About Me

My name is Hilary Gleaves, I am a jewellery designer and maker based in the West Midlands in the City of Birmingham UK which has a famous historic Jewellery Quarter and School of Jewellery.  I studied silver and jewellery and industrial design at Birmingham UCE and also taught young people at different levels of education.

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​I like to explore scale and prefer to make bold jewellery with presence that makes a statement, expressing the individuality of the wearer. Sources of inspiration include natural and man-made form, texture and pattern and I am fascinated by the shapes, colours and mystery of semi-precious and precious stones.

 

At the bench I prefer to use traditional jewellery making techniques and processes to carefully make jewellery that will stand the test of time. ​I work mainly in silver, sometimes gold, precious and semi-precious stones and occasionally natural and found materials. To minimise my environmental impact I use recycled silver and gold as much as possible and simple recyclable packaging made from recycled materials.

 

​I make a range of jewellery items and produce small collections based on a theme and one-of-a-kind pieces. The statement skulls collection was originally inspired by a commission in 2016 to design and make a pair of skull cufflinks. I really liked the sculptural qualities of the skulls and enjoyed the making processes involved.

 

The skull is an enduring symbol used historically with many meanings and not influenced by fashion which appealed to me. I decided to experiment with skulls of varying sizes and incorporate them into my jewellery in different ways.

 

​Each piece of my jewellery is made with care and attention to detail and because it is handcrafted the pieces are unique and individual with their own characteristics.  All precious metals are marked by the Assay Office in Birmingham.

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