This is Lisa Anne, the designer behind La Jewellery. Her profile page describes a commitment to craftsmanship and the environment, along with a pretty sweet life amid the Welsh mountains.In our interview we learned how a TV repair man helped to get the whole thing started, why charity is so important to the line and what's big in the world of organic fruit these days...
CWG: What brought you to jewellery design as a career?
LA: I started messing about with jewellery about 20 years ago when i found some
old copper wire out of the back of an old T.V. I then approached a local T.V
repair man and asked him to save me all of the copper wire that he didn't need.
Well, about a week later, a huge box appeared at my door one morning full to the
brim, so I thought that I best do something with it and start earning some
money!
A local clothing shop loved the fact that I was recycling the metals and
they sold loads of my jewellery, much to my surprise!
Back in 2001, I studied very closely with Fiona Cran, a local silversmith and learned a great deal from her technical expertise - but I have to say that most of what I have achieved has been 7 years of working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week living and breathing my work.
My work makes up a huge percentage of who I am as a person and it spills
into every corner of my life... Design is what I was meant to do, as is the
same for my motherhood. I think that you can only understand this if you are a
passionate person, if you truly enjoy what you do and believe that work should
be a pleasure and not a pain.
CWG: You donate part of your profits to charity, which is mightily impressive. What kind of charities do you support and how do you choose them?
LA: Back in 2007, my daughter Annastarzzia was diagnosed with Hodgekins
Lymphoma Cancer... At that point life stopped. When we finally felt able to breath again as a family, we wanted to do
something positive, to give something back.
Annastarzzia is the main passion in my life.
We life where we live because I wanted her to breathe fresher air, we eat
what we eat because we feel passionate about treating our bodies to fresh,
organic food and I do what I do because her smile inspires me to create.
We felt so supported by the charities that worked closely with us and feel
that they made the passage easier for us. Your life crumbles when you are told
you child or indeed anyone you know has cancer, because we automatically think
that they are going to be taken from us, that they are going to die. This was
totally unacceptable to me, I couldn't lose her.
When Annastarzzia was 3 weeks old, she contracted meningitis and we were
told then that she probably had 24 hours to live and if
she survived, she would probably be severely brain damaged, deaf
and probably blind. 10 days later, we took home a perfectly healthy baby
girl. I never go the chance to thank the doctor properly.
We tend to support children's cancer charities (LATCH- welsh children's
cancer charity, Clic Sargent and Noah's Arc appeal) but we give to all sorts of
charities in the way of donations of jewellery that is then sold on to raise
funds.
It's about giving back, paying it forward so that other families can
benefit in the future.
CWG: Silver features heavily in your work. Is it a difficult material to work with?
LA: You have to listen to the silver because it speaks to you and if you listen
carefully it sings too!
Silver is reported to have great healing qualities and is a very
traditional material. It has its own mind but is willing to be trained as long
as it is respected.
CWG: Your website describes a thorough
environmental policy, including fresh organic fruit for everyone who works
at LA Jewellery. Which fruit's most popular in the office?
CWG: Your website describes a thorough environmental policy, including fresh organic fruit for everyone who works at LA Jewellery. Which fruit's most popular in the office?
LA: There are about 7 or 8 of us that work within La, but I am the only full time
member and everyone else is self employed and has other forms of work that they
do. Everyone tends to work from home so that they are there to take the kids
to school or to escort grannie to the dentist, but they are also able to put a
wash on or to prepare supper which all helps towards a better work/life balance.
This may not work for every company but it is working for us.
We get together on a regular basis and when we do, I like to provide a nice
organic vegetable soup for lunch and fair trade teas, coffee and hot chocolate.
We also provide organic fruit and grow several types within the gardens.
The
favourite has always been split between raspberry and strawberry but this year I
think that our Loganberry will come into its own! We believe that you get the best out if you put the best
in!
CWG: The Welsh landscape seems to have a strong influence on the
line. So we have to ask: Will you be supporting Cardiff City in the FA Cup
final?
CWG: The Welsh landscape seems to have a strong influence on the line. So we have to ask: Will you be supporting Cardiff City in the FA Cup final?
Oops - not a football fan, more of a yoga fan!!! But good luck Cardiff City...
Shop the La Jewellery collection here, regardless of your football- or yoga-based allegiances.
