"We genuinely believe that gifting should be thoughtful and personal. Unlike throwaway fashion pieces, our jewellery is designed to be treasured and kept forever." 

How it all began

I started my business in 2004 after returning from living in Mexico. Fresh out of university and uncertain of what the future held I embarked on a soul-searching trip to Mexico with only $60 in my pocket. With little more than a yoga mat for a bed and the stars for a ceiling, I managed to find work with a group of local Mayan jewellers. Here I was taught the basics of jewellery making, which planted the seed for my future career. After nearly two years I finally earned enough money to pay for a flight back home to the UK.

Each piece is made by hand; capturing your moments and memories to create unique and timeless keepsakes.

Upon arriving back, full of inspiration, I decided to further develop my new found skills and dedicated all my spare time to learning and making jewellery - initially, working from a tiny cupboard under the stairs. It was sheer serendipity that lead me to experiment with alphabet steel stamps, an off the cuff purchase I made whilst rummaging in a junk shop one weekend. I started out by stamping my own name onto tin cans until I finally refined the process enough to stamp onto silver. It was an unconventional process that had never been done before.

 

The notion that each piece of jewellery could be so unique and personal to the wearer was what propelled me to continue with my making; and in time, friends and family started to request handmade pieces. Be it a newborn's name and weight, a couple's wedding date or a father's last words, the sentiments were unlike fleeting fashion pieces and actually had real meaning behind them. Making keepsakes that immortalise special moments in time is something that I felt a huge privilege to be a part of, which still holds true to all of us at Canopy Designs today.