treasure trove of creativity, innovative design and superb craftsmanship, using a variety of interesting and beautiful material.

​During the exhibition visitors can buy directly from the makers or commission special one-off pieces.

The Precious Kent exhibitions began in 2014 when a group of jewellers decided to host their own show because outside of the prestigious Goldsmiths’ Fair, there are very few selling exhibitions for high end, professionals to sell at.

‘Precious Kent, Objects of Desire’ was born and the group agreed to include invited guests each year  to add variety.

This year the diversification has gone further with the experimental addition of some mixed media artists.

Kimmy McHarrie, a mosaic artist, and Emma Burton, a fabric artist are the two non-jeweller guests participating this year. The third guest is Isabelle Capitain who is a jeweller, but is exhibiting with Precious Kent for the first time.

The level of the work on show and for sale is extraordinarily high; many of the Precious Kent group have exhibited, or still exhibit, at the Goldsmiths’ Fair in London and most have work in collections around the world.

The exhibition fair at Pie Factory Margate will be an opportunity to not only buy some unique and high-end work, but to meet the artists who create it, talk to them about what they do and have the chance to place bespoke commission orders.

The exhibitors

Ulla Hörnfeldt 

​The focus of Ulla Hörnfeldt’s work falls on the dramatic gemstones, chosen for their striking and intriguing patterns. Ulla frames these unique stones in precious metals, using strong sculptural lines and negative space.

​London / Margate

www.ullahornfeldt.com

Shelby Fitzpatrick 

​Shelby Fitzpatrick’s newest collection of jewellery embraces perspex and its many frosted and pearlescent colours.  Playing with light and shape and an endless combination of colours, she creates magical, light-weight jewellery which speaks to Youth, Optimism and a glorious sense of fun.

​Sturry / Kent

​www.shelbyfitzpatrick.com

Isabelle Capitain

​Hand making jewellery for Isabelle is all about combining traditional methods with modern technology. Isabelle likes her designs to be simple and understated, but with an edge. She is strongly influenced by the school of Bauhaus.

​Lewisham/London

​www.isabelle-capitain.co.uk

Stuart Jenkins

Whilst studying for a fine art foundation course, Stuart was introduced to the world of silversmithing and jewellery making, craftsmanship and beauty, by a local, leading British designer/silversmith, Michael Bolton. An informal apprenticeship taught him techniques of the past, to combine with design ideas, for the future.

After graduating from Bretton Hall University College in 1997, with a first class honours degree in fine art (painting), Stuart moved to London, setting up a workshop, enabling him to slowly start making up his own collection, whilst working as a freelance maker for other jewellers. After 8 years he then moved down to West Sussex. Setting up his studio, from where he now works, creating items of jewellery and silverware.

website:www.stuartjenkins.com

Polly Gasston

​In 2007 Polly came back to the bench after 30 years away.  During that time her interests and influences changed dramatically from when she was a young student, and now her work is stronger, bolder, influenced by the ancient near east, and all made in 22ct gold, which is the only metal she uses.  She combines semi precious stones – the more unusual and interesting the better – with the gold, and while her work looks ancient it is completely modern, contemporary, and ultimately wearable.

​Ramsgate / Kent

www.pollygasstongoldsmith.co.uk

Kimmy McHarrie

Kimmy hand makes mosaics using traditional methods and materials. She uses Smalti (Venetian glass), marble, glass, stone, shell, terracotta and any found objects of interest.

Kimmy was born and brought up in the Isle of Man, a stone’s throw from the beach. After gaining her degree in graphic design and illustration, she worked in London as a designer for various publishers.

In 2001 she studied traditional mosaic-making in Ravenna, Italy, the renowned centre of Byzantine mosaics. This period rekindled her passion for collage, which has been significant in her art from the very beginning. As a child she had collected shells and stones on the beach in Castletown, Isle of Man.

Together with ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine mosaics, her influences include the frescoes of Fra Angelico, illuminated manuscripts, tapestries and petit point, textiles, naïve art and the natural world.

The sea has always been an integral part of her life, and having moved to Whitstable from Oxfordshire in 2003, she finally feels she is back where she belongs.

www.kimmymcharrie.co.uk

Sabine König 

​Working from her own studio in Kent, Sabine makes bespoke pieces to order in 18ct gold and silver. Her style is minimal with elements of Japanese art engraved into metal or on the reverse of set stones. She uses interesting gemstones whether this is the cut, gem type or colour to design unique pieces that are both striking and understated.

​Herne Bay / Kent

​​www.sabinekonig.com

Olivia Schlevogt 

Olivia completed a jewellery apprenticeship in her native Germany before moving to England in 1995.

Before becoming self-employed in 1999, she completed a degree in Silversmithing HND and Jewellery Design BA in England. She has since won many prizes for design and craftsmanship.

Olivia shows her work at jewellery fairs across the UK and selected galleries and works to commission.

Rochester / Kent

Olivia says of the video: “This was a bangle I made for a customer who lived in and loved London. The gold line represents the Thames with its bridges and the diamonds high lite points around London which were very special to her, like her sons school and were she lived. It was a great order and so nice to make.”

www.oliviaschlevogt.com

Emma Burton

Emma Burton creates clothes, scarves and bags from fabrics that are printed with her own photography.  She takes photos of a vast range of subjects from nature to vintage jewellery and collages the images together to create the unique designs. The printing process uses digital technology that prints directly onto natural fabrics such as silk, viscose jersey, bamboo and Tencel.

Emma was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne where she completed a BA (Hons) in fashion design at Northumbria University. She then gained an MA in Mixed Media Textiles from the Royal College of Art in London.  She has since worked for fashion houses such as Burberry and Alexander McQueen and she has sold her textile designs to fashion labels worldwide. She now lives and works in Whitstable, Kent.

Whitstable/Kent

www.emmaburton.co.uk

Andrew Bird 

A love of traditional jewellery making skills, combined with the beauty of gold, silver and coloured gemstones, allows Andrew to interpret the textures and patterns found in natural history.

Ramsgate / Kent

www.andrewbirdjewellery.co.uk

Joan MacKarell

Joan’s work concerns odyssey. Her childhood was spent in a North Atlantic Irish landscape of ancient rocks, sea and huge skies. Living now in North Kent, her work is about trying to make sense of these experiences and it deals with fragments of memory and the patina of time.

Her love of colour comes from her painting and her first training as a printed and woven textile designer. Although enamel has an in built fragility, it is, for Joan, the perfect medium for creating a lasting image.

Faversham / Kent

​www.joanmackarell.co.uk

Pie Factory Gallery is at 5 Broad Street, Margate. The selling exhibition runs from November 30-December 2. Opening times are Friday  Noon-6pm followed by private view from 6pm until 9pm. Saturday 10m to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm.

Find out more about Precious Kent here