Celebrating Mark Smith's 13th Anniversary on JewelleryMaker!

Our amazing guest designer Mark Smith has taken time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions in honour of his 13th Anniversary being on JewelleryMaker! Take a read below, his answers are eye-opening for all jewellery makers, past, present and future!

What inspired you to start making jewellery, and how did you begin your journey with JewelleryMaker?

Fourteen years ago, I was working in a busy garden centre in Oxfordshire. I had been there for ten years. Gardening is one of my passions, so to work with plants every day was a joy. Unfortunately, due to a back injury, I was off work for a few weeks to recuperate. One morning, I decided to see if there was anything on TV and started channel flicking. Purely by accident, JewelleryMaker popped up on the screen. JM was still a rather new channel, having only been broadcasting for a few months. I stopped scrolling through the channels, and by the end of that very first viewing, I had made an account and purchased a toolkit and a few strands of gemstones. I tuned in the following day and the next day, etc. My products started to arrive, and through the tuition and inspiration of the presenters and guest designers, I started to make jewellery. I would gift the pieces to my late mother, and by the time I went back to work, I had built up quite a stash of gems and jewellery. I sold lots of pieces to co-workers and friends and then ventured into my first craft fair. I was well and truly hooked on my new hobby.

After a few months of watching the show, I applied to be part of the channel's "Sunday Sofa" experience and was delighted and shocked to be invited back to audition for a role as a Guest Designer. I got the role. Eighteen months after getting regular slots on the show, I left the garden centre to concentrate on JewelleryMaker: learning new techniques, working with new products, bringing instructional DVDs to the channel, and running JM workshops. One of the highlights has been being invited by bead houses in the Czech Republic to have my own glass bead designs brought to life and shared on the show. Now, I'm celebrating my 13-year anniversary of my first appearance on the Sunday Sofa. Who would have known?

How has your design style evolved over the past 13 years?

As a complete beginner to the world of jewellery making, I would say my style has definitely evolved over the years. From entering the arena, working with macramé and gemstone chips and nuggets, to taking seed beading and glass beads under my wing, I will have a go at pretty much anything. However, I am very self-critical and not very patient, so if I don't succeed with a new medium or technique the very first time, I tend to put it to one side and try something new.

Can you share a memorable moment or project from your time at JewelleryMaker that stands out to you?

As I mentioned earlier, one of the most incredible memories I have during my time at JM was my visit to the bead houses in the Czech Republic. I visited Preciosa and GB Beads. I visited the home of SuperDuos, the factory where the glass rods were turned into seed beads, saw how carrier beads were manufactured, and had two of my designs, the "Bobbi" bead and the "Dart" bead, brought to life and shared with our wonderful viewers.

Can you talk about a piece of jewellery that you're particularly proud of creating and why it means so much to you?

The piece of jewellery that I am most proud of is a little necklace I made as part of an instructional DVD I produced, all about designs incorporating Swarovski Crystal Beads. There were six chapters on the DVD, and the last chapter was a technique known as beaded tubular netting. I learnt the technique and made the piece of jewellery. I felt I had to give the necklace a project name, so the Kiss-Kross design was born. It is a technique that I am known for on JM, and I have re-created the design many times, as have our viewers, and the design features on the Wall of Fame most weeks. It's a very simple technique to learn, and the completed pieces are always beautiful and very easy to wear. I still have that very first Kiss-Kross design on a bust sat on my work desk at home. It always makes me smile.

What materials and techniques have you enjoyed working with the most throughout your career?

I have tried many techniques since being part of the team at JM. There have been a few that I have failed miserably with, but there are others that I have fallen in love with. I adore working with memory wire and all of the versatility that comes with it. Seed beads and pressed glass beads will always have a place in my heart. Working with gemstones has kept the passion for jewellery making within me, and I'm always fascinated whenever a new find is introduced to us on the show. Having the joy of working with gems from all over the world makes my job at JM a huge privilege that I never take for granted.

How has the jewellery-making community at JewelleryMaker influenced your work and creative process?

The JM community fills me with joy. The inspiration that we all get from the viewers' work on the Wall of Fame always has me in awe. Being part of an amazing team of presenters, producers, and fellow Guest Designers who all bring their individuality to the channel makes every day oh so special.

What’s your favourite jewellery-making tool or gadget, and why do you love it?

Two of my favourite tools that I use regularly have to be the cone-making tool and a pair of round-nosed pliers. I've recently started producing knotted necklaces that have tassels, and the cone tool has helped me enormously with that extra finishing touch of a tassel topper. Another of my favourite techniques is "rosary linking." I must have made thousands of these little components over the years, and I couldn't have done these without my trusted pair of round-nosed pliers.

What advice would you give to aspiring jewellery makers who are just starting out?

For all aspiring jewellery makers out there, the only bit of advice I can give is to learn as many techniques as you can. Like me, you will find techniques that you really don’t gel with, but there will be so many that you will try and fall in love with. Also, be brave and experiment with colour. The world of gemstones is a great place to start, for as we know, Mother Nature never gets it wrong.

If you could design a piece of jewellery for any historical figure, who would it be and what would you create?

If I could make a piece of jewellery for any historical figure, that’s a tough one, but I think it would have to be Vivien Leigh, who played Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Without a doubt, she was one of the most beautiful women who ever lived. It would have to be a simple piece incorporating pearls with emerald, to match the colour of her eyes. Very understated. A piece that she could wear every day.

Changing subject slightly… we know you love gardening - what’s your top flowers and/or plants people should be planting this year?

As jewellery making keeps me very busy, like many of us, I need my downtime. I'm never happier than when I'm in my garden. I've been a keen gardener ever since I was a small boy, being taught by my father and grandad. Spending over ten years in the garden centre has taught me an incredible amount. Asking me to choose a favourite flower is a tricky one. Roses and forget-me-nots remind me of my parents. Sweet Williams always make me smile. Daffodils are an important flower for me, as they signify the garden coming back to life after its winter sleep. Fuchsias are a firm favourite, and this year we have 22 named varieties in pots and baskets. It's a bit of a slushy answer, but all flowers are my favourites. This year, after a four-year wait, we have just taken on an allotment plot, so who knows what delights this will bring?

Thanks so much Mark for a fabulous interview! We hope you enjoyed reading Mark's 13th Anniversary Q&A, we found it incredibly interesting so I'm sure you have too.

Until next time jewellery makers,

-JM