Beautifully bespoke jewellery design that marks a moment in time and place.
Words by Hannah Tapping
It’s one of those special mornings in Cornwall when, after a night of rain, I awake to a clarity that makes everything around me appear in high definition. The blue of the sky, the verdant hedgerows, the glisten of the sea; all heralding the day with renewed freshness. My morning commute takes me along the gentle curve of Mounts Bay, where St Michael’s Mount stands sentinel surrounded by the glassy ocean, before heading inland to seek out jewellery designer Justin Duance’s workshop. Driving through the tree canopied lane towards Boscathnoe Reservoir I’m intrigued as to what I will find.
Born in Truro, Justin spent his formative years in Sudan and Iran, but with extended family in Cornwall regularly returned to the Duchy. After studying for a BA in Jewellery and Silversmithing at Sir John Cass Faculty of Art in London, his first outlet was in London, but Cornish galleries were keen to stock his work and so he moved back to his homeland, subsequently setting up his own jewellery design business.
Housed in an historic former pump house, walking into Justin Duance Contemporary Jewellery is like stepping into a peaceful haven of creativity and craftsmanship. This isn’t your typical jewellery showroom with items locked behind glass cases. Here, you’re invited to immerse yourself in the process, try on pieces at will and even watch the jewellers at work. I’m greeted by Justin and fellow jeweller Jamila Hirtenstein, who make up a team of ten highly experienced craftspeople, many of whom have honed their craft under Justin’s tutelage. While some Justin Duance pieces are available ready-made from Off The Bench Peg – a collection of jewellery where the team have been given the creative freedom to create new designs and showcase one-off gemstones – most are bespoke commissions. However, commissions like no others as Jamila explains.
“When customers book an appointment to visit us, this is where they come. We talk them through the different collections and then just encourage them to try things on. We adopt a laid-back approach and make it as fun as we can. Our jewellery is very tactile and so it’s important to us that our customers can not only see, but touch and feel the pieces. Our aim is to create bespoke pieces that resonate with the customer, often involving a high level of personalisation. It’s rare for someone to walk out with something exactly as it was displayed; the beauty of our jewellery lies in its customisation.”
Jamila and Justin start by talking me through the Wood Ring Collection which started over two decades ago. These rings can be crafted from silver, titanium, gold or platinum and are delicately inlaid with wood sourced from meaningful places. Some contain wood from an old boat or whiskey barrels or customers often bring in their own wood, adding an extra layer of sentimentality. A recent commission used part of a weathered post from a family’s moorland farm while another came from a banister from a much-loved home. The wood ages organically, developing a unique character over time that can’t be replicated. No two rings age the same and it’s dependent on how a person’s hands are exposed to the elements or the nature of their work. There is something quite magical and symbolic about this when combined with the contrast between the precious and non-precious materials, the former encasing and protecting the later.
When it comes to design, the sky really is the limit. Customers can choose the width of their ring and the proportion of inlay; whether they want a flat ring or a comfort band; and can even include an inset gemstone or diamond. “These unisex rings are popular as engagement bands and we encourage our customers not to be too precious about them, simply to wear them as much as possible. The oils from our hands act as a natural sealant for the wood which in turn helps to create their unique patina over time,” explains Justin.
We move next to a set of rings from the Sandcast collection. Customers can supply sand from a beach that holds personal significance to them or choose from Justin Duance’s vast sand library that includes beaches not just from around the Cornish coastline, but across the UK, Europe and the World; With over 800 sands in their collection, each piece tells a unique story. The sand is mixed with an oil-based substance to create a mould, into which is poured the molten metal of choice to create the ring. The texture and details of the sand are captured in the metal, resulting in pieces that are as varied as the beaches they come from.
As I slip on a sandcast ring, Jamila points out the tiny marks made during the casting process and even some tiny grains of sand captured within the precious metal. I fell in love with a recycled silver and vintage diamond example from the Off The Bench Peg Collection. “Every now and again we make a sandcast ring that comes out with a completely off the wall texture. That’s the case here,” explains Justin. “This ring captured so much of the Sennen beach sand it was cast in, it’s a real one of a kind. Our jeweller Chloe added a light scatter of vintage diamonds that give it a subtle sparkle.”
Its weight and texture have that reassurance and reminiscence of holding a small granite pebble in my hand when I was little girl thinking I had found treasure on the beach and as I turn my hand to the light the diamonds are so subtle, they are almost hidden, if it weren’t for their moments of brilliance. I reluctantly return it to its fellow bands, consoled only by the eager expectation of my next discovery.
Inspired by the granite of Cornwall, the Rock collection was designed to incorporate a texture reminiscent of the Cornish cliffs. They can be inlaid with wood, or diamonds that look as if they might have found themselves wedged there after a stormy night. The rugged casting adds to their tactile nature.
Clients are encouraged to bring in their own gemstones or diamonds from inherited, unloved or perhaps poor fitting jewellery pieces to be repurposed into something that can be loved and worn for another generation. Justin Duance’s jewellers are no strangers to being presented with multiple pieces and creating something entirely new from them. Some might be as simple as resetting a single favourite stone while other commissions have included designing a ring to incorporate a whole jewellery box full of diamonds. Jamila shows me some of their own examples of old-cut diamonds that they have available for commission, which they showcase in temporary settings. These stones, often reclaimed from vintage jewellery, have a distinct charm which customers can select to fit their taste and budget, choosing a single setting or a cluster... design is really only limited by imagination. Unlike modern cuts, their facets reflect light in a way that feels more organic and less uniform. Each stone comes with a history, often unknown, but which adds both a layer of intrigue and sustainability. I like to think that the one I’ve just placed on my finger was once given to a Victorian Cornish gentlewoman by a salty sea dog pirate as a mark of his unrequited love.
There is, of course, the option to select a brilliant cut diamond and these are all sourced from Canadian mines so that their origin can be traced from mining through to their cutting and polishing process. “We aim to have as little impact on the environment as possible, so as of 2019 we pledged to use only fairly traded and fully traced diamonds and gemstones,” explains Justin. The most recent collection is the Signet Ring, which Justin tells me has become increasingly popular as this style of ring sees a resurgence in fashion. As you would expect, a Justin Duance signet ring is more than the sum of its parts. Designs include sandcast with wood inlays as well as exquisite tiny cascading diamonds and gemstones.
As much as it’s hard to tear myself away from the rows of treasure I see before me, I’m intrigued by the workshop I see beyond the window. Six jewellers’ heads are bent over their benches working on the various stages of creation. One is carving a wax prototype, while another carefully polishes a finished piece. The workshop is a mixture of tradition and modernity; delicate files, pliers and saws sit on benches next to state-of-the-art microscopes that enable the jewellers to set the smallest of gemstones with precision; polishing wheels and lathes are neighbours to a digital engraving machine that can add discreet messages of love and sentiment to your piece; while a small side room houses Justin’s precious faceting machine where he cuts his own stones.
The walls of the workshop are lined with jars of sand, each one different in terms of texture and colour to the next, while the heady smell of hardwood emanates from drawers of offcuts found or donated for wooden inlays. The workshop exudes artisanal excellence and I am struck by how calm and content each jeweller is in their work. There’s almost a reverence for their work, derived from the knowledge that what they are creating holds the highest meaning for its recipient. Even the packaging has been carefully thought of – sustainably sourced, reusable cork boxes lined with felt which can be removed to create a home for keepsakes. Just as I’m leaving a couple arrive for a commission appointment, their smiles and expectant faces are a true testament to the very special place that is Justin Duance Contemporary Jewellery.