About Erika…

I have always found how things are put together totally fascinating; I delight in patterns…
those found in nature, with their perfect balance of form and purpose; the pattern of stories which we weave and the history that we leave behind as we interact during our lives and across time; maps and charts and the different ways in which abstract information is represented visually… the world is such an endless source of delight and interest.

I grew up in Norway where the strikingly beautiful shapes and decoration of Viking longships woke me up to the power of design, the craft and artistry of early civilisations. What I’d seen stayed with me when we came to Ireland, where I saw the wonderful collection we have here of early gold treasures.
I was hooked!

I now live in the west of Ireland, away from city life. I have exhibited internationally, both in Europe and the USA, including representing Ireland at SOFA, Chicago and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. After many years of designing and making collections for shops and galleries, these days I mainly work to commission, particularly enjoying to make pieces connecting directly to the client’s own experiences.

I am interested in the hidden meaning behind objects, and the relationship implicit between them and people. I like to incorporate symbolism in much of my work and the balance of form and content, both in design and meaning, is important to me.

Ethos

Everybody is conscious these days of the need to be aware, and take care of, the environment and this also applies to jewellers. As much as I can I use environmentally safe materials and processes in the studio. All my jewellery is made in-house and uses materials sourced in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. All stones are conflict free and as much metal as possible is repurposed and recycled.

Whenever possible, preparation of metal is done in the studio to produce the specific quality of gold needed. I use recycled gold and silver – the copper I needed is even sourced from electric cables! For a bespoke commission I am often able to use a client’s existing jewellery as a source of both metal and stones. This means material costs can be reduced but, more importantly, many clients have emotional and sentimental reasons for wanting to know their treasured pieces have been incorporated in the new work, making for a much more meaningful connection with the jewellery they wear.