The Laings Journal
In the calming surroundings of Laings diamond lounge, you will often find jewellery designer Kirsty Berry sketching away, dreaming up a new, sparkling diamond ring or a stunning, delicate necklace. A stone’s throw away, just off Buchanan Street, is goldsmith Stuart Thomson’s workshop, where he is ready and waiting to bring Kirsty’s sketches to life.
Kirsty and Stuart were first brought together two years ago, when Stuart began working for Laings. Kirsty had been designing for the jewellers prior to this, initially working part-time whilst learning her craft at the Glasgow School of Art. Her degree gave her a solid foundation for working within the industry and she has now been at Laings for eight years.
A self-confessed ‘newbie’ to Laings, Stuart is anything but new to the industry, having worked in it for over 30 years. He was encouraged by one of his father’s friends, a goldsmith himself, to work at his workshop for a week. Stuart hasn’t looked back since. “I made a ring and it sparked something in me,” he says. “I thought, ‘I really like this’. I ended up doing an apprenticeship with Wade and Fleming, which was the biggest workshop in Glasgow at the time. The funny thing is, I hated metalwork at school!”
Like Stuart, Kirsty also identifies with being able to create a tangible product that people can appreciate. “I’ve always loved being creative,” she says. “The jewellery department at art school was the one that really stood out – the fact that you could design something and then see someone wearing it really appealed to me.”
Before Stuart joined Laings, Kirsty had to outsource the work to craftsmen in the south of England. With a goldsmith now working in-house, it is much quicker for Laings to produce commissions. “We’re just more efficient,” says Kirsty. “We can bring clients in at different times for fittings, which we weren’t able to do before.”
When setting out on a new commission, Kirsty and Stuart collaborate to realise their customers’ wishes. “First of all I sit down with the customer and bounce ideas back and forth with them to try and get an idea of what they like,” explains Kirsty. “Then I go away, start to get inspiration and sketch a few ideas. I then liaise with Stuart, who often has his own ideas.” Kirsty isn’t always sure if her designs are possible, however. “I’ll maybe say wacky things and Stuart has to say no,” laughs Kirsty. “He has so much experience so I learn a lot from him.”
Their working relationship has resulted in many stunning pieces. One of their favourites is a bespoke collar, which was made for a client’s wife’s 40th birthday. “It was a very special piece,” says Kirsty. “It was like a snake effect and wrapped around the neck – it was made especially to fit her.” Stuart adds: “I got to set quite an array of diamonds, which tapered and graduated round the back.”
As well as creating new pieces, Kirsty and Stuart also remodel old jewellery. Kirsty recalls one client, who had inherited her mother’s diamonds when she died: “We designed a necklace and two rings – a very simple, classic design like a snowflake drop. To see what it meant to her, to wear her mother’s diamonds, but in a design that she would wear today, was very rewarding.”
Seeing the finished product and how the customer responds to it also resonates with Stuart. “Kirsty designs the jewellery, I make it and then we both get to see the recognition on our customers' faces ―it’s the best part of our job,” he says.
Kirsty and Stuart are in the midst of designing their first collection together, which they are both very excited about. Inspired by Glasgow’s Art Deco architecture, and in particular, the historic Arcade the jewellers is situated in, the collection will consist of five or six pieces made from platinum and diamonds. The collection will be ready in time for Christmas, and as they get busier and busier with commissions, it is going to be a hectic next few months for Laings’ design duo.
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