Hello and welcome to my new blog!

Helloooo! Its been so long since I last had a blog! 2011 to be precise and my original blog is still floating around but since I cant get into the thing I have set this one up (No way was I remembering passwords and usernames from 6/7 years ago!)

Anyway, this is me- Louise.  I am a jewellery designer/maker from East Yorkshire, UK.

I'll just mention a bit about myself to start with. For 10 years I have been making silver jewellery. I was originally making bead jewellery but really wanted more so one day at the end of summer 2006, I decided to enrol on a 2 year art and design course. I wasn't in a great place in my life and this felt like light at the end of the tunnel. So after pacing up and down my living room one Saturday, off I went to my local college armed with, quite frankly, the most rubbish portfolio I have ever put together (Now with the benefit of hindsight post college and university- cringeworthy, but we all start at day one don't we?!) I arrived at the college in the city centre and the building was dark. All my pacing up and down being worried had led me to miss the enrollment!!!

Luckily for me there was one day left and I sure as heck was there that day (still with the rubbish portfolio) My daughter was a little girl at the time and she came with me that day and was clearly very bored after my hour or so waiting for a design tutor to become available and both very hot and sweaty as the sunlight streamed through the huge windows we had to stand in front of- That's when I realised how entertaining vending machines were to a 9 year old!
Anyway,  I was offered a place and loved this breath of fresh air that crashed into my life- My time at college was pure happiness and if i'm honest, I loved it so much more than Uni.

I then went on to study a Metalwork and Jewellery Degree at Sheffield Hallam University. Obviously it was a very different way of life than my carefree college days but I am so glad I did it. I feel that it changed me as a person for the better and the way I work for the better too.

After graduating in 2011 I have spent the past 6 years working for an amazing local hospice. Still designing and doing the odd repair job and re-design. For the past year or so I have worked on my day off and a Sunday in my little workshop putting together a big collection of jewellery that I feel represents my love of erosion, rust, old metal and how time effects it. I believe there's still beauty to be found amongst this decay and wanted to transfer that into beautiful pieces of jewellery that are interesting to look at, tactile for the wearer and provoke curiosity due to the textures, ripples, lumps and bumps.

My main and first two collections are called Elegant Decay and The Miniatures. Elegant Decay are textured pieces of sterling sliver jewellery with sterling silver, 9ct gold and bronze granulation added and The Miniatures are dainty pieces of jewellery that can stand alone or beautifully match up with Elegant Decay and look great layering necklaces and stacking rings together.

They can all be found here at www.louisecoates.co.uk There is all my contact information on my website too. You are welcome to contact me anytime :)

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog post, please feel free to comment, even if its to tell me to stop rambling so much! haha