Julie Convery
My love of silver began at home as a child in Oxford. My father who worked as a technician/tool maker at the university, also made jewellery in his spare time, in the 1970’s. His tools and various bits of silver were always available to me, and I started to bend and make simple shapes and thread with tiny beads. I even sold these first enthusiastic baubles to my friends at school for £1 a pair!
When I left school I went on to train at the London College of Printing as a graphic designer. I needed to earn money to live! 80s and 90s were boom years for design companies in London. It was a great time doing a job I loved, and still do, as graphic design is very much part of what I do.
Jewellery making was always my hobby and a release from my work day stress. I decided to further my making skills and go to evening classes to study silver smithing and jewellery making in more depth. I realised very soon I needed to immerse myself more in all its processes. I bought lots of tools, blow torch, pickling unit, barrel polisher etc and started to make on the table at home in a more serious fashion!
As a designer maker, I have always enjoyed exploring ideas as much as materials, to see what I can create from them. It is a journey of honing skills to explore form, texture and colour, and being a member of the Essex Craft Society has boosted my desire to keep developing and perfecting my skills as a maker.
Much of my inspiration and ideas come from the natural world which is a rich vein of visual stimulus for me.
It is a continuous love and fascination with the process of making shiny things to wear!
