Anna Mazon began working with metal clay about 4 years ago. She tells us she always wanted to make jewellery and when she discovered silver clay, it revolutionised her work and her life. What started out as a hobby has now become a full time business which she has been running for 3 and half years and she says, things are going very well!

Anna is known for her incredibly detailed and beautifully carved organic pieces of jewellery, inspired by nature and some fantastical elven imagination. She would describe her work as organic but with an approach that is very exact with heavily detailed pieces being her trademark. In fact she says, that one of her main challenges is to sometimes reign in the adornment of her jewellery and perhaps make it less ornamental; she is, she tells us always striving for a happy balance.

Anna's Golden Road set with her favourite stone, Labradorite

As she develops as an artist, she is enjoying experimenting with new materials and enjoys this much more than she thought she would. Initially she only ever used Art Clay Silver, but with the development of Goldie Bronze, she tells us she has fallen in love with this new product because of its fast firing schedule and workability. She is also encouraged by her customers' responses to her jewellery made in this new medium; it's been very positive. This year will see her continue experimenting with new and interesting materials such as green and yellow gold, steel and other brands of silver clay.

Anna tells us it's very difficult for her to pick a favourite piece. She says that she is always dissatisfied with the results when she has finished. Her inner critic can always see something that could have been done better and she says that the finished piece can sometimes, in fact annoy her! So, when looking at her body of work, her favourites come from an emotional attachment, something she associates with a nice experience. Take for example, her 'Flower Storm' bangle which has just been shortlisted as a Saul Bell finalist; this is a huge thing for her. She also singles out her recent mixed metal ring, not because she likes the design so much as the processes she learned whilst making it. It was her first time using yellow gold clay which she mixed with green gold clay and PMC3, none of which she has used before. It was also the first time she had fired diamonds. So she sums it up "it really is a multi-brand, multi-metal ring with lots of 'firsts' " and it seems to have given her a lot of satisfaction.

One of Anna's favourites - her 'firsts' ring

So where does she work? She works from home in a studio which she has furnished from scratch, ensuring that she is surrounded by things that she loves; like the colour green and birch themed black and white accessories. It is a very peaceful woodland like space - until she starts to work, then it becomes chaotic and untidy. She confesses she is not a tidy worker and there are things strewn all over her workspace. One of her favourite tools that she uses all the time is a scalpel. She uses it for mostly everything she does, from cutting, shaping to texturizing and carving. None of her pieces could be created without it.

Storm Bangle - a Saul Bell Award Finalist

Inspiration is never far away and she often finds it difficult to pare down her ideas into something she can make. In fact, it would seem that Anna is sometimes so overwhelmed with things she wants to make she doesn't know where to start. To sort these ideas out into something meaningful, she will draw her designs out before she makes anything. Currently she is working on some Slavic inspired pieces from her native Poland. But Anna is motivated to continue by being the best she can be, constantly striving for that goal of perfection. Whilst we all may think Anna's work is wonderful, amazing and perfect just the way it is, Anna it seems will continue to pursue her own idea of what perfection means to her. And we cannot wait to see where this takes her.

Sol Omnia Regit Pendant

You can view Anna's work here at her website  or on her Facebook Page 

Anna is also conducting a masterclass in the UK in May. For more details click here