About Shona
Shona Macaulay Fidgett is based in her hometown of Glasgow in Scotland, where she has set up her workshop in the West End of the city. Since studying Jewellery Design at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee and San Diego State University in the United States, Shona has developed her own personal style of bold modern jewellery.
Autobiography: After leaving school, I took night classes at Glasgow School of Art where I enjoyed crafting artwork in 3 dimensions. I soon became excited by the unique variations in scale that jewellery offered. The ability to fabricate precious objects from a flat sheet of raw material was a skill that I began to master and I soon became fascinated by the limitless permutations which jewellery provided once imagination was combined with technique and precious metal.
Entering the Jewellery & Metalwork HND course at Cardonald College gave me the opportunity to develop my interest. With encouragement from my tutors, I decided to concentrate on getting into art school and I was subsequently accepted by the Dundee art school, Duncan of Jordanstone. Studying under Roger Morris, I learned to appreciate the effort that goes into both designing and handcrafting jewellery.
In my second year I took part in an exchange trip with San Diego State University which offered an invigorating change of scene. I was introduced to a different methodology which allowed the environment to influence my design, making my work more organic. I also was lucky to study under the internationally acclaimed artists Arline Fisch and Helen Shirk, widening my understanding of both technique and international practise.
My degree show was then influenced by trips to Istanbul and Morocco, where I attempted to re-create the relationship between light and architecture within the smaller scales of jewellery.
Since graduating with a first class honours degree, I have successfully established my name by supplying my jewellery to various outlets, galleries and exhibitions. My classic but contemporary style still takes inspiration from architecture, using geometric forms in bold clean-lined pieces with my work predominantly in silver using 18ct gold for precious detailing. My 2006 collection featured new themes, including a range of earrings and pendants with 18ct moving circles that allow fluid movement.
From 1999, I exhibited my work in Dazzle, the successful touring exhibition that allows new makers to show their work within public venues in Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In 2012, I joined the personalised gift website, not on the high street, where I have received excellent reviews.
I now work in my Glasgow studio in the Hidden Lane, a vibrant mixture of West End workshops, where I design and make all of my handcrafted jewellery.
