Bespoke Design - Making it functional AND fabulous.
Author’s Bio - Angela Benjamin of Ange B Designs, is a jewellery artist based in West London. Alongside her jewellery practice, she teaches one-day jewellery making workshops for beginners and also works part-time as physiotherapist.
I’m often asked how I started making jewellery and when I get to the part about being a physiotherapist, I’m sure a lot of people find the leap quite random, but my day job definitely brings it’s benefits.
For starters, I have pretty strong hands: after years of pummelling and manoeuvring hundreds of humans back into shape, I find my thumbs cope pretty well with manipulating metal! Another advantage is my knowledge of anatomy gives me a unique perspective on how jewellery relates to the shape of the human body. With is particular case study, I had to draw to draw on specific elements of my physiotherapy training in order to fulfil the client’s brief.
After my appearance on series two of the BBC One show ‘Make It At Market’, I was contacted via email by Charlotte. Her partner had seen me on the show and suggested that I might be able to help with her very specific commission request.
Charlotte wearing her medical orthotic device
A former West End actor and former professional saxophonist, Charlotte had lost the use of her right arm following medical procedures and subsequently uses an orthotic device. As a professional speaker and communication coach, Charlotte speaks about leadership and the “lessons of disability”, drawing on her own experience. She is also a pilot and had her plane modified to enable her to fly using only her left arm! Once Charlotte explained that she wanted a silver upper limb orthosis to wear whilst presenting and public speaking, ‘Physio’ Ange immediately perked up.
After an initial email exchange, we arranged to meet in person and got on like the proverbial ‘house on fire’. Charlotte’s passion for her work and flying were infectious. We spent the time discussing her design ideas, and the inspiration behind it. As a little girl, her grandfather had made her an aeroplane. When she lost the use of her right arm, she thought she’d never achieve her dream of learning to fly, but she made it happen!
Through a shared Pinterest board, weeks of research (including a visit to RAF Hendon), pattern making, leather crafting and more research, we were able to come up with a design that Charlotte was happy with. The complexity of her disability meant that there were additional considerations beyond the aesthetics, and we needed several meet-ups to get the brace fitting comfortably. Construction of the brace was one of my biggest challenges to date (not to mention working the largest pieces of Britannia silver sheet)…but SO MUCH FUN!
This was definitely a dream commission for me: a client with their own vision, as well as an appreciation of my design aesthetic and a challenging brief that stretched me creatively. I asked Charlotte for her insight on the whole process, as I’m always looking to improve my bespoke design service:
Why did you choose Ange for your commissioned piece?
I saw Ange on the BBC programme Make it at Market and was immediately impressed by the unique pieces of silver jewellery that she designs and makes. I’ve been looking for several years for someone to make a very ambitious piece for me. Following a serous injury, I lost the use of my right arm and to avoid amputation was given a very cumbersome exoskeleton to wear by my surgical team. I sought Ange’s services to design a statement piece of jewellery that would double as an orthotic device.
Did you have any expectations of the commissioning process?
I knew that I’d set Ange a very formidable task to design a piece of jewellery that is also a working orthotic splint and that it would be a huge undertaking. Ange’s parallel career as a physiotherapist gave her an insight into the anatomy of the arm and she was able to apply her experience of upper body rehabilitation to the ergonomics of the piece.
I imagined that it would take a long time to design and construct but her skill as a silversmith and as a medical practitioner gave me huge confidence from the outset.
What was Ange like to work with?
Ange is an incredibly lovely human. She’s an outstanding listener and her attention to detail was faultless. She communicated at every stage of the design and build process and we met regularly in London for fittings and progress meetings. She always came to our meetings full of ideas and enthusiasm.
The final stages - adding the hardware and fastenings to the silver orthotic.
What was your reaction to the finished piece?
I was overwhelmed by the finished piece. I’m a disabled pilot and Ange designed me a solid silver arm brace that I’ve showcased throughout the aviation world. My brief to Ange was that the finished piece should look like the fuselage of a vintage aircraft with windows and rows of rivets. It’s nothing short of spectacular.
It’s a hugely accomplished piece of engineering and expertly crafted to integrate extremely sophisticated details. Whenever I wear it, a crowd assembles around me to find out more about its origins and its maker.
What advice would you give to someone looking to commission a bespoke piece of jewellery/wearable art?
Look no further. Ange has enormous talent and is in possession of a very beautiful soul. Our time together was very special to me and above and beyond the triumph of the finished piece of work she created for me, my life is richer for the love and support she gave me throughout the process. She’s designed something that allows me to be at peace with my disability and that’s a rare gift indeed.
If you’re interested in having a bespoke jewellery commission, feel free to contact me here