A PENARTH woman has started a jewellery business after teaching herself how to as a hobby, and uses sea glass from St Mary’s Well Bay to do so.
Katie Morgan, 27, from Penarth but now lives in Sully, will be taking up her jewellery business full-time at the end of this month after working as a nanny for the past four years.
Her business, Sea Rose Jewellery, offers handmade necklaces, rings, and bracelets using sea glass – either that the customer has collected, or Miss Morgan has from St Mary’s Well Bay.
“I spent my childhood walking along the beaches in Penarth, Sully, and Barry,” she said.
“I came across St Mary’s Well Bay years ago and was enticed by how quiet and peaceful it was. After noticing beautiful colours amongst the pebbles, I discovered the bay’s sea glass and would spend hours collecting it.
“I eventually had jars full and wanted to turn the glass into something special.
Miss Morgan began making jewellery after moving out of her family home and wanted to take up a new hobby so began learning how to wire wrap and turning her own collection of sea glass into necklaces.
After gifting a few to friends, they encouraged her to start selling them. As people would now be paying for them, Miss Morgan wanted to make them long-lasting and began using real silver.
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This introduced her to silversmithing, and she has spent the last two years teaching herself how to silversmith.
“Each piece is entirely handmade by me," she added.
“To make a sea glass necklace, for example, I start by creating a custom-made bezel, which holds the sea glass securely. I then solder hoops onto the bezel so that it can be hung from a chain.
“Next, I cut the chain to size and hand-make the clasp before soldering onto the chain using jump rings. This makes the chain sturdy and durable. I later tidy up the silver and polish before finally placing the sea glass.”
There are also exclusive jewellery selections, made by Miss Morgan, available at the Penarth shop Glass by Design.
To find out more, head to the Facebook page @searosejewellery.
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