Background
With a background in languages and a long career in translation, I transitioned to jewellery making mostly through self-study and experimentation, eventually designing and making full time under the name Wilde Works.
Inspiration
I was born to a Dutch mother and English father. My jewellery-making journey very much started as a voyage of discovery, helping me explore what matters to me, partly in search of a sense of belonging.
In that search, I returned to my childhood and early space travel, which showed us the planets and moons, planetary eclipses and Saturn’s rings, like we had never seen them before. I revisited Carl Sagan and NASA, their work inspiring so many people from such diverse backgrounds and speaking of peace and kindness, of reaching out across borders and working together towards a common goal, exploring the universe beyond our Pale Blue Dot and allowing us to see ourselves like we'd never seen ourselves before.
The elegance and minimalism of space, as well as the mindset of the sixties very much influenced the shapes that I use and deeply inspired my first exploration into working with silver and resin.
A move from a very grey, post-war sixties Germany to Canada inspired my use of colour. It was as if I had passed through the looking glass and entered a technicolor world. Today, colour helps me tell a story. The colours I choose help reinforce the way I see or question the world. It is central to my work.
The seventies and a return to the Netherlands and later Germany shaped my interest in politics, the environment and social injustices, in particular time spent living in a divided Germany with East-West tensions, an undercurrent flowing from the Troubles in Ireland and the Baader Meinhoff Group still fresh in people’s memories.
Today, my work draws on social and global issues – the drivers behind what I do. I often create in response to issues that move me to the core as a way of processing, expressing, a way of not falling silent when words fail in this increasingly crazy world.
I instinctively contrast the turbulence and chaos of modern times with calm and playfulness, as is human nature, preferring to use colour to help convey or strengthen a message or story, and the language of jewellery to share values and invite connection...
… and sometimes I will simply create and add colour just for fun.
The pinnacle moment for me, is when a piece leaves my hands to start a journey of its own with those who identify with and carry its meaning forward.
Process
I work mainly in recycled Sterling silver and eco-resin, using traditional jewellery-making skills to make one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces. I start by making silver shapes from sheet and wire using techniques such as sawing, filing, soldering, forming, roll-printing and hammer-texturing. I mix pastes and pigments like colours on a palette and add them to small quantities of resin. When mixed with hardener, the resin takes up to 48 hours to cure before it is hard enough to meticulously sand back through the grades of wet & dry paper, and polish.
Occasionally, I will use 3D CAD technology to visualise pieces, print 2D templates for saw-piercing, or design components for small-batch production pieces where speed and perfection is key.
Every step in the process is taken with the planet in mind – from the recycled silver and packaging to the eco-resin and settlement tanks I use to rinse the wet and dry paper during sanding. The residue is disposed off correctly. This stops the resin from entering our waterways and makes my small business as sustainable as possible.
Journey
My work has sold through galleries at home and abroad. I was particularly thrilled to be invited to sell my jewellery at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park Autumn MADE Showcase, and showcase my work in Berlin, Germany.
My work was featured in Jewellery Trend News by the Guild of Jewellery Designers, and The Carrotbox wrote the following about my Rings of Saturn collection: 'What soothing whale sounds are to some people, these clean, minimal, perfectly tidy rings are to me.'
An image of my kinetic rings was used by resin expert Clare John in her book Resin Jewellery.
The highlight of my journey so far was being included in Nicolas Estrada's book New Earrings: 500+ Contemporary Jewellery Designs, published in English and Spanish by Hoaki Books. You can read more about this in my blog.
Supported Charities
My small business is dedicated to raising awareness for social and global issues through its handmade jewellery collections.
I do this on my website and social media pages, and through fundraising campaigns via Work for Good.
Between 13 November and 31 December 2025, 5% of sales from my Red Line Collection will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) via Work for Good.
For more information on the charities I support, please vist Work for Good. 
Memberships
I am a member of the Crafts Council Directory and the Herefordshire Guild of Craftsmen:
Crafts Council Directory
Herefordshire Guild of Craftsmen
Copyright
The contents of this website as well as all Wilde Works designs are copyright of Wilde Works.