Hi, we're Sharon and JR, AKA Saltwater Studios. We are artists, designers, and jewellery makers based in a beautiful part of costal Dorset. Our dogs introduced us in 2006 and we've been living and working together ever since.
We have collaborated on and created many artworks, products, and designs (if you're curious, you can see some of them here). Much of our work has been inspired by the power and beauty of the sea and the materials and textures of the coast.
Why SaltWater Studios? Both of us grew up, and spent our entire lives within walking distance of one sea or another. Even when we moved around the globe, from California, to Nova Scotia, to Corwall, and Dorset, we have always been drawn to the coastal lifestyle and the energy that beaches and the open ocean can fill you with.
In 2016, inspired by our life on the Jurassic Coast, we decided to move our creative talents into an area that we have always wanted to work in, jewellery. It is important to us that people enjoy our work, and there really is no better way to do that than to wear it every day.
Just as important is our love of nature, and the need to incorporate ethical and sustainable practices into everything we do. That is why use recycled EcoSilver in 100% of all our products, vintage virgin Swarovski crystals from the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, ethically sourced gems, and biodegradable recycled packaging.
If you want to read more about our products, packaging, care instructions, and terms and conditions then please click here.
Sharon Andrew is an artist and Jewellery maker with BA and MA degrees in Fine Art. She has exhibited in venues across the south of England and focuses her work on the power and energy of the open ocean.
As a Native of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, I spent my youth next to and on the sea; my imagination captured by the rough ocean waves, and icy frosts of winter. Later I would seek out that raw power in my adopted homes of Cornwall and Dorset, feeling awed and energised as I walked my dog Daisy along the coast. I have always had an eye for the seemingly unnatural colours and patterns that occur in the depths of a crashing wave, or looking down through the fathoms of open ocean. The constant change in a coastal environment, its ephemeral nature, the unique geometric simplicity of each wave and grain of sand inspires me and drives my creativity.
JR Ryan is a technician and multidisciplinary designer with degrees in Product Design, Interactive Multimedia, and Graphic Design. His interest in jewellery stems from a background in making where materials and the designs they are used in, bring a tangible form to ideas.
Most of the first half of my life was based in sunny Southern California, spending countless hours on the beach and in the surf. As I grew up, I travelled the world, moving from one costal town to the next, I would feel physically deflated if I had to live more than a few miles from the ocean. I even spent some time working on the water as a deck hand where I learned the real power of the sea and how it could give, or take at will. These days, I am interested in expressing ideas, and solving problems with creativity and style. I love working with materials and understanding their limits and properties, and I will often combine rough and raw, and highly finished materials together in one piece to show how things can be beautiful in any state.
We are at the beginning of our journeys as jewellery designers, but we hope that you will enjoy following us as our designs grow, and we discover new and exciting ways to express our love of the coast and its creative energy.
