It's crystal clear for Jo (From Stroud News and Journal)

It's crystal clear for Jo

THE old adage about never mixing business and pleasure falls on deaf ears when it comes to Jo Stafford-Michael, a former graphic designer who creates custom-made jewellery from her home in Nailsworth.

Her living room is a kind of girlie Aladdin's cave, with trays of brightly-coloured beads and string. Mannequins rescued from a skip, cut to size and lovingly restored with gold leaf, proudly display the finished products. The coffee table from which she works is a gorgeous array of organised chaos.

"It's not the ideal place to make it because the kids hate the mess," she says, almost apologetically. "I have to hide it all away in the school holidays.

"As soon as I make one necklace I am in the process of thinking about the next one. I have always been one of those people who like fiddling with things."

She has been fiddling almost continuously since last summer, when she began repairing and remaking her own jewellery. Friends admired her creations, and asked if she could make pieces for them.

Before long, she found herself with a small but enthusiastic army of fans.

She gets most of her clients through word of mouth, though she also sells through craft fairs.

Recently, several local shops, including House of Health and Beauty in Tetbury and Absolutely Fabulous in Stroud have begun to stock her work.

Jo is the sister of celebrated local sculptor Paul Grellier. She fell upon her thriving new enterprise almost by accident.

After splitting up with her husband, she began looking for a way to make money that would utilise her creative skills and fit around her four children.

She turned her hand to furniture renovation and flower arranging before settling on jewellery.

"Once you have been a designer you can adapt your skills," she said, "because it's to do with layout or colour."

"I am not very good at doing something in repeat mode. I don't like making five of one thing because it gets boring.

"Most of my things are a one-off. Occasionally there'll be one design that I do several of but no two will be the same because I might pick a different stone."

She gets most of her materials from Hatton Garden, the jewellery quarter of London.

At the moment, her collection includes dyed gem stones, Swarovski crystals and irregularly shaped pearls.

"When I start a necklace I take on a colour scheme then I kind of build on them and have bits coming off," she said.

"I tend to work in pastel colours for the summer. I like working a lot with colour because you go into the shops and everything's gold and silver."

The most time-consuming part of the process is knotting - and unknotting, when things don't go according to plan.

"Occasionally I have to sort of unpick them because they don't always work. I hate putting things out if I am not 100 percent sure about them."

Because she enjoys variety, Jo often works to commissions. Prices vary from piece to piece, but tend to be in the range of £15 for a simple bracelet and £65 for a more complicated, design-led necklace.

"Sometimes people bring me a dress and say, 'I want something to go with that. Sometimes they see something I have made and say, 'I love that but could you make it shorter?'.

"Sometimes I make earrings to go with a necklace or sometimes they'll have a necklace that they love but is a bit dated, so I'll unpick it and mix the beads with more contemporary ones."

Jo Stafford-Michael can be contacted for sales or commissions on 07796 268449.