Come on a technical journey with the jewellery master mounter.
In this episode I ask the multi-talented Darren Sherwood to select six pieces from his life and career in jewellery and put them into a fantasy Jewel Vault, ultimately choosing that one special treasure to keep safe forever.
Welcome Inside the Jewel Vault hosted by me, jeweller and gemmologist Jessica Cadzow-Collins, with a guest drawn from the great and the good from across the jewellery world.
Darren is a highly regarded diamond mounter, but his unique expertise is in using cutting edge technology to blend seamlessly with his mastery of traditional fine craftsmanship, making use of the best of both worlds – manual and digital. Apart from being one of the warmest, most patient and up-beat guys you could meet, Darren has innate talent, focus, and drive along with a curiosity to create the seemingly impossible. He forged his own career for himself in defiance of his parent’s expectations of an academic career. He has worked for some of the greatest names in jewellery and silver, taught himself multiple digital programmes and recently he has also taught himself micro-diamond setting – giving him more skills and accomplishments than most jewellers ever master in one entire career. I met Darren a few years ago when I worked at Garrard-Stephen Webster. Each time I visited the workshop, he was working on increasingly complex and astonishingly technical creations for both brands, pushing the boundary of what was technically feasible. To listen to Darren is to glimpse inside the mind of a genius. He is a true maestro, but so natural and funny to chat with. I am very excited to share this conversation with you because it’s rarely possible to have the opportunity of learning how such extraordinary pieces are actually created, and what sort of person it takes to achieve this level of skill. Sit back, relax and let him explain all - I hope you enjoy listening!
Guest Bio: A multi-talented and highly regarded diamond mounter, Darren Sherwood is the first and only goldsmith in his family, and spent his early childhood in Trinidad, before coming to London where he defied his family’s wishes of an academic career pathway instead winning a place on the St Martin’s Foundation Course where he realised that his calling was in jewellery; he then went on to pursue a BA in Jewellery/Goldsmithing/Silversmithing before honing his skills by working on the most challenging creations for some of the biggest international names in fine jewellery and silver: Grant Macdonald, Mikimoto, Stephen Webster and Garrard, including the world’s most expensive necklace, brooch and watch at Graff. Darren now runs his own very successful business (aided and abetted by his young family) in Purley, South London https://www.sherwoodjewellery.com/
I want to hear from you! What special treasures would you put into your fantasy jewel vault, and why? Every so often I’ll compile your stories into a podcast of their own. To get in touch with me and also to access show notes and images, go to: https://vipjewelvault.com/podcast/
Produced by broadcast & media guru Lizzie Wingham. https://www.tinydinosaur.tv/
Engineered by the very patient and brilliant Gareth Lewis.
My grateful thanks to you both!
