I have a little code that I apply to my friends when popping in for a cup of tea. There are frequent one cup quick exchanges. Two cups consumed means that someone’s got something juicy to tell. More than two usually indicates that it has either taken a while to get to the heart of the matter or that what’s being said is much more interesting than what you’ve got going on at home. Vicky Davies’ visit was the three cuppa affair with biscuits that I thought it would be.

It was truly a bleak midwinter’s afternoon outside and stepping into Vicky’s warm and cosy studio was a comforting relief. The stone polishing machine was droning on and BBC London was chatting away in the background. They both soon had to be turned off though because like her handmade jewellery, Vicky Davies doesn’t shout. That doesn’t, however mean that she hasn’t got anything to say.

Vicky describes herself as a native Bristolian apart from being born in Liverpool and spending a few young years in Somerset. She credits the time that she spent at a Convent school in Somerset for starting her fascination with icons and symbolism. “Although I wasn’t brought up with religion in my home I grew to like talismans, ceremony and idea that someone else was on my side.”

She also remembers always having had a creative streak with an intense passion for drawing. “It surprises me that I’ve ended up making jewellery” she says, “as my first love was illustration.” Her brother recently told another side to the story at Christmas. Vicky laughs as she describes his version of events. “Apparently I made him this paper weight out of resin with carefully embedded fishing flies in it, but I don’t remember. He swears that he still has it too!”

Things went from flies to fashion in 1981 as Vicky moved to London for university. She vividly remembers arriving at Paddington Station. “I headed straight for the phone box and called the friend that I was going to stay with in a squat in Notting Hill. She answered and started shouting at me down the phone to hurry up and get a taxi as there was about to be a riot.” Dorothy was definitely not in Kansas anymore.

The leafy suburban campus of Middlesex University was in sharp contrast to her West London squat. There Vicky was happy for the attention she was given as there weren’t as many students taking jewellery at that time. “My jewellery course really gave me the time and space to focus on being both practical and creative.” After obtaining her degree in Jewellery Design in 1985 there was no turning back. “I wasn’t given a choice on becoming a jeweller really. I didn’t mind the discipline of being self employed and besides there just weren’t many jobs available at that time. People placed orders from my graduate show and I thought that I had better get a bench and some tools then.”

From her pre Shoreditch Sweeties Brick Lane studio she began to collaborate with various designers including Joe Casey-Hayford and Fred Bare Hats. A confrontational burglary put an abrupt end to those premises. “Two big guys just got let in one day while I was working, came into the room next door and started taking stuff.” Vicky moved swiftly on to a co-op artist’s space in Islington until the birth of her son brought Vicky to her present picturesque garden studio. “I needed a way to work from home with George (her son) and this seemed like the easiest way to do it although it can be like working in a bubble.”

And work she does. Having George in1995 also really galvanised Vicky’s work ethic and the reasons for her labours of love. “Maturing and having a son made me see how easy it can be for women to just fall out of the habit of adorning themselves. It’s often just at the times when life gets tough though that women need to feel that they are powerful by caring for themselves. Putting on a bit of lippy or a necklace helps to project an energy that says you value yourself. It’s also that very air which can help others to treat you likewise.” I nodded my head in motherhood empathy as we finished both our tea and our party political broadcast from the Access to Accessories Party.

What’s next for Vicky Davies? Jokingly she replies,” I want to see my name everywhere. I want a Vicky Davies Jewellery Shop on every high street in the country!!” After a pause for the giggles to pass she reflects more sombrely. “The idea of moving more into bespoke jewellery excites me but clients need to know who you are. I suppose I just want to be able to carry on doing what I love and expose my work to more people in the UK. After having been successful in Japan and other countries I would just like for more people closer to home to know what I do. Hopefully they might even like it.”  Judging by the reaction of Cerise’s visitors to Vicky Davies Jewellery apathy shouldn’t really be a problem. And so it is without further ado that I re-present to you, Vicky Davies.

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Posted by Maria on 22 January 2009 02:21:48 GMT #