Though Ed cut his teeth on silver, he is eager to get his hands on as many metals and gemstones as he can. “I’ll use gold and silver, platinum, palladium – everything I can get my hands on,” he said. His pieces in the display case range from diamonds and rubies to blue tanzanite, purple tourmalines, and even a “chocolate diamond”. Ed also wants to find gold in the disused mines of Cornwall for special Cornish wedding bands.
His unorthodox approach attracts like-minded people who want to change an heirloom that doesn’t suit their personality. “People can’t afford to buy new pieces of jewellery, so I can rebuild pieces that they bring in,” he said. “I had a woman in who had a diamond ring from Tiffany’s that she didn’t like, so I took the stone out and re-made it for her.”
This transformation epitomises Ed’s approach: workmanship and materials based on tradition, but re-shaping them into something fresh.
Ed’s background is a characteristic Westcountry blend of bohemian and traditional. Born and bred in creative St Ives, he was bitten by the jewellery bug when he travelled in his 20s to South and Central America. He admired the turquoise and silver and thought