The Yuletide season craft fairs have brought forward the range of artisan manufacturing skills that are thriving in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast. Out of the many crafts and trades people offering their wares, Iasthai Original jewellery did stand out for me. Craftsperson, Nina Rambelli, produces a range of stunning silver jewellery. I spoke to Nina at The Hive Yuletide fair.
“I’ve always expressed myself through jewellery, much more so than fashion, yet I struggled to find pieces that allowed me to do this, especially in the UK,” Nina says. “When I needed to keep my mind busy during a period of ill health I thought it was a great time to start learning how to make pieces for myself.”
In terms of training, Nina says she attended a short workshop that taught her the very basics but left her with more questions than answers.
“From that moment on I devoured everything I could get my hands on to teach myself. I’m very much self taught through a lot of practice and work.”
Does she you take inspiration from jewellery in history, or are all the designs entirely from her own head?
“In fact, I take inspiration from many things. If I come across something that makes me feel a certain way I try to recreate that feeling in a piece. It could be in nature, or in a movie or book. Sometimes an image just pops into my head, but it’s pretty much always related to something I’m feeling.
It’s a lovely way to create. Is there a particular kind of person who favours your work?
“It’s usually people who favour natural, hand crafted aesthetics, natural stones and a minimalist yet powerful look,” she says. Her sales until now have been predominantly online and commission based both nationally and internationally. “I recently ventured into my first craft market and enjoyed it, so I may do more in future,” she says.
“I‘m pleased to say, the business is growing well and hopefully will continue to do so. I’m currently collecting a variety of precious gemstones as I’m hoping to introduce fine jewellery to the line, always with a Iasthai twist to it. I’m also working on collections for some retailers which is very exciting.”
Nina also offers silversmithing workshops that are proving really popular.
“I find that people come for a lot of reasons, aside from wanting to learn how to make jewellery. Some really enjoy crafting and trying new things, others come because they love the social aspect of it. Others because they want to do something special with a friend or loved one and they love leaving with a precious keepsake reminder of the day. The workshops foster a very creative and relaxed environment, so people take a lot of different things from them.’
The future’s looking bright for Nina and Iasthai Original jewellery. I may be sentimental, but I think it’s very important that artisan manufacturing skills are preserved: there’s so much more soul in a handmade item and they tend to be much more sustainable. I will have to get back to my woodworking tools. As any craftsperson knows, the difficulty will always be competing on price with mass production. But once skills are gone, they are gone forever. Blackpool Social Club will stand with local artisan manufacturers.
Follow Nina on Instagram or Facebook @iasthai.original. Further items displayed at [email protected]
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