Eternal muse
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Words by Mercedes Smith
An invitation to jeweller Corrinne Eira Evans’ new atelier.
Take a stroll around the Dartmoor village of Chagford this autumn and you might notice a new addition to the charming facades on Mill Street. Corrinne Eira Evans’ new jewellery atelier opened in July, but its official launch this September promises to be an altogether livelier affair. On Friday 11th September Corrinne cuts the ribbon on her new studio and gallery with a sparkling Gin & Gem Night event. The first 100 guests to arrive will be welcomed with a complimentary Elder Bay Blush Gin and tonic from Devon’s own Thunderflower Gin, and invited to discover unique pieces from Corrinne’s exquisite jewellery collections.
Each handcrafted design, as featured in British Vogue and at London’s prestigious Goldsmiths Fair, is inspired by the beauty of Dartmoor where Corrinne lives and works. Her jewellery is defined by silken fabrics of woven gold and silver chainmail, alongside the unique beauty of naturally flawed diamonds and sapphires. She is also a sustainably minded maker who works only with fully traceable Single Mine Origin gold and silver, and antique or ethically sourced gemstones. “Sustainability is increasingly sought after in luxury design,” says Corrinne, “and it’s an aspect of my work that I’m very proud of. When you are lucky enough to be born and raised here in the South West, you know the value of nature and the ways our actions can affect it, good or bad. More and more, luxury designers and buyers are making good decisions, and that’s such a positive thing.”
Corrinne’s choice of Gin & Gem Night partner reflects those values. Thunderflower’s gins and spirits are created at their fully sustainable Devon distillery, and they are committed to reducing their impact on the environment, including the use of eco-packaging and bottle refill options. The distillery is powered by solar panels which store surplus energy for distillation runs, and uses a closed-loop chiller system so that no water is wasted during the distillation process. All of Thunderflower’s deliciously conceived craft gins are made using pure Dartmoor spring water, drawn at source, along with British botanicals, whose delicate flavours are extracted by vapour infusion.
Their Elder Bay Blush, which will be served at the atelier, combines a classic London Dry gin base with elderflower and bay leaf, alongside macerated hawthorn, rowan berries, and rosehips foraged from Dartmoor. “The idea behind our launch night is to spoil our guests completely with craft gin and a wonderful display of luxury gemstone jewellery in one of the loveliest villages in England,” Corrinne laughs. “And if we are lucky, it will be a beautiful autumn evening, and the gems will really dazzle as the sun sets.”
As visitors to the atelier will note, Corrinne’s attention to detail goes further than her craftsmanship and her commitment to sustainability. It also extends to the acquisition of 1 Mill Street, and the renovation she has undertaken since receiving the keys this summer. The Grade II listed building is steeped in a Dartmoor history. “As a stannery town, locally mined tin was brought to Chagford to be certified in the square outside, and at that time Mill Street was the site of a working wool mill,” she says. “I love that material connection. Chagford was built by hardworking people who extracted metal from the ground here, who farmed wool here, and used traditional craft skills to make things. I could feel that heritage when I came to see the building, and it felt like the right place for me to make and share my work.”
Bringing Devon, and a little bit of British and continental design together, Corrinne began transforming the space by commissioning local signwriter Beth Jarrold of Dartmoor Sign House to create hand painted signage that balances a classic French/Italian style script with English country elegance. “It had to be Beth,”, says Corrinne. “I just love her work.” On the ground floor, Corrinne has installed bespoke jewellery cabinets with vintage touches by D&A Binder of London, alongside a jeweller’s bench and seating area where she can present work to clients and discuss bespoke commissions. Here and there, individually sourced items of vintage furniture reflect Corrinne’s interest in antiques, while the walls are hung with paintings of the Dartmoor landscape by local artist Andrew ‘Olly’ Oliver. In an affectionate nod to her Welsh grandparents, Corrinne his decorated the atelier with fabrics and furnishings by wool makers Melin Tregwynt, a hundred-year-old mill that she often visited as a child whilst holidaying with her family in Pembrokeshire. The atelier’s walls are now painted with soft colours from Posh Paint of Okehampton, in a considered palette that Corrinne describes as “linking to the story of my journey as a designer and maker so far, and to the history of the classic French atelier.”
On the first floor, a light-filled space houses Corrinne’s design studio, and of course, beyond the window and the walls of the atelier are spectacular views of Dartmoor, Corrinne’s eternal muse. As the landscape changes from the green of springtime to the silver of winter, its tors, moorland, forests and rivers are the inspiration for her seasonal collections. The Moorland Glow collection is crafted from interlaced links of yellow and white gold, to reflect the colours of Dartmoor’s summer grassland, alongside ethically sourced, natural parti sapphires. One-of-a-kind pieces include the Dartmoor at Dusk pink sapphire and diamond ring, a pair of Moorland Bracken yellow sapphire earrings, Moorland Moss and Wild Gorse green sapphire jewellery, and the Glistening Waters blue sapphire ring. Her most recent diamond collection was inspired by autumn and winter on the moor, and draws on glittering dew drops, silver mists and the sparkle of spiders’ webs in frosted morning air.
In June, she launched her very first collection of stackable, diamond studded, mix and match bands in gold, silver and platinum. “A lot of clients commission me to create bespoke engagement and wedding bands,” says Corrinne, “and that has inspired me to create a diamond collection for all kinds of love, maybe paired for friendship, or worn as eternity or anniversary rings. They are the first collection to be launched here in Chagford, so I will always adore them for that.” Looking forward, Corrinne plans to release exclusive collections each season at the atelier, and to host more luxury events for her clients and fellow residents. “Chagford is such a lovely, lively place to be,” she says. “There is so much going on here, and I hope my jewellery soirees will be a great addition to that. I’m not sure you need an excuse to come to this gorgeous town, but if I can add one more reason, I will be glad to.”
For further information on the ‘all-welcome’ atelier launch and to see Corrinne’s collections visit Corrinne Eira Evans Atelier, 1 Mill Street, Chagford, TQ13 8AW and corrinneeiraevans.com. For Thunderflower Gin see thunderflower.co.uk
