Meet the Artist
One of my earliest memories is watching my mother at her jeweller’s bench making a ring, seeing the silver glow red while she was soldering. I was enthralled!
Her craft
Jewellery designer and goldsmith. Handcrafting pieces that each tell a story, inspired by the beautiful Irish landscape, the stories of Celtic ancestors, and the special bonds we hold with the people in our lives.
Lives
In my home town of Mullingar in County Westmeath – the luminous “lake county” of Ireland – where I grew up skimming stones, “accidentally” swimming in the freezing lake, and enjoying feelings of space and of being close to family.
Here today, my husband and I enjoy seeing how nature works, surrounded by the moving landscape and textured skies. I am always in awe of the autumn light hitting the hills and fields in the distance, or the dramatic thunderous clouds blowing in over the sea. It really is an inspiring place to live.
Loves
Design. Not just jewelry, but everything from everyday products to graphics and packaging. Being married to an industrial designer has given me even more appreciation for excellent design, in every area of life!
Creativity. I love the process of turning a sheet of metal into a finished piece of jewelry. Each stage is fresh and exciting. Seeing how a design takes its form to become something that will mean a lot to someone is so rewarding for me.
The outdoors. Cycling and hiking in beautiful landscapes, planting flowers in my garden, or just watching the clouds go by in quiet moments of contemplation.
Artistic heritage
As a child, I enjoyed family trips to Ireland’s abundance of Neolithic monuments – passage graves, stone circles and ring forts. The people of the Neolithic era were highly skilled craftspeople and decorated their monuments with beautiful stone-carved patterns.
We also have a stunning collection of gold jewelry artefacts from the Bronze Age, whose intricate designs are beyond comprehension when you consider the basic tools that the artisans had at their disposal.
These ancient designs have hugely influenced my work, with their simple forms and intricate patterns. My design style is a combination of simple geometric form with organic pattern.
One of my earliest memories is watching my mother at her jeweler’s bench making a ring, seeing the silver glow red while she was soldering. I was enthralled!
I waited until I was 14 to ask her to show me how to make something, and she taught me some basic jewelry skills. Once I started making my own pieces of jewelry, I knew that I wanted to work in metal.
At 18, I moved to Dublin to study in the National College of Art and Design, graduating four years later with a first class honors degree in Craft Design, specializing in Metal Work.
I refined my traditional goldsmithing and CAD design skills on a two-year course with the Craft and Design Council of Ireland in Kilkenny, before returning to Dublin and gaining experience in the jewelry trade.
In 2014 I knew that I wanted to start designing my own collections,
based on my own inspirations. My business grew from there.
It means a lot to me to work with Baileo. Meeting Anne Marie and Teresa gave me a real sense of their passion to create not only a store that feels like home for their customers, but also an invitation to everyone to learn and experience Ireland for themselves. Small businesses like mine are a big part of the process.
We are a tiny nation, but we have so much to offer in the way of craft and design, music, stories, traditions, history and stunning scenery. I relish my life and work in Ireland, and I am so excited to reach a new audience with Baileo.
My bespoke knot design is based on the story behind Baileo and the Baileo logo. I was inspired by the tale of four sisters who have travelled in different directions to the four corners of the planet, and yet remain tightly bonded by family, heritage and homeland.
There is an abiding strength in the power of four which is represented in so many other areas of life and legend. This is at heart of the Baileo Knot. I loved creating this design.
The story
Four sisters living a world apart, eternally bonded by family love, and their connection to each other and their homeland. Steeped in Celtic symbolism, the power of four is represented in the knot’s intricate, organic design - the four seasons, the four elements of life, and the four fires of the legendary Queen Brighid.
The design
A four-cornered Celtic knot, delicately wrought in fine silver metal, encased with love in a circular frame.
In the designer’s words
“I wanted these pieces to be those items of jewelry that hold so much meaning that you wear them all the time, dressing up any outfit for any occasion.”
The story
the bond that never breaks. ‘Le chéile’ means ‘together’ in Irish, and these pieces represent those particularly special and strong relationships in our lives that last a lifetime.
The design
simple and stylish, featuring sterling silver triangles with stretching sides that interlock together.
In the designer’s words
“An elegant, everyday reminder of that special someone with whom we are forever bound.”
The story
centuries of migration from their homeland have led to the Irish contributing to the growth and development of cities – and their skylines – across the globe. A sense of both travel and of home is celebrated in these pieces.
The design
delicate parallel lines of sterling silver, varying in length, held in a rounded frame.