A Little Bit of Sparkle with Gemma J Jewellery
A little bit of sparkle goes a long way, especially when it comes to a gorgeous piece of jewellery. We spoke with Linsey, founder of Gemma J Jewellery and proud Friend of Joules, about her inspiration behind the many shining and sparkling pieces in her collection, and why we hold jewellery so dear to us.
Q: How did Gemma J begin?
“The Gemma J brand began while I was travelling. I was in my twenties and I had a bit of wanderlust, so I spent a lot of time travelling the world, and I was selling jewellery to fund my travels. I would spend winters in Asia and summers in the Greek islands, and I would collect stones and natural things around me as my inspiration to make my jewellery.”
Q: Where do you get your inspiration from now?
“When I came back to the UK, I started to tailor the brand around my love of horses that I’ve had my whole life, so I designed a collection around an equestrian theme. From there it naturally grew into becoming a country lifestyle brand, inspired by wildlife, nature and animals. I do spend the majority of my time outdoors, horse riding and dog walking, so my inspiration all stems from that.”
Q: Can you describe to us what your creative process is?
“First of all, I create a sketch based on an idea I’ve had in my mind. Quite often I’ll go out and take photos of what I want to create, like if it’s an animal or something in nature I will go out and try to find it, or try to find a photo I like of it. From that, I’ll draw it again from different angles to get the exact model I need with cross sections and dimensions. Then the final designs are cast and branded with the Gemma J logo.”
Q: Why do you think jewellery is such a special thing to so many people?
“In my experience, women love to accessorise their looks and it makes them feel special, especially with that little bit of sparkle and a precious metal. I think also there’s a sentimentality that we hold for certain jewellery pieces; for example, a robin in the garden is said to be a symbol of a loved one’s spirit coming to visit, so a lot of people buy our Robin Necklace to remind them of someone that passed away. Our dog-themed pieces are often chosen by people as a tribute to their beloved pet, too. They usually have a lot of meaning to the wearer.”
Q: Do you have a favourite piece of jewellery from the Friends of Joules collection?
“I love our Pheasant Necklace — the pheasant is such a beautiful bird and so synonymous with our British countryside, and I’m so pleased with how the colours have been translated into the design.”
Q: What about Joules made you want to become a Friend of Joules?
“I’ve actually wanted to partner with Joules for a long time because both of our brands are so similar in who we are talking to and what we’re inspired by. So when Joules approached me to become a Friend of Joules I was so pleased to partner with them. We always saw Joules while we were selling at different horse shows like Burghley Horse Trials and our brands are just a perfect fit.”
Friends of Joules is our online marketplace for a contemporary country lifestyle. We have partnered with 100s of creative people and businesses like Gemma J to bring you 1000s of perfect products for you and your family (even your four legged friends!) in just one place.
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