A LITTLE corner of West London turned all Cornish recently as Newlyn jeweller Joseph Lamsin showed off his latest collection.
Thanks to the loan of authentic fishing paraphernalia, Joseph was able to produce an eye-catching backdrop for his new Seawater Case collection at the International Jewellery London trade show at Earl's Court. It was the first time Joseph had exhibited at the show, but the care and attention he lavished on his stand was, he says, certainly worth the effort.
"The show went really well – there were hundreds of jewellers there but my stand seemed to stand out for both buyers and the public," he told The Cornishman.
"I came up with the idea of the stand because I wanted to demonstrate the background to where I come from and what has inspired my designs.
"From the show, I received orders from two new stores and a lot of interest which hopefully will turn into something more."
For his stand, Joseph was loaned willow lobster pots, pilchard nets and cork floats by Lizard fisherman Nigel Legge and koya floats by WH Harvey & Sons while WH Stevenson & Sons provided two cable drums.
The drums provided the setting for Joseph's new collection of silver jewellery which is based on his desire to produce pieces with a very natural and organic feel.
To create his Seawater collection, he used nuggets of melted silver which he then dropped into buckets of seawater; the shapes and forms he felt most suitable to turn into pieces of jewellery he then saved and from them, rubber moulds have been produced from which the finished articles emerge.
"It was a very hit and miss process," he said. "I had to do it lots and lots of times before I came up with the shapes I was happy with."
The Seawater collection follows on from Joseph's previous Cuttlefish collection and, partly because of the current economic conditions, has been priced at a lower level.
"It is a difficult time to be a jeweller as the recession has meant that people are thinking twice about buying luxury items," he added.
"But they are still buying gifts for friends and relatives and so I have worked hard on the presentation and packaging of the jewellery and made sure they have the story behind it."
Sale
To raise funds to invest in the Seawater collection, which will be available for general sale early next year, Joseph is holding a bumper sale of his Cuttlefish pieces.
And he is holding an open day at his Newlyn workshop on Saturday from 9am to 5pm where you can get 75 per cent off the normal retail price (payment by cheque or cash).
To get to Joseph's workshop, go to up Chywoone/Paul Hill in Newlyn; turn right by the old school and bus stop on to Tredavoe Lane, follow the road up to where it forks and take the right to Gernick Estate. Take the next right beside a field, which takes you down to the workshop at the back of the first house on the left.
Otherwise items can be bought at a 60 per cent discount through his website – www.josephlamsin.com
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN