Jenny Southgate
JEWELLERY
Jenny Southgate

About Me

Contemporary silver jewellery inspired by nature, heritage and timeless design…..

I fell in love with designing and making jewellery as a child, when my Granny Jose first taught me to string beads during treasured family visits to my grandparents’ home by the sea in Margate, Kent. Jose was a skilled bead worker and pearl-stringer, and I was captivated by her vast collection of beads—and the joy of turning them into something beautiful.

As a young adult I learnt the basics of working with precious metals at an evening class run by a jeweller in my home town of Derby. Since then, I’ve been largely self-taught and now work mainly in silver to create contemporary designs, often incorporating vintage beads and gemstones as a nod to my heritage.

When Jose passed away in 2010, I inherited her unsold jewellery, loose beads, gemstones, and intricately carved pendants. She was a wonderfully talented maker, and I wanted her creative spirit to live on. To honour her legacy, I offer a selection of her pieces in my Etsy shop. I use some of her beads and gemstones in my own designs, and those I don’t use are also available to purchase—ranging from carved Art Nouveau gemstone pendants to delicate handmade Venetian glass beads.

As a young woman, Jose worked at the iconic Liberty store in London and was deeply influenced by its Art Nouveau aesthetic, along with the elegance of the Art Deco period (1920s–1940s). Her materials were sourced by her father, James Janes, who travelled to America in 1913 to study gemmology and pearl-stringing. On his return, he established a business in Victorian London importing precious and semi-precious stones, beads, jewellery, and objets d’art.

James supplied materials to prestigious clients, including Liberty, Mappin & Webb, and other notable goldsmiths and silversmiths. Many of his pieces reflect the period’s fascination with East Asian influences—seen in the intricate carvings and detailed craftsmanship that Jose used in her work, and that I now offer through my Etsy shop.

I’m deeply grateful to both Jose and James for introducing me to this wonderful world of creativity and craftsmanship, and I designed my logo with Art Nouveau influences to reflect their legacy. The floral design is based on a brooch Jose once asked me to make while I was still attending evening classes—one of the first silver pieces I ever created. Jose loved the work of William Morris, so I aimed to echo his botanical style with flowing lines, while keeping the overall look contemporary to reflect my own style.

Thank you for supporting me.