Step into December at The Scottish Gallery as we showcase three of the UK’s most outstanding jewellers. In Metal, Minerals and Magic we showcase Disa Allsopp, Chris Boland and Guy Royle, each who incorporate traditional jewellery techniques and work with semi-precious stones to create stunning and unique designs.

Disa Allsopp selects golden citrines, garnets and tourmalines: the warm tones reflect her childhood in Barbados and travels to East Africa. Chris Boland brings architectural metalwork and sculpture to his strong, bold jewellery forms and chooses gemstones with natural inclusions. Guy Royle combines precious metals with hand sculpted semi-precious stones, which draws upon the Celtic history of Cornwall, and lends a timeless and natural quality to his work.

Disa Allsopp

Born: 1958

Disa was born in London and grew up in Barbados. This special island really influenced her jewellery designs, visible in her use of colourful gemstones. Disa personally selects each stone such as golden citrines, warm garnets, rubies, sapphires and morganites.

White and coloured diamonds are set on unique bands while rough and rare cut gemstones make Disa’s work contemporary and current, maintaining a timeless charm.

Disa exhibits internationally throughout the UK, United States, Japan and France. All work is individually handmade in Disa’s London studio.

Guy Royle

Born: 1954

Place of Birth: Devon

Guy Royle’s jewellery inhabits a space between the definitions of Art and Craft; mingling influences from both, yet never so far as becoming exclusively one or the other. Brooches are paintings in metal, necklaces are sculptures for the human form, while the tones, shades and textures of raw materials are his palette. This combination of elements brings a timeless and natural quality to his work. What is more, Guy’s jewellery is graceful for its functionality; whatever beauty stems from his work, has derived, and is inseparable from its intent to be worn.

Using the simplest of tools and methods, he works mainly with sheet silver, which is cut, bent, beaten and formed. This metal work compliments his use of natural pebbles and semi-precious stones, which are ground, shaped and drilled into beads.

Since the nineteen-eighties Guy has made a name as a jeweller, however, his varied practice includes printing, painting and weaving. Except for his time at Morley College of Art, Guy is largely self-taught. Perhaps more valuable than any formal education, 25 years as an assistant to the artist Breon O’Casey’s has proved of deeper and more longstanding influence.

Chris Boland

Born: 1983

Place of Birth: York

My fascination of inorganic structure is used to inform my bespoke jewellery pieces. Strong, bold shapes stress the unique qualities of the inclusions of the gemstones. I draw inspiration from surface treatment of architectural metalwork and sculpture, where marks made during the construction of the work are allowed to remain, often emphasized.
For Me, the authorship lies very much in the making on the object. I work in metal, directly exploring the physical properties of the material. What is presented is not a facsimile of works in wax or additive manufacture but a primary reaction of tools on metal.
From conception, the jewellery is minimal and fundamental. However, through the construction process, complexity is built in to the piece by serendipitous mark making and a real time reaction to a developing form. Always by design, the stone is offered up to the viewer, in a pleasing and unorthodox way.

Chris Boland is a contemporary jeweller based in Sheffield, specialising in the use of gemstones. The story of the gemstone is of fundamental importance in his work and all the stones used are natural and not overly treated. Chris’ belief is that it is important to tell the story of the stones using unique designs in metal.

Metal, Minerals & Magic

Disa Allsopp

Guy Royle

Chris Boland

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