I’m a self-taught nature loving jeweller – hand-making fine & sterling silver jewellery inspired by the beautiful coast and countryside of the UK (and things growing in my garden!). I live with my husband, teenage son (about to go to Uni) and Sparky (aka – Sparkly/Mad Cat), on the edge of the South Downs National Park in Hampshire, within a stone’s throw of the New Forest and the beaches of Hampshire/Dorset. I am also a regular visitor to the North-East coast when I visit family, and The Lake District and Cornwall.
Central to everything I do is nature connectedness, and one of the joys I have found is getting to know the plants, flowers, hedgerows and wild things that share the space where I live & visit, both in my garden, the local area, and further afield on my travels. You will often find a little info about the item that inspired a piece, tucked in the box with it so you get to know it too. My wish is that each piece of jewellery from Hugged by Nature is a tiny piece of nature connection that you can carry with you through your day.
I have always loved silver jewellery, collecting & making things, and spending time in nature –it’s from nature that most of the things I find, and my inspiration, comes. Pulling all of these passions together into making jewellery of my own came a little more recently in life!
With the decision to embrace my ‘second spring’ and devote more time to creating & making, I am learning & trying new techniques all the time, developing my skills and LOVING the journey (it’s such a different feeling from the years of working with corporates!). It gives me the BIGGEST warm and fuzzy feeling to see people wearing things I have created with a smile on their face.
So far it has also been a wonderful path of personal discovery (not least, aiding my life as a ‘recovering perfectionist’!!) – as I have found, the life of a creative maker is full of ‘failures’ and random, unexpected surprises and you have to learn to embrace them.
When not doing the jewellery things, I also love getting out and about in the woods and wilds of Hampshire (alone or with friends – walks with a pub at the end are one of my faves!), playing Mahjong and starting my day by breathing in the morning air with a properly made, lush cup of coffee, outside.
About my Jewellery
I found my first piece of sea-glass on the beach in Porthcurno in Cornwall over 20 years ago – and when I picked it up I had a thought in my mind that it would make beautiful jewellery with silver, which lead to a collecting addiction and a long wait before I actually put my idea into action!!
Now, alongside shells, leaves, seeds, herbs, flowers and fossils, the sea-glass that I have been collecting all these years is an integral part of many of my designs. Larger pieces are either wire-wrapped, encased in silver with a flat silver strip called bezel or drilled and hung just as they are; smaller pieces are usually wire-wrapped in fine-silver wire, and often paired with a silver leaf, shell or fossil. How I decide to make a piece of jewellery from individual bits of sea glass is very much determined by their size and shape – I choose not to file or change how the pieces look, instead working with the uniqueness of what the sand and sea have given me, to create truly one-off pieces!
Besides sea-glass I work mainly with silver-clay, creating replicas of fossils, shells and other things like berries from the hedgerows, using moulds; imprints of flowers and leaves (often of herbs from the garden); creating shapes and textures inspired by things I see and find; and also using silver clay paste to turn leaves and seeds into silver. Many of my silver designs are also accompanied by small pieces of sea-glass wrapped in fine silver wire, reflecting the land and sea of Hampshire!
Commissions
Because the things I make are generally one-off/one-of-a kind, I am really happy to make to order and to take commissions (previous commissions have included pendants/earrings of sea-glass (you can bring your own or choose your pieces from my collection) shells, herbs & leaves (you choose your favourite) and even a catkin bookmark!) – so if you have a particular leaf that you’d like, or a herb, a special shell or a piece of sea-glass you’ve collected and you’re not sure what to do with it – I’d love to chat and see whether I could transform it into a wearable treasure! Just drop me a message…
Sustainability
In full awareness of the climate and bio-diversity crisis, I am keen to ensure not only that my pieces are ‘timeless’ but also that all the packaging and materials I use are sustainable. So as far as I possibly can I use recycled silver and all my gift and postal packaging is recyclable &/or recycled and sustainably produced. I also buy British/UK made whenever I can.
Vendor Biography
Hi, I’m Nicole – welcome to my shop!
About Me
I’m a self-taught nature loving jeweller – hand-making fine & sterling silver jewellery inspired by the beautiful coast and countryside of the UK (and things growing in my garden!). I live with my husband, teenage son (about to go to Uni) and Sparky (aka – Sparkly/Mad Cat), on the edge of the South Downs National Park in Hampshire, within a stone’s throw of the New Forest and the beaches of Hampshire/Dorset. I am also a regular visitor to the North-East coast when I visit family, and The Lake District and Cornwall.
Central to everything I do is nature connectedness, and one of the joys I have found is getting to know the plants, flowers, hedgerows and wild things that share the space where I live & visit, both in my garden, the local area, and further afield on my travels. You will often find a little info about the item that inspired a piece, tucked in the box with it so you get to know it too. My wish is that each piece of jewellery from Hugged by Nature is a tiny piece of nature connection that you can carry with you through your day.
I have always loved silver jewellery, collecting & making things, and spending time in nature –it’s from nature that most of the things I find, and my inspiration, comes. Pulling all of these passions together into making jewellery of my own came a little more recently in life!
With the decision to embrace my ‘second spring’ and devote more time to creating & making, I am learning & trying new techniques all the time, developing my skills and LOVING the journey (it’s such a different feeling from the years of working with corporates!). It gives me the BIGGEST warm and fuzzy feeling to see people wearing things I have created with a smile on their face.
So far it has also been a wonderful path of personal discovery (not least, aiding my life as a ‘recovering perfectionist’!!) – as I have found, the life of a creative maker is full of ‘failures’ and random, unexpected surprises and you have to learn to embrace them.
When not doing the jewellery things, I also love getting out and about in the woods and wilds of Hampshire (alone or with friends – walks with a pub at the end are one of my faves!), playing Mahjong and starting my day by breathing in the morning air with a properly made, lush cup of coffee, outside.
About my Jewellery
I found my first piece of sea-glass on the beach in Porthcurno in Cornwall over 20 years ago – and when I picked it up I had a thought in my mind that it would make beautiful jewellery with silver, which lead to a collecting addiction and a long wait before I actually put my idea into action!!
Now, alongside shells, leaves, seeds, herbs, flowers and fossils, the sea-glass that I have been collecting all these years is an integral part of many of my designs. Larger pieces are either wire-wrapped, encased in silver with a flat silver strip called bezel or drilled and hung just as they are; smaller pieces are usually wire-wrapped in fine-silver wire, and often paired with a silver leaf, shell or fossil. How I decide to make a piece of jewellery from individual bits of sea glass is very much determined by their size and shape – I choose not to file or change how the pieces look, instead working with the uniqueness of what the sand and sea have given me, to create truly one-off pieces!
Besides sea-glass I work mainly with silver-clay, creating replicas of fossils, shells and other things like berries from the hedgerows, using moulds; imprints of flowers and leaves (often of herbs from the garden); creating shapes and textures inspired by things I see and find; and also using silver clay paste to turn leaves and seeds into silver. Many of my silver designs are also accompanied by small pieces of sea-glass wrapped in fine silver wire, reflecting the land and sea of Hampshire!
Commissions
Because the things I make are generally one-off/one-of-a kind, I am really happy to make to order and to take commissions (previous commissions have included pendants/earrings of sea-glass (you can bring your own or choose your pieces from my collection) shells, herbs & leaves (you choose your favourite) and even a catkin bookmark!) – so if you have a particular leaf that you’d like, or a herb, a special shell or a piece of sea-glass you’ve collected and you’re not sure what to do with it – I’d love to chat and see whether I could transform it into a wearable treasure! Just drop me a message…
Sustainability
In full awareness of the climate and bio-diversity crisis, I am keen to ensure not only that my pieces are ‘timeless’ but also that all the packaging and materials I use are sustainable. So as far as I possibly can I use recycled silver and all my gift and postal packaging is recyclable &/or recycled and sustainably produced. I also buy British/UK made whenever I can.
With warm wishes and thanks for visiting,
Nicole