JEN RICKETTS

Award winning silversmith Jen Ricketts gained a first Class Honours Degree from De Montfort University. She has received awards from The Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council London and Craft & Design Magazine. In 2015, she completed a prestigious commission for the Lord Mayor of Sheffield which was subsequently presented to the Queen on Maundy Thursday 2015 and the piece was displayed in Buckingham Palace in summer 2017.

Jen was drawn to the traditional technique of hand-piercing from the moment she learnt it over 10 years ago. Initially, she cut crude shapes from base metals. Today, she is more accurate with a saw blade than with a pencil and she is always trying to challenge her designs further through hand piercing. Her current work concentrates on making bespoke functional silverware of intricate city skylines and intriguing silhouettes of the great British countryside.

Each piece is exquisitely detailed and can be tailor made to commission, featuring images of special or memorable places. Jen always begins with a drawing of her design which then forms the template with which she hand cuts the design from silver, creating a unique piece of contemporary silverware.

She is often asked why she cuts each piece of silverware by hand when laser cutting is available. Though it is time consuming, the heritage skill of hand piercing captivates her. She loves the character it creates in each unique piece; as if it is a sketch in sterling silver.