Tracey is the fabulous owner and designer of Bridal Designs Wedding Jewellery and we had the chance to pick her brains and get to know a little more about the lady in question.

What got you into jewellery design?

I was putting a pair of earrings on display in the jewellery shop I worked in part-time,  I started looking more closely at how they were put together, how the findings were linked and the stones attached. I wanted to find out how it was done and more importantly if I could do it. I’ve always been ‘crafty’ – cardmaking, scrapbooking, knitting etc but this would be completely different to anything I’d tried before.

When I got home that night I had a look on the internet at jewellery making sites and I was hooked instantly-I ordered some supplies and tools, started learning techniques and making a few pieces. After a lot of practice I took a few into work, the manager suggested I had my own shelf in one of the cabinets to see if they would sell.  I must admit I was surprised when people started looking at my pieces and when the first customer bought one it was such a great feeling! As time went on the pieces were selling well but I only saw it as a sideline nothing more.

Two years later my sister announced she was getting married and asked me if I would make her wedding jewellery. I designed and made a few different pieces, which grew into a few more until I had a display case full. My sister chose her set leaving me with a bit of a problem-what to do with the remaining pieces?

I decided to pluck up the courage to approach a local bridal shop with my designs to see if they would be interested in selling them for me, the manager said yes straight away! More shops followed and I decided that an Internet store would be the next step. That’s how it happened!

What has been your favourite piece that you have designed to date?

My favourite at the moment is the Moonshadow pendant, it’s quite a simple piece but I love the delicate look of the clear Swarovski crystal moon against the silver and pearls.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Mainly from the materials I work with, I tend to start with a main component and then try out different combinations until something clicks, it does mean I have a lot of prototypes covering my work space but it’s a good feeling when you look at a piece and think-yes, that’s got it!

If you could design a piece of jewellery for absolutely anyone, who would it be and why?

Pink. I love her style, the way she can go from looking very feminine and pretty to rock chick to tomboy without looking fake. Not sure she’d want any wedding jewellery again but I reckon the Black Rose collection might be her sort of thing?!

What are your interests outside of jewellery design?

I love music, reading and scrapbooking.  I have a Border Collie that has me trained to take her for a walk/run/swim in the fields just by where I live (I walk-she runs and swims!) I owna Nissan Figaro car that takes up a lot of time maintaining and cleaning..a dog and a white car interior is not a good combination.

Do you collect anything?

Not at the moment, when I was a kid I used to collect pencil erasers and drove my parents loopy asking for one from every place we visited, I guess they got thrown away when i moved out or are still in my parents attic-perhaps I should carry on the collection?

If you weren’t a designer what would be your Plan B?

I never really had a plan A, I fell into designing by a happy accident after years of working in shops, I never knew what I wanted to be at school but I’m very happy to have ended up doing what I’m doing. If I wasn’t doing this I’d be…well…still don’t know!

A massive thank you to Tracey for sharing her time with us! And don’t forget to visit Bridal Designs Wedding Jewellery to see more of Tracey’s stunning work.