One of my favourite things about living on the Isle of Lewis is having so much inspiration for my jewellery right on my doorstep. I'm always noticing interesting shapes, textures and little details when I'm out walking along the coast.
I've always particularly loved the tiny barnacles that cling to rocks along the shoreline, and a couple of months ago I decided to try turning them into a piece of jewellery!
It All Started With a Rock
A couple of months ago, while out exploring the coast, I came across a rock covered in the most beautiful little barnacles.
I loved all the different shapes and sizes, and thought they would make a really interesting design for a necklace. So, naturally, the rock came home with me!
Bringing the Idea to Life
Back at my workbench, I started experimenting with jeweller's wax to recreate the little barnacles.
I wanted to capture their different shapes and textures, so I carefully sculpted a collection of tiny barnacles onto a wax bar, using the original rock as my reference.
It took a little bit of experimenting to get everything looking how I wanted, but that's one of my favourite parts of making jewellery!
From Wax to Sterling Silver
Once I was happy with the wax design, it was sent away to be cast in solid Sterling Silver.
This is always such an exciting stage of the process because it's the first time I get to see how all those little details translate into metal.
A couple of weeks ago, the casting arrived back at my workshop, ready for the finishing touches.
The Finished Barnacle Necklace
After some more work at my bench, the necklace was finally finished!
I'm really pleased with how the little barnacles have turned out, especially how their different shapes and textures have been captured in the silver.
It's always lovely seeing an idea come together, particularly when it started with something as simple as a rock I picked up on a walk.
I think that's one of my favourite things about making jewellery inspired by the coast. There's so much inspiration to be found in the little things we might otherwise walk straight past.
Coming Soon!
The Barnacle Necklace will be available on my website from 4pm on Friday 30th October 2026, alongside some other new designs I've been working on.
I hope you've enjoyed this little look behind the scenes at how it was made!
I'd love to know what you think of the finished necklace.
Alice xx