Nigel O’Reilly and other Irish jewellers on the western seaboard find much to inspire in the natural world around them
Actor Saoirse Ronan with Nigel O'Reilly wearing one of his rings at the Ireland Funds Gala in New York 2019.
A turning point came when he met Tracy Sweeney in Galway, a fine art student from Castlebar. He made a few pieces for her – two rings and a pendant carved from hardwood and inlaid with aluminium. They impressed her so much that she suggested he pursue jewellery-making as a career. And he did. And he married her too.
Nigel O'Reilly: Saoirse Ronan, Maya Hawke and Julianne Moore have all worn his designs. Photograph: Cliodhna PrendergastO’Reilly has long cited Alexander McQueen as his biggest influence: he has a pure love of gemstones, a graceful play with colour, and an extraordinary free-form approach to composition. Alongside this, he also has a great passion for the land around him.
Another jeweller who finds great inspiration in the landscape around her is the multi-award-winning, Sligo-based jeweller Martina Hamilton, founder of The Cat and The Moon in Sligo and the Hamilton Gallery. With her team of 25 goldsmiths, her initial training as a sculptor informs her hands-on approach to making and modelling.
Like Hamilton, Natasha Heaslip, the Galway-based fine jeweller studied sculpture initially before going on to establish a very successful career in London and living in Kuwait, Lebanon and the UAE. She also spent some time in Tanzania teaching Masai women jewellery-making and design skills. Selected for the Goldsmiths’ Fair in London for six years, she was one of the few chosen to show across the two weeks of the fair.
Mayo Sligo Kerry Galway Saoirse-Ronan
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