Blog | Eileen Moylan

My Workbench

11.08.2012 by Eileen Moylan //

This week, I’ve been rearranging the workshop to make room my new jewellers bench. I bought the bench from a jeweller who was retiring after 40 years of jewellery making. Since this was a piece of furniture I was inevitably going to be spending a lot of time at I wanted to ensure sure it was the right choice for me. I initially looked into buying a new bench but they just don’t seem to make them like they used to. They were all a bit light and I wanted a bench that would withstand the pressure of hammering, cutting and soldering without fear of collapse! So when I found this bench with all the years of experience and character that had been in use for over 20 years, I knew I could give it a good home with many more years in a busy workshop.

The height of the bench is extremely important. The bench needed to be high enough so that the jewellery is at at the correct eye level so I’m not hunched over the bench all day.

What makes a jewellers bench different from any other workbench is the semi circle cut out in the middle to form the work space. This ensures you can sit close to your jewellery at all times, with a bench skin or tray allowing you to collects stray pieces. It really is so important! As jewellers, we work with tiny components all day so if you drop something, it will more than likely fall in to your bench tray.

Unfortunately there was one casualty from the move, my bench peg snapped while I was trying to remove it so I’ll have to getting working on make another one. It was nearing it’s retirement anyway. I’m loving working on the new bench. All my favourite tools have found new homes as over the years the previous owner had added handy clips and hooks for the pliers, soldering torch and piercing frame.

Read more about Jewellry Designer Eileen Moylan here

Time flies when you’re busy!

10.15.2012 by Eileen Moylan //

I’ve neglected the blog recently as I’ve been so busy working on a jewellery commissions including with some really exciting and unique engagement ring designs I hope ot share with you very soon. So I’ve missed out on covering lots of major events in the jewellers calendar here in Ireland and the UK.

One noteworthy event that’s always fascinating to follow is the Goldsmiths Fair which takes place in London each year. The show runs for two weeks with different goldsmith exhibiting new designs each week.

So I thought I’d share a few pictures from one of the prestigious award winners from the two week show this year.

The first week the “Best New Design Award” was awarded to Max Warren. Peter Ting presented the award. It was lovely to see his name involved with Goldsmiths Fair as Peter was a guest lecturer in the art college I attended. He was the person that introduced me to the work of many great makers that still influence my designs to this day.

I’ve tried to find images of Max’s work. Unfortunately, none of the photos I could find fully captured his breathtaking pieces. Which, I think you’ll agree is understandable given the nature of the approach to his designs. His pieces are created using traditional silversmithing techniques. He uses hand engraving to amazing effect creating an extraordinary play on light and shade. Using different cuts, he engraves an image into the silver which alters as the light catches it from different angles. Now you’ll see why it doesn’t lend itself to being photographed!

Jacqueline Gestetner judged the award for week two and presented the prize to Adi Toch. I discussed Adi work last year. She creates these amazing forms which work are not only beautiful but very functional.

The bulbous vessels are just calling to be picked up and used. I also love her salt pots because they are so brilliantly practical. If they are knocked over none of the salt will spill out!

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Utensil, Current Approaches to Tableware

08.30.2012 by Eileen Moylan //

I visited the National Craft Gallery before I went on holidays to see the Utensil exhibition. The exhibition was being held as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival and was curated by Angela O’ Kelly.

As you will know from reading this blog I love to see the work of other silversmiths, unfortunately in Ireland there a few practicing silversmiths so the opportunity to visit exhibitions of contemporary silver work is rare.

That’s why I was so excited when I saw the line up for the Utensil exhibition, it had gathered together an amazing list of makers including some silversmiths from both Ireland and abroad. I had seen some of these silversmiths exhibit in London over the years but it was great to see this work in the lovely setting of the National Craft Gallery.

I was anxious to go along on the first Saturday of the show as the curator Angela O’ Kelly was giving a talk, going through the various makers and the inspiration behind their work. As the exhibition was made up of artists working in a variety of mediums and emerging Irish makers I really wanted to find out more about the work and of course Angela’s thoughts when curating the show. The great thing about the show was how it combined product designers and makers in a variety of disciplines. This for me really reinforced the theme of the exhibition seeing how each maker responded to the idea of tableware and the ceremony of eating.

One of my favourite silversmiths David Clarke had his display of spoons there, I first saw his work when I was in college many years ago and have loved how his approach to silver has changed from his perfectly balanced silver fruit displays to these refashioned old spoons and teasets.

As well as giving us these beautiful objects to look at the show allows us examine our own relationship to the utensils we use, whether they be sentimental, decorative or functional.

The exhibition runs until the 29th of October so you have plenty of time to go along and see these beautiful pieces for yourself.

Geoffrey Mann’s Crossfire work in ceramic and glass. The video accompanying the work shows the vibrations of an argument (an audio excerpt from the film American Beauty) altering, melting and changing the inanimate objects on the table.