Silver and Stone By Helen Drye
Coming out of my shell ‘By Helen Drye’
I started Silver and Stone Jewellery in July 2012. I didn’t have the courage to put my jewellery under my own name, so create Silver and Stone Jewellery Design.
This year though I’m coming out of my shell! I’m talking about myself in my branding – ‘By Helen Drye’. This feels very strange to me! I’ve always hidden behind my Silver and Stone branding, and I’m well known for teaching jewellery making under this name. As most of my work has been teaching, this hasn’t been an issue.
However, 2018 is a year for launching my own new ranges of jewellery and showing the world just what inspires me! The first range that I launched earlier in the year was my Woodland Collection, a range of individual pieces of jewellery inspired by Skipwith Common Nature Reserve, near York. This is just next to my studio.
When things get a bit much, I like to go for a walk in The Common. Skipwith Common is a National Nature Reserve, a beautiful woodland and common land, with rare breeds roaming around. You can wander through the common and see deer, black sheep, and then have a pony walk in front of you! It is truly stunning, but shhhh – don’t tell anyone. You’ll see the trees, the mushrooms, the birds and the moon in my designs. To me there is something mystical about the Common. This area has been common land for centuries, and had bronze age settlements. There are still a few barrows in the common. During the Second World War it was a RAF training base. You can see some of the remains, but the trees are reclaiming their land. In some ways you feel like you are going back in time. It is such a contrast, to our busy lives. So peaceful, and a testament to how nature reclaims its own.
skipwith common – helen drye
My Woodland Collection has done very well. I love the fact that each piece is different. See Woodland Collection
My next range will be my Contemporary Collection. A minimal unfussy silver range of jewellery. Modern in design and very wearable for every day. This range incorporates the jewellery that I want to wear every day, silver jewellery that doesn’t date, and will go with anything! I will be launching this in October, so look out for it at my Christmas events.
As we run up to Christmas, I am making time for designing and making. I have less workshops, more exhibitions and events and less teaching. I’ll be back to the workshops in January, when I find that I have a busy time – they make ideal gifts for Christmas, something creative to do when it’s cold and dark!