Gill Wing presents a special showcase of jewellery by Romilly Saumarez Smith and her “translators”, Lucie Gledhill, Anna Wales, Laura Ngyou and Rachel Jones who use their specialist skills to produce Romilly’s work as she is no longer able to use her own hands.
Together they have developed a unique language to describe the intricate components, techniques and textures they use to transform ancient found objects unearthed by metal detectors into jewel encrusted treasures. Exhibiting their collections side by side we explore how their own work relates to each other; unified yet distinctive as individual makers through their own specialties and unique styles.

Gill Wing has been bringing handmade designer jewellery to Islington for over 25 years where a curated selection of over 50 designers can currently be found, using a wide range of materials from precious metals to wood, steel and recycled rubber. The gallery is managed by Sarah Burns and Jade Mellor, who share a real love of the making process as jewellers themselves.

With sustainability at their heart, Gill Wing’s ethos is to aid the discovery of unique and exciting pieces that will stand the test of time by always choosing personal style over fashion. Bespoke enquiries are warmly welcomed; their in house design team can commission special versions from the jewellers currently being shown. This allows for contemporary reworkings of old jewellery pieces, metal or gems along with sourcing other ethical and fair trade options.

The gallery’s resident goldsmith, Rachel Jones specialises in making her own gold alloys developed during her MA at the Royal College of Art and will be showing special pieces in this exhibition. Rachel is also one of Romilly’s “Translators”, helping to bring her designs to life as she is no longer able to use her own hands for the construction.

Adornment of the body existed before the first written languages, so one could consider Jewellery as the first language. Just like us, our early ancestors sought out and collected objects to decorate themselves. They would wear their cherished items to express their interests, status and identity. ‘Found in Translation’ is a special exhibition exploring how jewellers communicate their ideas through their work and what it might say to us.

In their collaborations with Romilly they have developed their own common language to explain how a piece should look, drawing out designs with Romilly’s verbal directions.

In the personal work of these 5 jewellers, many of the raw materials may begin the same, but by interpreting them in different ways they each have their own unique voice.