‘Revived Foreshore: where tidal treasures become worn stories’
Olive Rose Contemporary Jewellery Gallery offiically turned 3 on the 21st January! Three years of full time jewellery gallery owner and jeweller. I still have a ‘pinch me’ moment whenever I really think about it. To celebrate I curated an exhibition- admittedly we normally launch these for our actually birthday, but January was surprisingly busy and I didn’t want to rush it for the sake of it. Waiting until spring made sense to ensure we had the election of jewellers we wanted to showcase…….. and so… ‘Revived Foreshore': where tidal treasures become worn stories’ was born.
We launched with an open evening on Friday 10th April, attended by by lots of our regulars, friends and supporters plus two of the jewellers taking part in the exhibition.
This year’s theme is inspired by the foreshore, looking at jewellers whose work is inspired by mud larking on tidal rivers, or foraging on the shore of the sea. We selected 7 artists who each explore this theme in their own unique way.
Bridget from ‘Jewellerybyb’ based in the heart of Somerset is particularly known for her love of chunky, oxidised, and raw forms—each piece embodying a tactile, almost primal elegance. Her creations celebrate imperfections, texture, and the organic feel of materials in their most expressive state. Bridget has pushed the boundaries of wearable art with her chunky hallow bronze bangles set with bottle necks from Victorian glass bottles found whilst mud larking.
Plymouth based Charlotte Eatock combs the shores for discarded and washed up plastic. Carefully cutting, shaping, sanding and finishing each piece turning them into ‘forever gems’. The waste plastic becomes precious and wearable once combined with hand formed silver shapes and findings.
Tania Covo collects glass and ceramic that has been washed ashore, frosted and weathered by the tide and sets them in silver to create classic pendants and rings alongside decorative drop earrings. Who knows how long these pieces have been rolling on the tide before being discovered by Tania and given a new life.
Taunton based Jeweller Jennifer Crab '(Silver Leopard Jewellery) and Plymouth Jeweller Val Muddyman both use casting to capture the tides natural treasures in solid silver. Jen creates molds from shells, crab claws and ammonites which are then flooded with molten silver to create solid replicas. Some are then set with or alongside pearls and often oxidised to capture the texture. Val uses a burn-away casting process to cast seaweed directly into solid silver! The seaweed is ‘sprued’ up with wax, a mold is made around these structures. The wax and seaweed are then burned away and the hollow space filled with silver making each piece organic and completely one off. Val combines this technique with hand built wax pieces and tiny beads of washed up sea glass.
Chris Hawkins also uses the lost wax casting process, however his pieces are intricately carved from blocks of wax and cast in solid silver. Chris’ work is inspired by artifacts found in museums and an obsession with miniatures and fine detail. From Chris’ collections we have selected the piece that draw us back to the water.
Last but not least we are honored to feature pieces from Alex Monroe’s AW/25 Water’s Edge collection. Taking a journey on the waterways of Great Britain, from river to coast. Along the way gathering flora, encounter wildlife, and discover objects from bygone eras.
Alex and the team were captivated by the practice of mudlarking — uncovering objects long abandoned or lost along a river’s foreshore. The charms in the collection are miniature replicas of real items found on the Thames, including tokens and antique glass bottles. Water’s Edge blends playful style with thoughtful design, exploring natural habitats from local shores to the open sea and evoking atmospheric journeys through time.
This exhibition is displayed in the main center cabinet at Olive Rose Gallery in the heart of Taunton’s independant quarter. showcasing until Saturday 13th June. If you havent been in to see it yet, pop down and descover the tides treasures for yourself!
We look forward to seeing you.
Emma and team ORJ