Nature-Led, Cornwall-Made
Inside Rebecca Oxenham Jewellery

When a friend gifted her a silversmithing workshop more than a decade ago, it felt like a welcome distraction, not the start of a second career. For almost 30 years, Cornwall-based maker Rebecca Oxenham worked in PR and marketing, helping other brands find their voice while quietly shelving the childhood dream of becoming an artist. After a divorce and with her children no longer home at weekends, the need for a creative outlet became impossible to ignore. The jewellery bench arrived at exactly the right time.

By early 2020, that experiment had become a lifeline. Redundancy collided with the fog and fatigue of what was later diagnosed as long Covid, and the high-speed marketing world she knew suddenly felt out of reach. Jewellery making, which had started as a way to fill quiet hours, became something she could physically manage and emotionally pour herself into – a way to rebuild work on her own terms.

Teaching came almost by accident. A friend asked if she could show her how to make a piece; Rebecca set up a simple kitchen-table session and found she loved guiding someone through the process. Informal lessons turned into regular workshops. As confidence returned, she folded her professional skills into this new venture: shaping a clear, nature-led brand, developing jewellery-making kits when lockdowns halted in-person classes, and even seeing those kits featured on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch – a small on-screen moment that brought a rush of orders and a quiet surge of belief.​

A single commission made the shift from hobby to business feel real. Her dog walker, grieving the loss of her dog, asked for a ring textured like a willow tree, with a small stone holding some of the dog’s ashes. It was an intensely personal piece to create; when friends admired it and began placing their own orders, Rebecca realised this work had both emotional weight and commercial promise. Like many makers, she also discovered she was undercharging for labour-heavy bespoke designs. Raising prices led to fewer commissions, so she deliberately stepped back from regular custom work and focused on ready-made collections and workshops, where creativity, time and income could sit in better balance.​

Today, her jewellery feels unmistakably shaped by Cornwall. From her studio near Par, Rebecca designs pieces inspired by coastlines, rock pools, ancient woods and tidal textures – small, wearable fragments of the landscape. She works extensively with silver clay made from recycled silver, sculpting fine textures and organic forms before combining them with recycled sterling silver using traditional silversmithing techniques. Sustainability runs through the process rather than sitting on the surface.​

Her work has a distinct personality: gentle, nature-led and quietly spiritual. She sees jewellery as a kind of talisman – something that can carry a small spell, intention or reminder for its wearer. Ideas often begin on a walk: a spiralling sycamore seed, the pattern of seaweed in a rock pool, a shell, a scrap of folklore about the sea or woods. Back in the studio, she sketches, then makes polymer-clay models to test shape and texture before committing to silver clay. Each piece is then shaped, refined, fired and polished by hand, in a process that is deliberately slow and tactile.

Workshops are now one of the most joyful parts of her business. Rebecca runs full- and half-day sessions at The Old Bank Gallery in central Fowey, Bodmin Gallery & Creative Studio, and in her own home studio, welcoming beginners and seasoned crafters alike. The tone is relaxed and sociable – tea, chat, laughter – but underpinned by solid teaching so people leave with a finished piece they’re genuinely proud to wear. Many arrive declaring they’re “not creative”; by the end of the day, they’re planning what to make next. One woman who said exactly that at her first workshop now makes jewellery regularly, a transformation Rebecca still talks about with clear delight.​

Rebecca's years in marketing quietly underpin everything. They help her tell the story behind her pieces, present her work professionally online and support other makers with advice on branding, pricing and visibility. She is frank about one key lesson: handmade work is often undervalued, and unless you communicate the time, skill and meaning behind it, it’s hard to build something sustainable.​

Rather than chasing craft fairs with high stall fees and bargain-hunting crowds, Rebecca now focuses on gallery partnerships. Her jewellery is shown on a sale-or-return basis at The Old Bank Gallery in Fowey and at Bodmin Gallery, arrangements she sees as fairer and more in tune with the work involved. The curated setting suits her pieces, and just as importantly, it frees her to spend more time doing what she loves most: making and teaching.​

Ask what she hopes people feel when they wear her jewellery and the answer is simple: connection – to themselves, to nature, to a particular memory or moment of courage. Whether it’s on a windswept beach, a night out or a job interview, each piece is intended as a quiet, silver reminder that strength, resilience and creativity often sit closer to the surface than we think.

If Rebecca’s story has reminded you that creativity doesn’t belong to a chosen few, take it as your sign to explore your own. Her workshops are a gentle, welcoming way to tap into that spark – you’ll leave with a piece you’ve made by hand and a real sense of “I can actually do this.” And if the workbench isn’t calling just yet, one of her nature-inspired silver pieces makes a beautiful gift to yourself or a loved one – a small, wearable reminder of strength, connection and Cornwall’s wild magic. https://www.rebeccaoxenham.com/about