A little bit about me and the journey so far. 
 
Hello and thank you for visiting my website. I hope you have enjoyed having a look at my bespoke creations and found something you like, a gift for yourself or maybe for someone special?! 

So, who is Paul Stephenson anyway? Well, I was born and raised in North Yorkshire and still live here in a small village in the vale of the Hambleton Hills with my husband Stuart and our elderly rescue dog, Baxter. We have just recently lost Baxters sister, Piper who has left a big hole in all our hearts.

I have always been into crafts and eagerly turn my hand to most things. I studied pottery at school and achieved an A grade and I was certain that sealed my future but my career took me down a completely different path than I had planned and I spent the next 30+ years working my way up the ladder in the Banking and Financial Industries. Creativity sadly took a back seat and ended up being something I would squeeze in where I could.

We got into seaglass hunting completely by chance when we stumbled upon some on a couple of lesser known bays along the Durham coastline on one of our random campervan roadtrips with the dogs. We had read that there were once glass factories operating in the area and all the waste glass was thrown into the North Sea which, over the years has transformed into seaglass. 
 
Our quest to find more glass extended to Scotland, the Outer Hebrides and other parts of the UK and the collection just got bigger and bigger. I thought it was such a shame that no one else would benefit from seeing these beautiful seagems and thats when the jewellery maker in me was born.

I initially made some small keepsakes out of the seaglass and invested in some silver and basic silversmithing tools. My first attempts were a disaster, isn't that always the way? But I had genuinely found something I was really beginning to enjoy and very quickly I realised my potential and began making jewellery. As well as having a full time job in IT I am also a carer for my disabled mum who now has Alzheimer's so silversmithing really helps my mental wellbeing, its my way of getting away from the stresses and strains of life.

I am proud to work in this industry, with silver and its legacy and heritage and I made the decision at the very start that I wanted to be completely self taught and I have since learnt the techniques I use by trial and error.... the hard way! I didn't want to watch a load of videos on YouTube, that would be too easy! I wanted to do it my way so I knew every piece of jewellery I created in my home studio would be full of passion and love and completely bespoke and unique. Fast forward several years and I eventually found my style which tends to embraces the big and bold, solid and heavyweight, one off's but I never forget where it all started so lots of my creations obviously still include seaglass and recycled elements to acknowledge where my journey began. 

My designs are classic and contemporary and are.............. 'handmade by me especially for you'

I hope you enjoyed having a look around my site and I really look forward to hearing from you. If you dont see anything you like at the moment thats completely fine but do visit again as I frequently launch new pieces, Maybe we can work together and I can help you create that dream piece of jewellery, perhaps with a piece of seaglass from your own collection or something thats a little bit special and unique to you. Do get in touch using the contact me button or connect with me via the social media links at the bottom of the page. I would love to hear from you.

If you are a budding jeweller  and you are embarking on your own journey please do get in touch and say hi. Whilst it can be daunting and challenging its very rewarding. I have mentored many like minded people and I am happy to offer any support you need. Just drop me a line and lets have a chat.

Take care. Paul