Who am I?
Hi I’m Marianne, a jewellery designer and goldsmith from Limerick city. I began my love affair with jewellery making when I moved to cork city to study Jewellery and art metal work in St Johns Central College. This was a year long course that I decided to do on a whim not really knowing what I was getting myself into. I had originally planned on just using the time there to prepare a portfolio so I could apply to Limerick school of art & design, which I did, but my time making jewellery there really stuck with me, even long after I had completed my time in art school. I went onto study sculpture in LSAD and while I was there I focused in areas of found objects and casting.
Realising my love for metalwork, post art school, I went on to do a night course in jewellery design in NCAD which lead me to apply for a place in the design and craft council of Ireland’s jewellery skills course. I became a student in the Jewellery skills and Design course in 2019 where I had the most amazing opportunity to honed my skills as a goldsmith and forge some amazing lasting friendships and connections.
After graduating I moved to Dublin to work in a busy contemporary high-street jewellers. After 2 years there, I felt the call of a slower pace of life and returned to the west of Ireland where I live today. I am lucky enough to design and hand make all my jewellery from my studio on the wild Atlantic way on Valentia Island in South Kerry
Drawn to the creativity and process in the manipulation of metal into a tangible wearable form, I create jewellery that is modern, contemporary, bold yet comfortable for everyday wear. I enjoy the juxtaposition of rough textures and clean lines with the inclusion of gemstones and pearls. The city landscape influence my designs with inspiration coming from Brutalist architecture of my home city and the Bauhaus architecture of abroad. A small detail within the framework of a building can spark imagination and lead to a generation of ideas that in turn create a piece of wearable art.