Designer of the Month – Thomas P Cochran
Jewellery maker Thomas P.Cochran draws inspiration from the beauty of the ocean and his love of the colour blue. View some of his work, read about where he gets his inspiration from and more in this month’s Designer of the Month interview.
Let us know a bit about yourself, detailing your background, study and training in the jewellery making industry.
A few years ago I returned to my home country, Zimbabwe, from Mauritius, where we have been living for the last 12 years. I spent some time working on the gold mines there and became fascinated with the whole process of mining through to the final refinement of gold. I then went and did a short silversmithing course in South Africa. On returning to Mauritius I started our company – using silver I cast my first piece in sand. From there it has been a steep and fast learning curve – using online courses and tutorials and just a lot of work in the workshop.
Tell us about your work – are there any particular materials or techniques that you favour?
Most of the pieces in our collections are a mould from a real shell. Otherwise it is wax carving which is sometimes quite challenging. We work mainly in silver but with a growing number of pieces in gold. All of our finishing and polishing is done by hand in our own workshop.
I try many different techniques – a recent one is to finish and polish with the sprue still attached – keeps the fingers from being burnt quite so often.
How would you best describe your design style?
All of the designs are Ocean themed, so the shells are replicas of the real thing. I try and keep our style natural, using organic shapes. The natural shapes of shells or coral determine our designs. A lot of the pieces are heavy which gives them a beautiful weight. We are looking at incorporating semi-precious stones and beads this year and mixed metals including rose or yellow gold with the silver.
Where do you like to get your inspiration from for your pieces?
The inspiration is the Ocean. Shells found on the beaches in Mauritius or when the family travels. Some are donated by friends – many have been collected years ago. The whole family is conservation minded, including a son who has studied Marine Science so all of the marine animals are from a love of those delightful creatures, and with a hope that it helps to raise awareness. Carrie my wife is from England so there is a new collection in the pipeline inspired by the English countryside, including acorns from the woods near her home.
Do you have a piece that you have made which you favour or are particularly proud of?
The whale tail is our best seller and my favourite – simple but it took a lot of refining to get the right tail, and recently there is an Octopus tentacle ring.
What is the one item in your jewellery making workshop that you could not live without?
Definitely my Dremel with all the attachments. Without that I’m completely stuck.
What upcoming trends do you see being popular soon?
In design I think larger statement pieces are coming back and stones are ever popular. In general I think a lot of people want jewellery with some meaning or personalisation built into the design. For techniques I see a strong trend in sustainability, companies that are doing as much as they can to be as eco friendly as possible, from the packaging to the use of recycled metals.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt from your time in the jewellery making industry?
That jewellery is incredibly personal, that one person is never like another, and you can never tell exactly what a client will choose from your collection. They often surprise you.
Do you have any particular advice that you would give to up and coming jewellery designers, or someone interested in getting into jewellery making?
My advise would be don’t get put off by thinking that you have to have lots of qualifications. Go and give it a go, and don’t ever think that you are not naturally talented enough. It’s a long process of learning that goes on over the years and all great designers probably started with the most simple design. Also don’t be afraid to ask questions; use all the great online tools that are available now, there are so many tips and hints you can pick up.
Finally, time for a bit of fun in our quick-fire round!
Tell us your favourite…
Colour – All the blues
Biscuit – I don’t really like them but my wife loves chocolate digestives
Drink – Has to be beer
Place – Mana Pools, Zimbabwe
Animal – Cheetah
Gemstone – Aquamarine
Food – Lobster
Sport – Rugby
Film – Anything to do with history
City – London
Many thanks to Thomas for being our Designer of the Month this month and for sharing this information
Want to discover the work of other jewellery makers?
The post Designer of the Month – Thomas P Cochran appeared first on The Bench.
source https://www.cooksongold.com/blog/designer-of-the-month/designer-of-the-month-thomas-p-cochran
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