Natasha Heaslip

Award winning Irish born jeweller / designer Natasha Heaslip moved to London in 1994 to study Jewellery where she completed an MA at London Guildhall University in 1998.  She then set up her business at the well know Candid Arts Studios in Islington, where she established herself for 10yrs. She originally trained as a sculptor which has brought an interesting edge to her collections. 

She has exhibited throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe and the Middle East, receiving significant press, sales and commissions including several pieces for the Royal family in Kuwait, where she was based for a couple of years before returning to Ireland.  She also featured on Al Watynia breakfast live TV and the Arab times newspaper. 

Natasha’s work can be seen in the film ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’. Actor George Harris who plays Kingsley Shacklebolt dons a commissioned gold earring and a beaded necklace. She also made several other pieces for the film.

Her design and skills have been rewarded through achievements such as the ‘Silver prize for production design’ from the Craftsmanship and Design Awards ’06, at the Goldsmiths Company. She was selected as one of ‘Eight of the Best’ for the Platinum Design Innovation Award ’03, and has appeared as a guest speaker at seminars by The Crafts Council of Ireland in Dublin, Sonar in London, and the Cockpit Arts DPP course.  At the beginning of her career she also featured on the I.T.V programme, 'Young, Gifted and Broke’ and received the Clerkenwell green award and was Prince’s Trust supported.

Natasha has being selected for the prestigious Goldsmiths Fair for the past six years and will exhibit again in September, where she is one of the few chosen to show across the two weeks of the fair. At present she supplies up to twenty shops and galleries throughout the UK, Ireland and Norway, including Diane Porter’s Gallery (Bristol) and Primavera Gallery, Cambridge. She has also sold through Selfridges, The Museum of London, and Design Yard (Dublin) and has regularly exhibited at the highly regarded Dazzle shows held annually in London, Edinburgh, and Manchester.  She has exhibited, among others, with ‘The Billclliffe Gallery (Glasgow), the Gill Wing Gallery (London), Turning Heads (Brighton), and Eton Applied Arts by invitation. (See CV)

She also runs workshops in under privileged schools, to make children aware of opportunities outside of their local environment and has also taught adult classes in community colleges.

"The approach I take when designing my work is influenced by my training in contemporary sculpture; conceptually and in the physical making of the objects. At the basis of my work is an exploration of how, when we don a piece, it affects us and the observer both emotionally and physically.

"Initially my sculptural studies were concerned with the physical interaction of sculptural forms with the body. I then looked at tribal body adornment for inspiration and was fascinated to discover the deeper meaning and symbolism contained within their pieces. From that I have looked at the notion of jewellery as an extended form of body language. Over the years this has resulted in a refining of this idea and pushing the theory and practice in different directions. Presently, I am looking at the use of gemstones within my designs and the role that they play in the relationship between jewellery and the body. For example, the possible influence they can have, in terms of the healing properties each gem holds.

"Also my passion for gemmology has me inspired to create innovative settings, in order to see the true beauty of each stone, which in turn has influenced a continuation of simplicity throughout my designs. One can often feel tempted to over embellish but the success of the piece lies in achieving balance. The flow of a line must be just right. If it is off by even a fraction the piece will lose its beauty and energy."