Guy Royle - An Accidental Jeweller

G U Y R OY L E

G U Y R OY L E

NEW CRAFTSMAN GALLERY www.newcraftsmanstives.com

A COLLE CTOR’ S VIEW

and when it was purchased. Drawing makes me look carefully at the piece as I have a fascination with how

I have had a fascination with jewellery since childhood,

things are made.The back of each object should be as

and remember sitting with my grandmother rooting

well made as the front. Equally, I am careful about how I

through her jewellery box and being transfixed by the

keep my jewellery and store it in handmade wooden

bright shiny things.When I was about ten years old I

boxes. I do, however, always wear the jewellery.

begged my mother for a little silver bangle, but she said I

I first encountered Guy’s work about sixteen years

would only lose it. Eventually she gave in and I still have it

ago at a gallery in Farnham, Surrey. For many years I had

to this day.

About forty years ago I started collecting jewellery. In

known the work of his mentor, Breon O’Casey, and have a small amount of his jewellery and paintings. It was about

the 1960s, when in my twenties, I wore large brightly

this time that Breon had handed on the mantle of

coloured geometric plastic jewellery, as was the fashion. A

jewellery making to Guy, who took this on and made it

little later I started buying a few handmade silver pieces

his own. I instantly fell in love with Guy’s work, and over

by contemporary jewellers.Then followed a burst of

the years I have bought an enormous amount from

enthusiasm for ‘ethnic’ jewellery. I loved native North

various galleries. I have numerous silver necklaces and

American jewellery, particularly bangles and earrings

bangles, silver brooches and rings with gold detail and a

made of silver, with the additional allure of lapis and

vast amount of silver and stone earrings. His silver

turquoise stones. At that time I always wore lots of silver

brooches are like small paintings, either a geometric

bangles – that was, of course, until I discovered Guy’s

design with gold detail, or with an applied gold Braque/

work. From then on I have always worn a large bangle of

Picasso bird.There is also a Celtic symbolism about his

his on each wrist.

In 1980 I met my second husband, a photographer,

designs, and there seems to be tribal and African/Egyptian influences too. His work would not look out of place

who shared my interest in art and architecture.We were

amongst the artefacts in the British Museum. His work is

constantly visiting art galleries and design studios together,

timeless.

and we began collecting paintings and various artworks. It

What I love about Guy’s work is the boldness and the

was from this period that my contemporary jewellery

simplicity of his designs. Also, I like his generosity of

collection escalated.

materials, especially his profligacy in the amount of silver

I keep catalogues and articles on jewellery, ceramics

he uses. I really like the marks left by his hammer beating

and art. I also keep a ‘diary’ on the jewellery I buy, drawing

of the silver, as I always want to see the hand of the

each piece with a note of its materials, and from where

maker whether it be in jewellery or ceramics.

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His fastenings are also very substantial and therefore secure.

A necklace or brooch would never slip off, nor would an earring fall out.

His work is built to last, beautifully crafted and made with love and integrity.There is an honesty to it.

The stones he uses to highlight his earrings and necklaces he cuts himself in his studio, or as he would rather call it, his workshop. He leaves the stones unpolished and uneven. My husband and I have visited his studio a few times, and we were fascinated by the lumps of uncut lapis, turquoise and other semi precious stones, sitting alongside semi-finished pieces of work.Works in progress, like large formed sculptural silver beads in various shapes and designs, festoon the walls and surfaces. My husband was impressed by the fact that he makes a lot of his own tools and equipment as well. It’s a magical workshop in which raw materials are transformed into beautiful jewellery.

Vivien Woodiwiss, August 2013.

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A N A RTIST’ S VIEW The sharply cut profiles of two birds; one in yellow and one in red gold swoop across the tooled silver surface of my Guy Royle brooch. It has a direct simplicity at once modern and timeless – it could easily be an artefact excavated from an ancient site.

A walk down a main street in Penzance with Guy gave me an insight into how he sees the world around him.

The aged chevrons cut into the large granite paving stones are boldly satisfying in texture and pattern. It is these elemental marks in natural materials that appear again and again at a smaller scale in Guy’s beaten silver, a primitive energy and directness belies highly sophisticated material sensibility.

Guy is deeply concerned with the textural qualities of stone and metal: beach pebbles are gently shaped, silver beads are punctuated with carnelian; nothing is too shiny and proportion is everything – many blue stones are enlivened by the intermittent lustre of gold.

Mark Herald, August 2013.

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A CURATOR’ S VIEW When I took over the New Craftsman in 2008 I also took on responsibility for its illustrious art and crafts history, and Guy Royle was very much part of that.

Guy’s relationship with the gallery has been a long one, and we are proud to continue to show his work. His jewellery has a special quality, a real creative veracity and precision of workmanship that is unmistakable. Every time we receive new work, I am always astonished by the weight and beauty of each piece.There is a special thrill to displaying it in the gallery, and I love to see the reaction it draws.

I own several of Guy’s pieces myself and take a real pride in wearing them.They reflect my life – my love of art and craft and my love of Cornwall. And perhaps that’s what they mean to all of his devoted collectors.They are pieces of art history in our hands.

Ylenia Haase, New Craftsman Gallery, August 2013.

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Published by New Craftsman Gallery, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1HE www.newcraftsmanstives.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electrical, mechanical or otherwise, without the permission of the copyright owners and the publishers.

Jewelly photography: Bob Berry.

Portrait photography: Martin G Howse.

Copyright Š2013 New Craftsman Gallery.

ISBN: 978-0-9926590-0-4 44