A Marriage Made in Yorkshire
Alternative Wedding Show 2014
13th April - 13th July
A Marriage Made in Yorkshire: The Alternative Wedding Show 2014
(Left to right: Cathy Sutherland; Sally Cox; Kath Libbert;
Bex Bardon and Emily Knight.)
The 13th Annual Alternative Wedding Show 2014 - A Marriage Made in Yorkshire
In this year when the world comes to Yorkshire we present our own Tour de Force – four elite Yorkshire jewellers inspire with their skilful creations which form the centre piece of A Marriage Made in Yorkshire at Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery, set within that other Yorkshire Gem, Salts Mill. For the last thirteen years the Gallery has featured The Alternative Wedding Show, Yorkshire’s largest and most distinctive annual selling exhibition of contemporary bridal jewellery.
This year the spotlight is on the Gallery’s in-house talent introducing work by four young up and coming Yorkshire jewellers and silversmiths, Bex Bardon, Elland; Sally Cox, Bingley; Emily Knight, Settle; and Cathy Sutherland, Sheffield. All work at the Gallery as part time assistants but they also offer a wide range of distinctive skills and expertise, allowing them to respond enthusiastically to all sorts of individual commissions. Kath Libbert says “Although we will as always be showcasing a fabulous array of engagement and wedding rings crafted by renowned national and international jewellers I felt it was high time to celebrate the superb talent that is under our noses! Namely my highly skilled delightful staff!”
Bex Bardon, has worked at the gallery for over 8 years and has specially created a collection using rough cut rubies, black tourmalines which though imperfect have a special beauty that she finds… ‘full of magic, alchemy, power and ancient spells. I wanted to create an exciting and unusual collection that was very important to me, that incorporated beautiful stones with recycled silver and gold. Gemstones have been used throughout history for their healing qualities; they have been worn as amulets and talismans and used in spiritual practices.”
Sally Cox has been with us for three years, graduating from De Montfort University in Leicester with a first class degree. Though primarily a silversmith, she regularly undertakes a wide range of jewellery commissions for our clients. Sally’s silverware borrows classical elements and gives them a contemporary twist. Through a mix of inspiration from ironwork to origami she makes work driven by pure elegant forms. By producing functional tableware Sally hopes that she can bring something special to the plate, to be enjoyed every day. For A Marriage Made in Yorkshire she is presenting a range of elegant silver bowls, spoons and folded boxes which would make the perfect wedding gift.
Emily Knight – our newest team member contributes some very different skills. Inspired by a recent visit to the ‘Masterpieces of Chinese Painting’ exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum she has created a unique collection of exquisite enameled floral brooches embellished with 18ct yellow gold, making really distinctive wedding corsages! “Colour pattern and texture have always been important throughout my work. I was drawn to the simple yet elegant lines and shapes that Chinese painters have developed to suggest organic forms. “
Cathy Sutherland, who has been with the gallery for two years, has crafted a delicate collection of silver and gold bridal jewellery inspired by the Calla Lily…“The curved fluid shapes of my jewellery have been created through the traditional silversmithing techniques of chasing and repoussé - repetitive rounds of hammering allows me to watch the forms gradually unfold in the metal, reflecting the movement of the body and repetitive patterns found in nature. For this collection I studied the Calla Lily with its magnificent beauty and connotations of purity, fertility and abundance.”
There will be new collections of wedding and engagement rings, tiaras, cufflinks and bridesmaid jewellery by a wide of range of renowned jewellers including Mirri Damer who has recently made wedding rings for Dawn French and Malcolm Morris who created the tiaras for Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love. We will also be having a wide selection of work by other Yorkshire jewellers including Pamela Dickinson, Driffield; Adele Taylor, Sheffield; Anthony Blakeney, Leeds; Chris Boland, Sheffield; Angela Knipe, Scarborough, and Chris Philipson, Knaresborough.
A Marriage Made in Yorkshire will launch on Sunday 13th April 2014 from 1pm onwards when our four in-house jewellers will be on hand to explore individual ideas for commissions. At 3pm there will be presentations by each of the four to highlight their distinctive areas of expertise and to show images of the range of commissions they have undertaken with our clients. Refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon. All very welcome!
