Seaside is source of inspiration for Genuine Jersey's newest members

Saturday 21 January 2017

They say that the best businesses start off with passion and a pinch of entrepreneurial flair, but what about a stroll down the beach?

That’s how it all started for Michelle Noel and Neil Kenny, whose new crafts business, Pebble.Love, aims to “bring a piece of the beach into every home.”

Their bespoke – and rather quirky – pebble and driftwood portraits are some of the latest to be deemed worthy of the esteemed ‘Genuine Jersey’ tag.

Pictured: Local rocks are the foundation to Pebble.Love's custom creations.

The seaside also provided the inspiration for Judith Gindill – this time with seaglass forming the basis of an intricately-formed jewellery collection.

Each ‘Seaglass Jewellery by Judith’ bead has been carefully formed underwater using a diamond-tipped drill bit in order to stop the delicate glass from shattering.

Pictured: Judith's seaglass jewellery before and after.

Such precision is a ‘Genuine Jersey’ skill shared with Riccardo Anfosso, whose woodwork designs plunge into the roots of history of Fibonacci and the Art Deco movement.

“Working by hand feels natural to me. With a bohemian sense of the past, I like to think how humanity has developed the skill of crafting things from the earth’s naturally provided resources. My daily work brings me in touch with our evolved affinity for working with what is one of the most abundant natural resources on the planet. The wood from trees.”

Pictured: The RA Design and Woodwork 'Fibonacci Box', inspired by the aesthetic of a bygone era.

Meanwhile, for Karen Hibbs and Louise Buckley, friendship formed the foundation of their Pottery Shed enterprise – that, and a wheel, kiln and, crucially, the shed.

After 2.5 years training for fun at Highlands, their acquired pottery prowess has seen their designs gain a lot of attention. They're now Genuine Jersey too, but if Islanders had any further doubt as to the created crockery's origin, they need look no further than the popular Jersey cow collection.

Pictured: The Pottery Shed's handmade milk and cream carriers.

Chief Executive of the Genuine Jersey Products Association said that he was “delighted” to welcome these new members to the 180-strong community of Island arts, crafts, food and design endeavours.

“Art, craft and design businesses are playing an increasingly important role in the Island’s business community and contribute significantly to the diversity of what people can buy here,” he commented.

“[I] look forward to helping more local businesses develop and thrive in 2017.”