Artist Profile - Shirley Barker

Shirley Barker - jewellery

I have been making and selling jewellery for many years. I completed a number of Silver Smithing courses some years ago and now combine gemstones into my creations. All of my pieces are one off designs and many of the gemstones in my jewellery I have collected on my trips to India . I collect all manner of beads, some precious, some semi precious, some bric a brac, and some modern manufactured beads. I like my necklaces to be graduated and always integrated within some aesthetic. I mix colours, textures and brilliance chosen on the basis of what is at hand.

I work primarily with gemstones and am fascinated by the history gemstones and the millions of years of combined workings of the elements that caresses and shapes them into works of art in their own right. I enjoy so much creating jewellery and sharing this with the people who purchase my pieces.