When I sat down to write about my story, who I am and what brought me to making jewellery I have found it difficult to know where to start.

It’s easy to explain that my creative journey started at university studying design and that, after I went travelling, I found myself in London in an exciting, but mostly uncreative career, before finding my creative side again 20 years later; but that doesn’t really detail much about me, about who I am and why I love what I do so much. I’m also quite private, so sharing all this with strangers seems a little odd – hopefully you won’t be a stranger for long!

It may be easier to start backwards, from where I stand today and work out how I arrived here.

I’m Louise. I’m a jeweller. I’m a farmer. I’m a mum (to Emily and Freddie!).  I’m a wife. I’m a sister, a daughter, a runner and multi business owner – the farm . I juggle so many identities they all blur into one!

I left London over a decade ago as a wife and a mum to one gorgeous daughter (and a dog). Over the last ten years I have learned to farm, I have built a business with my sister in hospitality and a business with my husband in marketing.  I have restored one and a half houses and had another child, our wonderful boy. And we still have our lovely dog, Ruby the Labrador!

It is only in the last couple of years, when arguably I have had the least time, that I have dabbled with my creative side and started making handmade silver jewellery. Maybe it was an odd decision to start yet another business, just as the cost of living crisis started to hit…. but by goodness it’s been one of the best! It’s been the best in so many ways, from finding an outlet for my creative juices, to building a successful business, to giving me something to chat about to incredibly supportive friends – one in particular - over endless glasses of wine. I’ve even found myself talking to another friend, whom I’ve known since we were babies and who runs a successful international business, about retail margins and new product development, we certainly wouldn’t have predicted this growing up in farming families.

What I’ve come to realise over the last few years is that I’m an ‘&’ person. Mother & wife.  Farmer & jeweller. You could even bring my twin sister in, I’ve always had her as an ”&”. The & brings balance, it brings a sense of purpose, it brings positivity and it means my mind is always open to new challenges.

I suspect that there are many more people out there that feel the same as I do. Not with one identity, not with one title, but with many.  Spinning plates all over the shop, coping in some areas, thriving in others. I’m good with that. My life is varied. It’s exciting and if I didn’t keep looking for the next ‘&’, where would I be? I certainly wouldn’t be jewelling, that’s for sure.  And I know I wouldn’t be quite as happy as I am right now.