Handcrafting beautiful and intricate jewellery from gold and unique gemstones was instilled in Ana Simoes from childhood. The granddaughter of a goldsmith, Ana spent years watching her grandfather’s unique creations come to life. When her grandfather sadly passed away, Ana’s passion for jewellery making was somewhat forgotten and when the time came, she decided to pursue a career in architecture at university. However after three inspiring years, Ana still craved the creativity she was missing from leaving her love of jewellery behind.
She decided to change career paths moving on to train as a jeweller and gem setter at a renowned Jewellery school in Porto – Portugal, and later graduating from The Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design – London Metropolitan University – with a first-class BA (Hons) in Jewellery.
Soon after graduating, Ana established a business partnership based in London with which she participated in many internationally distinguished Jewellery fairs across the UK such as International Jewellery London. While living in London, Ana also had the opportunity to work as a freelance jeweller for a few well established jewellers.
In late 2016, Ana had the opportunity to relocate to Plymouth to work as the Workshop Coordinator for Jewellery and Small Scale Metals at Plymouth College of Art, where she shares her extensive knowledge of jewellery with undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Every detail experienced in Ana’s jewellery is inspired by her Portuguese heritage. Her use of gold, gemstones and natural stones, and her unique combination of traditional jewellery making techniques and contemporary design skills result in unique, timeless and sophisticated jewellery. Architecture is still an important part of the designer’s history and influence; so much that the stunning ornamental shapes, repeat-pattern tiles and colour found throughout Portuguese architecture remain her main source of inspiration.
