Featured Maker // Rosie Kent
Rosie Kent
Jewellery designer
From a young age, Rosie knew she would be a maker of some sort, but didn’t find jewellery until she was on a foundation diploma at Central Saint Martins. Rosie loved making clothes so thought fashion made sense but when she tried jewellery for the first time, she was captivated.
The real learning began after her degree when she started working in the trade for many talented designers. This was a real eye opener for Rosie but she is glad she gained a varied experience working for a real mix of brands. Rosie first started out on her own part time, by making engagement and wedding bands for friends which then soon turned into friends of friends. The bespoke side of her business steadily picked up whilst still working for other designers, honing her craft and learning the business side of things. She has been slowly building her brand for the last seven years and was finally able to take the plunge and concentrate on it full time four years ago.
Here Rosie tells us a little more about how she creates her beautiful and timeless pieces, her typical working day and her inspirations….
How do you create your beautiful pieces?
I’m pretty obsessed with detail, I love how my textured pieces come alive when the light hits because the reflective trickery of metal makes you believe an object is set with hundreds of stones rather than hundreds of tiny grains of silver. I create my pieces using 3D software, some models can be covered in 1000’s of tiny grains, building a model on the computer and 3D printing the master is a much quicker way to achieve my ideas. However, this process means I can get a bit too carried away in the finer details. These textured objects are then turned into jewellery by hand using recycled silver, gold and ethically sourced stones from my Peak District studio.
Can you describe your typical working day?
My work is split into three different areas; bespoke, wholesale and web. I do find it hard juggling lots of different things so I have many lists to try and keep me on track. I start each day with a small list of what I’m hoping to achieve, the trick is not to set too many goals so you are more likely to end the day on a high! Computer and paperwork does take up quite a bit of time so I try and split the day in two, spending half a day emailing and catching up on paperwork then the other half either spent making pieces on the bench, or creating a model in CAD. I tend to be quite distracted and find this small routine keeps me in check and gives me something to look forward to!
“I’m pretty obsessed with detail, I love how my textured pieces come alive when the light hits, the reflective trickery of metal makes you believe an object is set with hundreds of stones rather than hundreds of tiny grains of silver. ”
Which is your favourite piece to make and why?
My favourite pieces to make are weirdly the ones that take the longest, you then know you need to give yourself a good chunk of time, put on a good podcast and get stuck in. A piece that has a lot of different processes is the Temple pendant; it looks like an orb and was inspired by a Fabergé egg. The piece is cast in two halves so needs soldering together, adding a bail, and then finally beading with faceted onyx. I’ve never actually counted before but many tiny scallop shells cover the structure of the orb so it does take quite a while to individually polish them all up!
Tell us about your inspirations
My starting points are usually patterns; I’m really inspired by colour and shape. I like jewellery that tells a story and gives you a glimpse into an ancient world. I believe these textures give the jewellery character and meaning. I also love the ambiguous nature of patterns; the wearer of the piece can take their own meaning from it which might be entirely different from my own.
What advice would you give to others who are starting a creative business?
Remember to celebrate the small wins. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what you’re doing, comparing yourself to other people on similar journeys. Take time to stop, breathe in and enjoy the small successes along the way.
A bespoke client once gave me a bottle of champagne but I held out opening it for a stupidly long time, I kept thinking I would wait for a better occasion. No happiness comes from that! This is your unique journey, enjoy it. Day to day is very busy but I’m extremely lucky to have grown my business enabling me to do what I love.
Visit Rosie’s website: rosiekent.com
Follow her on Instagram: @rosiekent
