In summer 2013, my husband Nick and I and our two boys Edmund 17, and Toby 13, were on holiday in a sweltering New York. One day we visited the High Line,
a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side. In the shade of a railway arch, Sherie Cordaz sat at a stall selling handmade pendants and earrings made using her own original photography, discarded wood and small amounts of sterling silver. They were exquisite and sold under the company name of "Shoosh". Below is the one I bought and I wear it frequently.
I can't say that I had a damascene moment as I stood in the railway arch but the fact that Sherie spoke as enthusiastically about using discarded wood to make her jewellery as she did about her own photography stayed with me. A seed was sown.....and by the end of our American holiday I was wondering what else there was to discover about a craft where recycled materials are so imaginatively used. So, Sherie, thank you - because you started me off down this fascinating path.
