Contemporary Caribbean Handmade Jewellery
Contemporary Caribbean Handmade Jewellery
Janice was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. At the age of sixteen she emigrated to the UK. Her love of all things creative led to her pursuing a degree in Silversmithing, Jewellery and Allied Crafts from the prestigious Sir John Cass faculty at London Guildhall University, graduating in 1996. The following year Janice received a Clerkenwell Award from the Clerkenwell Green Association to set up her studio/workshop near the heart of London’s jewellery quarter, Hatton Garden.
In 2005, Janice had had enough of city life and the British weather and returned home to Trinidad where she continues to develop her jewellery and silversmithing practice. She now lives on an acre of land and when she’s not working, spends a lot more time in nature with her family, pets and plants.
During the eight years her business was based in London she developed not only a sound local market but also exhibited and sold her work through galleries and museum shops across the UK, US, Europe and Japan. She also exhibited at prestigious craft shows such as the Chelsea Craft Fair and attended trade fairs in Munich, San Francisco and New York.
Simplicity, clean line, the structure of manmade or natural forms and the delicacies of nature that Janice observes in the world around her, are what inspire her designs. The later work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the Bauhaus movement were great influences during university and their hold remains.
A keen observation of people and life in general usually provides the final details on designs - the quality that makes the piece wearable as opposed to just being a beautiful object.
Every piece of Janice Derrick Jewellery is designed and handmade at her studio from different colours of gold, sterling and oxidised silver, precious and semi-precious gems and beads as well as combinations of these within the same piece. She also enjoys working to commission and often produces one-off exhibition pieces where she pushes the boundaries of scale and what is considered wearable, without compromising comfort. Janice strives to create jewellery that is contemporary yet lasting and is not dictated by trends.
All Janice Derrick Jewellery is individually handmade at our studio/workshop from sterling silver, fine silver, 9ct and 18ct gold. We use mainly hand tools, with a minimum of machinery and we do not use mass production methods. Janice designs all the work and any textures and finishes found within her collections are unique.
All work is stamped with her maker’s mark and the metal fineness of the piece (e.g.: 925 for sterling silver, 750 for 18ct gold). Chain, earring backs and other minor findings are purchased from a reliable supplier. All stones are natural unless otherwise indicated. If you have any questions or concerns about our processes or sources of materials, please get in touch.
Be aware that our handmade collections may have slight variations, which will make your piece unique. We do our best to match the products with the original product’s photos and to give a full description of the items. We strongly recommend reading each product’s description for sizes, colours, material and design before you go ahead with the purchase, so you can be sure you are happy with what you are buying.
Vogue (UK)
Time Out London
Harpers and Queen
The Newsday (Trinidad)
World of Interiors
Trinidad Express
The Sunday Times (UK)
Trinidad Lookbook
The Guardian (UK)
6 Carlos (Trinidad)
Retail Jeweller Magazine (UK)
The Rings Book (UK, 2002)
Instyle Magazine (UK)
1000 Rings (UK, 2004)
The Evening Standard (UK)
The Contemporary Jewellery Exchange
At Janice Derrick Jewellery our ethos is focused on a strong love and commitment to the environment and social responsibility. As much as possible we follow sustainable practices through conscious decision-making with our intentionally ‘slow jewellery’.
Since each piece of jewellery is made by hand, there is no heavy waste from machine-made, mass production. We use responsibly sourced precious metals and gemstones and all the silver and gold at our studio is recycled in one way or another.
Our packaging is biodegradable and we try to use as little plastic as possible in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. We’re also continuously working to improve on our practices.
Ultimately, we aim to produce contemporary yet timeless jewellery in a responsible way with conscious integrity; raising the vibration of our clients by making pieces that bring them joy, help them feel more confident and further express their own character.
We enjoy working with our clients on private commissions. It is always easier to do this face to face but Janice is happy to work with you wherever you are, using email or Zoom call and sharing visual information such as sketches and photos to achieve a special piece unique to your needs, be it a wedding, anniversary or simply treating yourself.
