The Queen of Silver Linings

A wonderfully charismatic woman, Jocelyn was born in 1946 and originally planned to read modern languages at Cambridge, but very quickly switched instead to train as a silversmith at Sir John Cass College .

It didn’t take Jocelyn long to hit the headlines and following a travelling scholarship to the former Yugoslavia in 1966 she won the De Beers International Award for diamond jewellery while still a student. Because of this success she was forced to leave before the conclusion of her third year as she was not allowed to gain practical experience whilst studying.

“If you look at the publicity photo that was taken of me by the writer Tom Sharpe, you will notice that I am not only wearing the winning necklace I designed but also an Abaya that was given to my father by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.

“King Faisal – who was a very warm and generous man – rewarded the rescuers with a gold watch and he gave my father, Monty, the Abaya as a memento of the experience. At that stage I didn’t realise that this would prove to be the start of a romance I have enjoyed with the Arab world that would thread its way through my life over the course of the next 30 years.”

“This was a huge thrill for me. To be able to work at what you love is a rare treat and having just emerged as a young 20-something into the real world, the chance to have my own business was an opportunity not to be missed”.

“I was invited to exhibit some of my work at the very first luxury trade fair in the Gulf that was hosted in Dubai in 1976. I travelled there with Algernon Asprey and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and met Mohammed al Maktoum bin Rashid for the first time. Algernon had been one of the first interior decorators in the Guild to build palaces and grand houses.”

The 70s provided her with a rich vein of form and during this period she produced designs for Aurum and was also commissioned to create a fountain for the Fishmonger’s Company to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee.

“Still, there were a good few supporters of my work from the male fraternity and I was doing well so I couldn’t really complain”.

“I’ve always had a deep appreciation of Arab art and architecture, particularly mosques and calligraphy and I feel that there is still so much to learn about the culture in this regard. I also really enjoy applying my creative skills towards the interpretation of a client’s wishes.”

Later she went on to win the United Kingdom Award for best design in silver and in 1998 she had an exhibition at Asprey and Garrads in Bond Street. In the modern era she remains one of a very small number of women who make large scale works in bronze, stone and precious metals.

In London you are never far away from one of her pieces of art and many are included in various public and private collections, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, 10 Downing Street and St Paul’s Cathedral.

I came away from the interview feeling privileged that I had been able to draw back the curtain into the world of this fascinating talent. Unpretentious and gracious, Jocelyn proved to be as humble as she is gifted and is deserving of all the praise and success she has acquired throughout her career.