A Sea of Treasure

Words by Hannah Tapping

A jewellery collection that hints of tide against granite and the buried glint of something long lost and suddenly found. As a young child, and even now as an adult, I have always held a fascination with searching the rockpools and tideline for treasure. Tales of pirates hauling their bounty through secret tunnels, shipwrecks losing their precious cargo to the depths or nature’s own wonderful creations made up the stories of my childhood. The sparkle of mineral mica in granite, bright yellow periwinkles and blue fronds of rainbow wrack made rockpools veritable treasure troves.

Sandcast Silver Locket

While I was never rewarded with ‘actual’ treasure, a mermaid’s purse, sand dollars, a weathered piece of driftwood or, most precious of all, a pale pink cowrie would be spotted with glee and popped into a pocket to add to my collection jars. So, when last year I visited Justin Duance’s jewellery workshop, I was in heaven. Meeting Justin and fellow jeweller Jamila Hirtenstein, who are part of a team of ten highly experienced craftspeople (many of whom have honed their techniques under Justin’s tutelage), I was immersed in a world of bespoke pieces inspired by nature and the sea.

The Wood Ring Collection was Justin’s first focus, over 25 years ago. These rings can be crafted from silver, titanium, gold or platinum and are delicately inlaid with wood sourced from meaningful places. Some contain wood reclaimed from old, storied boats, or from the staves of whiskey barrels. Customers are welcome to bring in their own wood too, adding an extra layer of sentimentality. We move next to a set of rings from the Sandcast collection, where each piece is cast directly into a beach sand of your choice. Customers can supply sand from a beach that holds personal significance to them or choose from Justin Duance’s vast sand library that includes beaches not just from around the Cornish coastline, but across the UK, Europe and the World. With over 900 sands in their collection, each piece tells a unique story as the texture and details of the sand are captured in the metal, resulting in pieces that are as varied as the beaches they come from.

This isn’t your typical jewellery showroom with items locked behind glass cases. Here, you’re invited to immerse yourself in the process, try on pieces at will and even watch the jewellers at work. While much of the work is bespoke commissions, Justin allows his jewellers the creative freedom to design their own pieces for the Off The Bench Peg collection. An example of which is a beautiful silver locket, designed by jeweller Andy for precious keepsakes and which received much attention at the recent prestigious Bovey Tracy Craft Festival.

Another such piece, named Sea Treasure, was created by jeweller Chloe, and has led to further commissions from customers. Created using ethically sourced as well as vintage gemstones set in sandcast metal, these pieces draw inspiration from the ocean, resulting in organic shapes that look as if they have almost grown on the seabed. There’s a boldness to the simplicity: rings that echo tidal pools, pendants that resemble ancient finds. They feel like artefacts of imagined shipwrecks, but also of real places – beaches walked, stones picked up, stories half-heard.

The Sea Treasure pieces also work perfectly with heirloom jewellery that is too dated or worn to wear but too precious to part with. Sea Treasure can give new life to old stones and reinvent dated settings, all while keeping those important memories intact. Otherwise, customers can choose from a beautiful selection of mined stones, all traceable to their mine of origin, or reclaimed stones from ages past; their hand-cut beauty harking back to the effortless splendour of the 1930s, with no two the same. Jeweller Sophie’s new design that’s receiving much interest is a two -tone pendant fluidly merging 9ct yellow gold and silver together. Cast in Prussia Cove sand, this small disc pendant has a lovely sandy texture which compliments the tidal-like meeting of the two precious metals. In keeping with the sea-theme, Justin’s own new work is inspired by the patterns in the white water as the wave breaks. The Sea Foam collection begins with Justin’s own photographs and drawings of sea foam, from which the intricate design is then cut out using a laser engraver and formed into a ring or pendant.

It’s not just the collections that are new for this year - Justin Duance is moving into premises on Alverton Street in Penzance. The studio will still run on an appointment basis; when customers visit, they are talked through the different collections and then encouraged to try things on. The jewellery is very tactile and so it’s important that they can not only see, but touch and feel the pieces. The aim is to create bespoke items that resonate, often involving a high level of personalisation; the beauty of Justin Duance’s jewellery lies in its customisation.

  justind.co.uk