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Catherine Martin

Catherine Martin is a London-based designer-goldsmith, whose uniquely spellbinding, hand-woven gold jewels are sought-after by collectors and connoisseurs and museums around the world.

"I spend a lot of time in research. My work is based on a Japanese textile technique which I have adapted and developed for use with fine metal wire. Although the technique is fundamental to what I make, it is only a means to an end which hopefully should transcend the physical aspects.

A professional musician and singer, Catherine spent four years in Japan studying classic Japanese textile techniques and was the first non-Japanese to graduate.

"I have worked in the same tranquil space for 20 years. It is full of natural light, the walls white, the floor traditional Japanese tatami. It is minimal and there is nothing on the walls as I do not want any visual distraction. Throughout the process of designing and making, I listen to classical music which puts me in the world I want to be in.

"Everything I make by hand flows from an instinctive response to sound. I listen then I draw shapes. I cut out metal sheets of copper and bend them, before moving onto making a prototype in silver".

"Then I refine the design, making it again until I reach what I want. Only then do I go to gold. Gold is an extraordinary material and I feel very privileged to work with it. The way I use fine wire gives a particular shimmer to a piece: not shiny or matt, but with an intensity, so that part of the work is always in shadow. Fine gold is astonishing, with a depth of colour and feeling that goes beyond words. It has a purity and ageless quality. Those who see my work often say that although it has just been made, it has an ancient quality."

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