Michele White’s first training when leaving school was in ceramics. Working with metals and gemstones, she feels has many of the same satisfactions as working in clay, but fewer constraints.
From the beginning, her philosophy in jewellery design has been that it should be a mixture of art and craft – she draws much of her inspiration from the Art Nouveau Movement, particularly the philosophy of Rene Lalique mixing gemstones of great value with others of great beauty but little value.
Her jewellery has an organic movement, and she uses gemstones, both precious and semiprecious with gold and silver. Michele tries to combine beauty and function.
Each unique gemstone inspires its own design. Silver and 18ct gold are frequently used together, with the silver oxidized, brushed to a soft finish or highly polished to give different effects – all highlighted by the warmth of the polished gold.
In recent years Michele has made larger pieces which are set into a frame, no longer jewellery but works of art in their own right. They have the same intrinsic qualities; are built in the same way; and use similar unusual minerals and gemstones.
