A “rising star” of the jewellery world David McCaul focuses his considerable talents on designing and making highly original and exquisite rings.  With a fluidity of their own David’s rings transcend the traditional format sensuously caressing and complementing the contours of the hand and fingers with sweeping curves accentuated with tiny sparkling gems in a way that is pure Sex in the City!

David explains: “I create rings that compliment the contours of the fingers and hand. Each ring is designed to be worn in a certain orientation on a certain finger. Most of my rings are symmetrical because I am interested in symmetry and balance. Although the rings may look awkward and unbalanced on their own, when they are worn their balance is restored by their location on the hand.”

Thirty four year old David, who was born and grew up in Portmarnock, Ireland, started making jewellery in the metals department at The National College of Art in Dublin. “It wasn't so much jewellery that interested me at first but the processes and techniques involved in making it. I took two years out after my third year at art college to do a two year course in traditional goldsmithing skills run by the Craft Council of Ireland. When I returned to complete the final year of my degree I found it much easier to make all of the ideas I had in my sketchbooks because of all the technical skills I had learned.”

“My main influence while at college was structure. I studied animal skeletons, bridges, buildings, flowers and plants for inspiration and the resulting jewellery was geometric and minimalist in form. I wrote my thesis on the architect Santiago Calatrava whose bridges and buildings were probably the biggest influence on my work at that time.”

After graduating from college, with the help of a bursary from the Crafts Council of Ireland, David moved to Stuttgart in Germany to do a year long voluntary apprenticeship with master goldsmith Gerald Heinrich. Two months in Florida followed and then David was lured back to Dublin to teach back at the National College of Art and Design.

However David soon realised that he preferred being at the bench making his own designs so applied for an MA at The London Metropolitan University and won an AHRC scholarship to study there part time for two years. Moving over to London in August 2006 he also began to help out leading London jewellery designer maker Ben Day a few days a week, as well as studying for his MA. 

After completing his MA David set up an exclusive jewellery business in London where he has been joined by his brother Barry who is a trained diamond setter.