Frances McKinnel

I live and work in rural Devon. There is an elegance in ‘form and function’, if a thing works really well and is made of the right material, it usually looks beautiful. I hope to produce things which are stripped to the bare essentials. This is the same for all of the things I make, particularly my jewellery, where I like to set the stones I choose in the simplest way.

The creative pleasure comes from the infinite variety and the surprise element of making a similar item repeatedly. Every piece turns out to be unique, like a loaf of bread, or playing a piece of music, or dying wool in a bucket full of boiled acorns. The buckles are made of solid, sterling silver. They are completely made by hand with traditional tools, each one bearing the hall-mark of the London Assay Office. They are made in a variety of shapes, and the leather is made to order using naturally dyed leather.

The stones I buy for the rings are bought direct by my travelling friend from small  mines in India and South America. They are only bought in small batches, and are fairly traded. This means that my rings are definitely one-offs. I’m happy to make the ring to measure, using a chosen stone. Where possible, I use fair-trade and recycled silver.