Inez Jenkins

Inez is a jewellery maker working with fused glass and silver, creating pieces which are practical, wearable, colourful, and a joy.

Retiring from a Science and Pharmaceutical career ten years ago, Inez was ready to explore a complete change of direction. Her fascination with glass and the alchemy involved in its process was naturally a strong draw. Learning her craft from many specialists, Inez now runs her practice in Coupar Angus under the name Designs by Inez.

Aesthetic

The driver for all of her pieces is colour and the dichroic glass Inez uses offers depth and variety with endless possibilities. It’s a specialist glass which displays two different colours by undergoing a colour change when it either refracts and reflects the light. Discovering new combinations is a constant source of inspiration continually capturing her interest and fuelling her passion for this magical material.

Inez designs beautiful items in Scotland

Diamond saw used in Inez's unique Scottish jewellery creation

Practice

The process of fusing glass is a wonder and Inez combines different amounts and colours of both raw bullseye glass and dichroic fusing glass in her small kiln, which fuses them together producing a new sheet of glass. Each firing brings a new surprise as the colours and effects are unique to every new sheet. Inez then selects which parts of the sheet to cut out using a large diamond saw. The glass tends to dictate the shape and in turn the item it best suits, such as pendants and earrings. Getting totally matching items is almost impossible unless they are made from the same sheet of glass. The cut piece is finished with silver findings.

The addition of the dichroic glass adds sparkle to the end product which wonderfully lends itself to jewellery as well as lighten up outfits and bringing joy on any day.

Another technique Inez uses is to fire fine silver directly into the glass in the kiln, which provides a totally different finish. She’s also developing her knowledge of working with silver and exploring new ways of combining both materials in new and interesting ways.