Nature by design
Jewellery maker Michelle Cooke’s intricate silver and copper designs are influenced by the flora and fauna that surround her Lincolnshire home. Interview by Kate Chapman.
Michelle Cooke has always loved making things, but it wasn’t until she received a voucher for a jewellery making course that she discovered a new creative passion.
After completing a five-day programme at West Dean College, in Sussex, Michelle came home with a handmade ring, a pair of earrings and a bangle – and a burning desire to make more. Her newfound interest inspired her to complete a foundation diploma in art and design at the same institution and in 2016, she started her own jewellery making business – Ming Studio Designs – specialising in silver and copper work.
“Before the summer school, I’d never done any silversmithing or jewellery work before, apart from a bit of wire bending at school,” recalls Michelle, who lives in Holbeach St Johns, near Spalding. “When I came away with the pieces I’d made it felt amazing. I thought I’d just try it and that would be it, but I wanted to make more. It really connected with me.”
Michelle – whose business takes its name from her daughter’s childhood nickname – creates bangles, bracelets, earrings, brooches and more in her home studio. She promotes her work on social media and attends craft fairs and other events where she loves meeting clients first-hand.
Original designs
As well as making her own designs, she also takes on commissions, which can include repurposing items including family silver into new pieces which can be treasured, while retaining their authenticity.
“I’ve been trusted to turn a silver ingot, given to my client by an older family member, into a square-shaped bangle with elements to match other sentimental pieces she owns. That will be quite a challenge as it will involve completely changing the ingot rather than working with it in its current form,” adds Michelle, an NHS immunisation support worker in the week and a wedding ceremony officer at the weekends.
“I’ve been making and creating since I was a little girl – if I could make something, I would. My mum sewed and was the kind of person who would give anything a go. My dad was a mechanic, and he taught me how to look after my car and do practical things too.”
In 2006, Michelle began working in the office at Contour Autocraft, in Thorney, Cambridgeshire, which handmade car panels and also supplied copper petals for the 2012 London Olympic Games opening ceremony.
The team there encouraged Michelle’s creative streak, and she often went into the workshop to try her hand at different techniques or to pick up new skills.
“It was an amazing place to work,” adds Michelle, who has three grown-up children with husband Martyn. My tenth year working there coincided with my 40th birthday and I was given a voucher to attend West Dean College for a craft and conservation course.
“I completed the five-day summer school and the work really connected with me. I had a lot of understanding from what I’d done at Contour Autocraft, they really supported me.”
Natural surroundings
Michelle decided to sign up for a two-year foundation diploma in art and design, which incorporated several design-based aspects.
Due to the pandemic, she ended up receiving a year-long extension but was able to complete her final piece over video calls.
“I was making pieces of jewellery and running out of fingers and arms to wear it all on!” she laughs.
“I made and wore a lot of my own jewellery and people started commenting things like, ‘that’s nice, can you make me one?’ That’s really how it grew.
“I’d probably been making them for around a year before I posted any pictures on social media or shared what I’d made.”
Michelle says the natural world and the Lincolnshire landscape provide inspiration for her designs, as well as the nearby coastline.
“My work is quite experimental,” she adds.
“If I have an idea – I have to make it! My designs include a lot of wildflowers, landscapes, things I’ve seen in the garden and while I’m out and about. A couple of my collections have been inspired by the landscape and its features, rather than a shape. I mainly work in silver and copper and do a little bit in gold, but the cost of gold is so prohibitive for me to make a piece on the off chance that it might sell.”
Creative process
Michelle sketches potential designs on her iPad, which she sends to clients before they discuss the finer details. If the piece is a complex one, she makes a copper prototype before creating it in silver. She uses a fine piercing saw to hand cut components and then shapes, heats and hammers them if necessary.
Michelle says the processes can be quite “backwards and forwards” as she seeks to get the details correct, using other tools like a pendant drill. Her work is then filed and polished before it’s ready for its new owner.
“Making jewellery takes a lot longer than people realise,” says Michelle.
“One of my favourite pieces to make was for a lady who requested a silver bangle, made up of garden leaves. They were individually hand-cut and joined together to form the bangle. When you look at it, it looks quite simple – but it wasn’t!
“Another lady came to a craft fair with a christening bracelet, which is too small to wear, so I’m making two small rings from it, in the style of christening bracelets. I’m quite happy to take a customer’s piece and re-fashion it into something they can wear. I get to work on some pieces which are very sentimental and it’s lovely to be involved in those projects,” she says.
Michelle is currently designing a collection based around structures inspired by the landscape around her, observed over the winter months.
“I’ve made lots of sketches of skeletal base forms with elements from another season added. The next step will be working out how to turn them into wearable pieces”’ she explains.
“Working with silver gives me a chance to create pieces which can either last a lifetime or be returned to a blob of silver and made into another item. It’s so versatile, yet hard-wearing and long-lasting.
“I still get excited when I see my hallmark on a piece. Knowing that in 100 years people will be able to look back and know I made a particular piece absolutely blows my mind!”
To find out more about Michelle’s work visit facebook.com/mingstudiodesigns/ or
instagram.com/mingstudiodesigns
Photographs: Michelle Cooke / Ming Studio Designs and @jrobin_photo
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