Alison Macleod

Alison Macleod pictured above is a Scottish contemporary jeweller who makes wonderful handmade jewellery. She takes her inspiration from everyday items some of which have been discarded.

Alison set up her business in 2003 after studying Jewellery and Silversmithing at Edinburgh College of Art. Now working from her studio in Glasgow's Merchant City, she designs and makes her jewellery which is exhibited throughout the UK and internationally.

"My local junk shops are a great source of inspiration to me. I find the jumble exhilarating but am equally fascinated by the individual objects themselves. I love to imagine the stories connected to each discarded artefact. The mysterious narratives of peoples' pasts are suggested by the dents and scratches on each piece. The junk shop becomes a museum of memories.

I also reference heirloom jewellery in my work. Jewellery has traditionally been used to keep the memory of a loved one close to the heart. A young Victorian lady keeps a lock of her fiancé's hair in a gold locket in his absence. As time passes the keepsake is passed down from mother to daughter through the generations building layer upon layer of significance.

By creating tiny clusters I reference the intense decoration found in Victorian jewellery but in a contemporary context."

Jewellery Care

Sterling Silver

We will always state if an item is sterling silver when purchased. Items that are sterling silver should not tarnish if looked after properly, they can oxidise through long periods of exposure out in the open air, so we do advise that they are kept in a pouch or grip plastic bag to keep it air tight. Silver can be polished up easily with a silver cloth or with a silver dip to brighten them up.

Gold/Rose Plated or Silver Plated Jewellery

All plated jewellery will tarnish eventually through wear . Plated jewellery must be not be worn in water and you must be careful with all creams, perfumes and fake tans as this will turn the plating black and discolour them.

Plated items worn daily will gradually fade in colour as this is not a permanent colour and cannot be polished with a cloth.

Gold Vermeil Jewellery

Vermeil is a silver-gilt and is a mixture of silver and gold precious metals. It can only be considered vermeil if the base metal is a precious metal and the gold has to be a thickness of 2.5 microns thick. Vermeil is harder wearing that your typical plating and so can be a good option if you wish to wear your item of gold jewellery every day and in and out of water, as it is less likely to discolour, They can also be polished up with a polishing cloth to restore the shine.

Magnetic Fastening

Anything with a magnetic fastening MUST NOT be put near water. They are magnets and can rust when in contact with any form or water or liquid. We advise taking off all bracelets like this when they are being used near water as this will allow them to last longer.