A Bit of Background...
Making jewellery has been a passion of mine since my childhood. When I was only 12, my father built a proper semi-precious stone cutting station for me in the basement. The stone cutting saw was powered by the motor out of an old ringer washer that we finally retired. Yes, a ringer washer. I would make cabachons and tumble rough stone for rings, pendants and earrings and sell the finshed pieces in their settings. It was my first creative business even before my fine art photography. My father enjoyed creating gold wire pieces along side me, and returned to it in his late 70s. I still have a few of his pieces as well as some of the stones from my early days.In 2014, I returned to live in England, my birthplace, and since have been studying the tremendous legacy of the Victorians. The mixed media Glass Portals incorporate both a Victorian item, the glass itself, and a Victorian fascination for wearable keepsakes. Typically I use three layers of glass creating a two-sided piece. Each item is one-of-a-kind. I am open to loose collaborations if you see a work in progress posted on my Instagram or Facebook pages. The Glass Portal piece entitled 'All That Matters' was in progress when the owner decided it was for her. We made a few creative decisions together at that point that ensured it was tailor made to a personal story about her relationship with her mother who had recently passed. It was a pleasure to create such a personal piece and I know that she appreciated the thought and effort that went into customising it for her.
In 2016, as an extension of my clay sculpture work, the jewellery-making bug hit me again but this time with an idea of using a new material that I could sculpt. This allowed me to get my hands dirty, to shape, saw, file, sand and then paint with gold and silver leafing. The desire was to create beautiful objects that people could carry with them and use to centre themselves, and so the Touchstone Collection was born. The intial pieces have sold out but I will create another, likely with a twist, in the future.
How to Purchase
The hallmarked one-of-a-kind silver creations are available to purchase through my web site via PayPal, or in my Etsy shop - WendyFarrowLondon. There are two chain lengths listed but if you would like a longer chain, please email me or message me on Etsy.The initial Touchstone Collection has sold out but I may produce more in the future. You can still view the pieces in the Touchstone album on my wearable art site.