Nature has always inspired creativity, from ancient carvings and textiles to modern art and design. Jewellery is another way that connection continues, but it personalises us to our own precious moments. For me, creating handmade silver jewellery inspired by nature is about noticing the small details of the world around us and celebrating them in simple, wearable forms.

Explore the symbolism of birthstones and gemstones from January to December. Gemstones add another layer of meaning to jewellery. Whether chosen to celebrate a birthday, mark an important moment or simply because their symbolism resonates with you, birthstones can make a piece feel deeply personal. In my own handmade silver jewellery, I love combining natural gemstones with designs inspired by leaves, flowers and the beauty of nature.

I recently spend a warm October day creating a beautiful flower bowl bursting with late blooming flowers picked from Chiswick House and Garden. This inspired expanding my flower collection to celebrate these beauties.

It crept up on me that I have now been a professional handmade jewellery designer for ten years! I didn’t mark the first day but I can see that I opened my Etsy shop way back in 2012.

Making your special jewellery is an honour. I receive orders for all sorts of reasons. Reviews and messages that tell the story of why come to my inbox; Christening gifts, wedding rings, gifts for brides and birthdays. Memories of events, people and places; sometimes it is just ‘because’. Often the pieces are permanent reminders of lost loved ones that can be carried and worn for a lifetime.

My alarm is a respectful ‘woof’ from the living room. I fetch my furry friend and make tea bleary eyed. They both come back to bed with me, including Pepper, my canine hot water bottle. Once I know what world I’m waking up to today I snooze Radio 4, and write in my journal for ten minutes siping a fresh cup - this time coffee.

Sea glass jewellery isn’t just pretty. It is unity of human history and the earths elements, each piece with its own unique, secret story. How and why I find sea glass in Cornwall to make into necklaces. 

Visiting Port Isaac in Cornwall this summer. I love it: salty wind; sandy toes; fish and chips out of the paper and licking ice cream drips off the cone. Simple pleasures.

A recent visit to Kew Gardens. I particularly enjoyed the waterlily greenhouse, which I always do. This time especially to see the waterlilies that everyone had forgotten to identify for over a hundred years, even though it’s right there.

I live close to Petersham Nurseries near Richmond. - If you are looking for an inspiring floral treasure trove to spend some time with a friend or two, this is for you.

Take a look around my creative space in this tour of my garden jewellery studio. This is where Grace and Flora Handmade Jewellery is created.

Writing about mussels on Port Isaac beach in Cornwall, and the mussel shell in the Grace and Flora handmade jewellery collection.