Today we speak to Pauline of Fancy Pants Jewellery who joins our fair for the fist time on Sunday 15th November at Brighton Open Market. Find out more about her and her jewellery….
Please introduce yourself and your brand….
Hello! I am Pauline the creative mind behind Fancy Pants Jewellery. I grew up in Ireland and after a bit of travelling around I moved to Brighton with my Brightonian husband. I have an amazing daughter, she is my biggest fan, as I am hers.
I found making jewellery during a very difficult time in my life. After I had my daughter, I had over a year of not really sleeping. Newborns are HARD work. I needed an outlet. I needed some me time. I needed to find my creative passion again. A friend found a silver jewellery class in Brighton and that’s when I found hitting metal with a hammer or melting it made me happy! More than happy, I can’t describe the feeling. Thankfully my daughter sleeps like a log now, even through all the hammering…
Fancy Pants Jewellery started initially with friends and family asking me to make them jewellery. My very first commission was for a dear friend. She wanted a pair of rings made for herself and her sister to celebrate her sisters 18th. I was so honoured. Such a big occasion and she thought that my jewellery was good enough to give as such an important gift. After that I made cufflinks for my husband, rings for my mother, a necklace for another friend’s wedding day, replaced a lost wedding ring for one of my brothers and even made a backdrop necklace for another Bride. After all that I figured, maybe I should give this a go. So I have…
How would you describe your style and your creations?
I like playing with different styles. Some of my jewellery I would describe as simple and elegant. I like using circles, squares and rectangles to create different looks. Some of my stuff is a little bit more out there. I love working in wax and casting rings particularly to make bigger statement pieces. I also love playing with different finishes. I use ecologically sourced or recycled sterling silver whenever I can in my designs.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love experimenting with new shapes and learning new techniques. The amazing thing, with pretty much any craft, is that you never stop learning. There is always something new to try. I often start with a rough idea, a picture I have taken or a texture that I like and go from there. I am TERRIBLE at drawing. So drawing something first doesn’t work for me. I can usually make what I have created in my head work. I say usually…. It’s not always that simple, but I love the process!
What can we expect to find on your stall at The Fairy Tale Fair Brighton this November? And are you looking forward to taking part?
I am SO excited to take part in The Brighton Fairy Tale Fair in November. It will be my first really big fair in Brighton. Eeeeek! I have been to so many Fairy Tale Fairs with my family, in both Patcham and Brighton and we LOVED them. I cannot WAIT to play a more active role.
I will have some really lovely earrings and necklaces from my new “Connected” range. Personalised jewellery to represent loved ones without the stamping of letters. Just really simple elegant shapes. You will also find some lovely pebble rings and necklaces, my old favourites and some new pieces from my “Cloud” collection.
Do you have any plans or ambitions for the future?
Long term goal? I would really love to make this my full time job. I currently work full time and I make jewellery in whatever spare time I can carve out. This is my first year really giving my craft a go. It has been a STEEP learning curve and I have met some amazing, supportive people along the way. If I could make my passion my work, that would be marvellous. However, baby steps for now. In the short term, once I get through the Christmas period, I will be hopefully looking at taking part in the Brighton Open Houses and I am really excited to be perfecting my stone setting skills in the New Year.
Do you have a motto or inspirational quote?
You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one. It took me a while to understand this one. But I get it now and it’s one of my favourites. If you want to move on you have to just “Let it Go” Elsa is a wise woman.
How can we find out more about you?
You can find my online store with Etsy – www.fancypantsjewelery.etsy.
Instagram – @Fancypantsjewellery
Facebook – https://m.facebook.com/pages/
Blog: www.fancypantsjewellery.com
Twitter: @PCjewellery
