Being surrounded by art as a young child inspired Emma Cotton to pursue a career as an artist. Emma’s love of travel and her broad range of experience working in varying jobs from a trades assistant to a wrought iron artist, also working alongside experienced jewellers are evident contributors to the unique jewellery that she now produces. Her training in gemmology further adds to her skill in creating fine quality silver and gemstone jewellery with unique artistic flair.

Emma Cotton has been exhibiting her bespoke jewellery at JahRoc Galleries for over 5 years and has accumulated many collectors from around the world.

Enjoy Getting to Know Emma Cotton …

When did you first feel the desire to be artistic and realize you had talent?

Having art around me since I was very small, I felt I was always going to be a maker.

Where did you learn your art?

I lived in the North West of WA for many years so I studied there and then in Margaret River with established jewellers.

But most of my skills come from trial and error and lots of hard work making mistakes and being proud of the successes.

What inspires you most?

I have been fortunate to have traveled and seen jewellers in many corners of the world and this inspires me.

The journey that a finished piece of my jewellery will have when someone chooses to wear it, this curiosity inspires me also

What message are you sending to the viewer of your art?

I enjoy the pleasure of making a piece of jewellery that brings the wearer joy and lasts for generations.

Describe your studio…

I work at home in a great room at my bench looking out onto bushland of Margaret River.

My studio is full of shiny things which I love, tools, metal, gems and fire.

Describe your typical day of creating art…

Eli is my young son and my day is dictated by him so sometimes I sneak some work in at 4am or sporadically when I can.

What mediums do you use and why?

I work with silver and gems to embellish.

I love the shininess of silver and its potential to be pushed and worked which for me is limitless.

What are you working on now?

I always have a few pieces on the go, at the moment I have been experimenting with the use of copper and silver together.

What are your recent career achievements you feel proud of?

Completing a Diploma in Gemmology has given me the scientific knowledge into the character of minerals.

What do you love most about what you do?

Everything.

Where can you see yourself in 10 years time?

I see myself in ten years as older and hopefully wiser.

Artist Statement

I have lived and worked as a jeweller in Margaret River for more than eight years. My love of jewellery started at a young age looking at my grandmas hands she had a gold ring for every finger sometimes two. I have been around art all my life growing up in Karratha in the Northwest of Western Australia. My Mum was a ceramic artist, she had a workshop down the backyard where she locked herself in and created. That is now what I do with metal.

In 2003 I worked as a trades assistant to a wrought iron artist using a coal powered forge steel and big… big hammers to create furniture, balustrades and fences. I love being able to push metal to its limits, then heating it and pushing it more.

I have worked in the area for local jewellers John Miller and Max Ball doing wrought iron but on a miniature scale with silver, creating wearable objects.

In 2009 I gained a Diploma in Gemmology with the Western Australian Division. This gave me the scientific background in the minerals that make up gems, why a ruby is red, a sapphire is blue and why a pearl has a lustre that goes on forever.

I feel I have done my job as a jeweller when someone enjoys wearing the piece that I have created.