Manresa Design

​I design and create my jewellery pieces in my home based studio in Brisbane. It is a small space filled with light from its large windows and crammed with benches, tools and equipment. As much as my cats would like to take up residence and share the space with me it is way too dangerous a place for them to be. My design process starts with a sketch in my visual diary annotated with ideas for texture and the stones that will be used in the design. The work then progresses to cutting, filing and shaping metal and using fabrication techniques like soldering to join pieces of metal together at very high temperatures. Metal is textured with hammers and other tools. It is a painstaking process which requires an eye for detail, a steady hand and a bit of a perfectionist streak. I use sustainable practices in my studio recycling metals and utilising non-toxic alternatives to the chemicals usually used in silversmithing.

Jewellery design has been an extension of my creative work and I enjoy the challenge of designing and constructing unique pieces of jewellery and wearable art. I work primarily with semi precious stones, pearls, glass, silver and textiles such as felt. My most recent passion has been exploring the use of textured metals such as silver, copper, pewter and brass in my designs. I am also exploring the lapidary world, cutting my own stones from rough and slabs of rock.

I have studied the visual arts over many years taking classes at a number of art schools - from the Flying Arts School many years ago to the Brisbane Institute of Art.​

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The name of my design business - Manresa Design - comes from a family tradition.​​ Manresa was the name of my grandmother's house - wherever she lived - in recognition of her spanish origins.

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This portrait of me making a piece of jewellery was drawn by my very talented daughter, Olivia.

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I hope you enjoy my designs as much as I enjoy creating them.

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Thank you for supporting the handmade movement.

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Joanne Rutherford

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