Joanna studied for a BA in Fashion Design and went on to specialise as a Lingerie Designer; she worked in the industry for 7 years primarily based in the UK, China and New York. Whilst living in New York and researching trends within the lingerie design industry Joanna began to search for a new direction, a direction that involved more hands-on creativity. Jewellery design seemed a natural progression and it became apparent that this was an area that Joanna could focus her ‘attention to detail’ upon. After discovering the Silversmithing and Jewellery degree Joanna relocated from New York to Cornwall to take up full time studies and complete the degree.
Inspiration
Joanna derives her inspiration from modern urban culture, the use of patterns within Asian cultures and the designs found in contemporary and tribal jewellery. She is ultimately inspired by tattooing and body adornment. “I am currently working on the concept that a piece of jewellery can be treated like a removable tattoo, worn to adorn and easily removed. Most of the design details are inspired by tattoo designs and so the pattern is effectively projected onto the skin, or patterns can be projected through the reflection of light or a shadow cast”
Design Style
“As a designer I am very much intrigued by technology; I like the aesthetics of my completed pieces to be clean, crisp, intricate and accurate to a standard which I am unable to achieve by hand”
Joanna’s design style is distinct and clearly links back to her training as a lingerie designer. She uses lace like textures and uses the body as a blank canvas; sometimes the body is used to create the form of her jewellery designs, sometimes the body is used to contradict the form.