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sarahwyecreative

The Face Behind Wye-Creative

Welcome to my new Blog! On my Blog, I will be giving you behind-the-scenes content about myself and Wye Creative and anything jewellery and craft-related.


By Sarah 29th November, 2023


An insight into who I am, how I got into jewellery and why I started

Wye-Creative





I feel like I have always been a creative person, but just didn't quite know what I was supposed to do with my life. It started when I was a small child in a pushchair, my Mum used to purposely go into Argos and get me one of those tiny wooden pencils and a scrap of paper for me to doodle on while she was going around the shops. I then went on to primary school, where I noticed that I loved art more than any other subject. My Mum got a job working for a local jeweller, helping to make jump rings, bending silver sheet into shapes and polishing the finished item, she would do this at home in the evenings, and I would sit there for hours watching make them and want to join in wherever possible.


I then went on to College at the Royal Forest of Dean college in Berry Hill, where I did art and design. I enjoyed it but I never quite found the thing that I loved to do. So after my A-levels, I went to work in a local pottery called Mary Rose Young, where I painted pots, drank lots of tea and chatted all day, it was great! I did a few jobs after this, but nothing quite stuck, I just didnt know what I wanted to do with my life.


My now husband bought me a jeweller's kiln for a Christmas present one year, I didn't know how to enamel, but we gave it a go. I burnt my mum's dining table quite a few times in the process (sorry Mum) but it was all worth it. I realised that I like making jewellery and decided to do a degree in Jewellery Design at Hereford College of Arts.


I loved my time doing my degree, and Hereford was the perfect fit for me. I travelled into Hereford every day, met loads of amazingly talented people and learnt lots of new skills and my own style as a jeweller. I joined an alumni of jewellers called Alloy who are based in Hereford, a great group who are so supportive. Being in Hereford showed me that I love being around other creative people, who bounce ideas off each other and love creativity as much as myself.


The image above is a broach made by myself during my degree. To find out more search sarahchristianjewellery on instagram


Unfortunately, after I finished my degree the pandemic hit, and I was unable to use the Alloy workshop, so I lost my push to get and sell my jewellery. I decided to go full-time at the job I was working part-time at to help pay for the bills. This unfortunately stopped me a bit in my journey. I realised while working on the phones of a worktop selling company that I didn't like sitting at home on my own all day being shouted at by angry people. So I left and had the urge to make my own jewellery again.


During my degree, I did a module about how I would make money from my skills. I had to do some work experience, one of them was helping out teaching workshops with a local Hereford Jeweller, which was the course I had tried many years before when I got my kiln. I realised that I loved being around people, chatting with them, teaching them new skills, as well as problem-solving how to make an item of jewellery. I knew this was something I wanted to do. So when a friend bought a former chapel, I decided to ask if I could rent it out to do workshops in. Thankfully he said yes, and I am currently using the chapel until I have somewhere permanent for myself.


And that brings up to the current day, I have been teaching workshops since August, and I love it! I am so happy that I have finally found a way to do something that I love and be around other people who want to learn and be creative. I am hoping to create a community of like-minded people who feel the same way as me and teach them how to make something they can cherish for years to come.


Photo of a ring made in one of my jewellery clasess


In the next few months, I hope to run more workshops and start making jewellery again to sell and have my own studio space to run it all from. I would love to own a space where I could showcase other creative people's work, create a real community of makers and show this to the public, maybe in the future, who knows?




I hope you have enjoyed reading my first-ever blog! Sign up for emails from me to get up to get updates of workshops, more blogs and news from Wye Creative.

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