Crafting masterpieces for the modern era

We meet jeweller Catherine Zoraida who was born in Columbia but has made the Cotswolds her home. She studied at the Edinburgh College of Art and has created coveted collections for fashion greats including Vivienne Westwood and Matthew Williamson.

Catherine’s keen eye for detail and passion for craftsmanship are behind her imaginative and playful jewellery pieces in her own collection that blend classic elegance with a modern twist, earning her a loyal following among royalty, celebrities, and fashion enthusiasts alike.

 

Catherine, your pieces are inspired. In what way has the Cotswolds influenced your designs?

I have always been fascinated by nature but living here has made my connection with nature even stronger. 

I volunteer with an incredible project called Glorious Cotswold Grasslands ‘to create the largest network of wildflower-rich limestone grassland in the country'. The Cotswolds is home to some of the rarest wildflowers in the UK which are also an important stronghold for invertebrates including threatened species of bees and butterflies.  My collections have a strong theme of nature running through them, the millions of mini miracles it constantly presents and how we all need to look after it. Together we can all make a difference, if we look after nature, nature will look after us.

 

What’s the most unusual material a client has asked you to incorporate into a jewellery piece?

Personal things are often incorporated to make the piece one-of-a kind, which in the past has included hair, ashes, feathers, shells and bone.

 

How would you go about incorporating an heirloom into a new design?

First, I meet with the client to discuss ideas and view the piece of jewellery. It’s wonderful getting to know the client and the story behind the old jewellery, this really helps with seeing the direction of the design and I start to draft some sketches as initial ideas while we are together. I then sit down and measure the stones to be able to start working on designs. And then we get to the exciting bit of unsetting the stones and melting the gold to form the new piece.

 

What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a commission and why did it take that length of time?

During the pandemic, it took six months and countless WhatsApp exchanges to complete a final piece remotely, but it was worth it, it was such a crazy time, for many a period of chaos and pain, so to be able to create something so personal and treasured that would last a lifetime was very special for both my client and myself. 

 

How important is it to you and your clients to be mindful of sustainability with pieces that are created?

Jewellers have always been forward-thinking when it comes to recycling - I was always taught from my very first days on the jewellery bench at art school to collect any scrap material, whether its brass, silver, gold or diamonds, you never throw it away. So it's a very natural way of thinking and designing for me; I feel that since the pandemic this is being understood so much more by clients and the need to make more thoughtful purchases that have more meaning and more sentiment.

 

Have you ever had a client who changed their mind about a design halfway through the process and how did you adapt?

Not so much this but increasingly I have been asked to re-model or redesign engagement rings as a celebration of perhaps their wedding anniversary or a big event in their lives. As we get older our tastes do change and it's not a bad or sad thing, it's a chance to renew commitment and celebrate old and new, past and future, and it's one of my favourite things to design so that the jewellery can be fully enjoyed again and not locked away in a box.  

 

What do you love about living and working in the Cotswolds? 

The best thing about living in The Cotswolds is that you can literally just walk out the door and you can feel yourself unwind.  We have a wonderful group of friends who all work extremely hard running their own business too, but I feel very lucky to have such a great group of inspiring friends to hang out with at the weekends. There was a time when it was thought of as very much agriculture work here, but each of my friends work in much more diverse areas, from farming and wildlife conservation, jewellery, clothing, photography, interiors and art to finance and investment. It's a thriving hub and that's what I love about it.

 

Is there a particular style of jewellery that people wear in the Cotswolds - what's in and what's out?

Wearing jewellery that makes you feel good is definitely the way forward. Whether that's the way that it's been made, e.g. upcycling, re-using stones and gold from old unworn jewellery or using stones and symbolism in pieces that tell a story to empower the wearer. Our Ursa Major Constellation Pendant represents strength and guidance. I wear this pendant everyday!

 

Find out more about Catherine at catherinezoraida.com