Case Study: From Oxley to XOXOX — Jewellery with Roots

Some commissions stay with you.

A year or so ago, Ed got in touch about remodelling some gold jewellery that had belonged to his mum. He wanted to turn it into something meaningful for his daughter — a way to carry a little piece of family history forward, in a form she’d actually wear.

We settled on a necklace, inspired by my Statement collection. Normally I hand-pierce words like “Fierce” or “Strong” into recycled silver, but this one was different. Instead of a word, we used the letters XOXOX — a little nod to hugs and kisses, but also a clever reference to Ed’s surname: Oxley. A little bit of love, a little bit of identity, and a way to pass something personal from one generation to the next.

That could have been the end of it. But not long ago, Ed saw a pair of lightning bolt earrings I’d posted on Instagram — and got back in touch. He told me he’s always liked the lightning bolt as a symbol: energy, rebellion, a spark of defiance. He’s even having one hand-painted (along with Stoodley Pike) on the tank of his motorbike.

This time, he asked for four gold earrings — one each for himself, his daughter, his son, and his girlfriend. All cut from the same inherited gold. Four matching lightning bolts, all individually made, all carrying a story.

There’s something very special about working with inherited gold. Jewellery as connection. Jewellery that gets passed down, passed around, changed and reshaped and reimagined — but still holds a thread of where it came from. It’s never just about melting down metal — it’s about carrying memory forward. Not stiff and sentimental, just… alive.