Leaf Brooch, 2012

Theresa Nguyen is a designer-silversmith who is fascinated by the process of transforming an ordinary sheet of silver into a lifelike, sculptural form. Nguyen, a graduate of the Birmingham City School of Jewellery and the post-graduate workshop at Bishoplands Educational Trust, designs and creates nature inspired silver at her studio in Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter. She is internationally known for her ability to fashion metals into works of exquisite beauty, craftsmanship and design. Theresa created her first commission, a silver cocktail shaker set, as a result of winning the national Young Designer Silversmith Award in 2005 when she was only 19. Theresa has received numerous awards including 2013 The Eisteddfod Gold medal award for Craft and Design in 2013, The Lewton-Brain Foldforming Award in 2012 and the Gold Award for silversmithing, Goldsmiths’ Craftsmanship & Design Council Awards 2009.

Meticulous attention to detail at every stage of the process and traditional silversmithing techniques are at the heart of Theresa’s work. She uses the fold-forming technique to convey organic forms and sensuous surfaces.

‘As an artist silversmith, I simply love the creative process of designing and making an object for the first time. My desire is that a finished piece should feel like a beautifully composed piece of music, able to be spiritually uplifting, emotionally stirring, inspiring and beautiful. I feel motivated by a sense of wonder about the world around me and my hope is that I will be able to draw from the incredible magic of creation and be able to somehow capture a little of its essence in my work. Silver has the ability to capture many different emotions, always challenging and extending the boundaries of my creativity. I seek to make pieces in which I hope to convey a sense of organic form, incorporating sensuous surfaces, creative movement and flow.’

Public collections include: National Museum of Wales, Cardiff; The Clothworkers’ Company, New College, Oxford; The Pearson Collection; The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Modern Silver Collection, London; Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.