Islay Spalding

Islay Spalding's aim in jewellery design and making is to create unique pieces that are unusual and distinctive yet practical and pleasing to wear. She believes in quality craftsmanship and meaningful design and specialises in bespoke commissions for kilt pins and contemporary jewellery.

Islay's kilt pins are an abstract take on the traditional style and fabricated in silver using a variety of techniques. She uses elements such as grooves and notches to signify dates, hillscapes, landscapes and coastal outlines and pieces of music or lyrics or reworkings of clan crests to bring that personal meaning to the design and make it completely unique to the wearer.

Inspired by surrealist art, especially the work of Desmond Morris, Joan Miro and Yves Tanguy, Islay combines silver with hand-dyed resins to form colourful and chunky sculptural shapes that are then translated into rings, pendants and brooches for the Biomorph, Biocube and Small World Collections.

Islay also works with silver, 18ct gold and precious and semi-precious stones to create her narrative Jabberwocky Collection and rough and sparkly Treasure Ring Collection inspired by nonsense stories and make-believe.