Alison Macleod Jewellery, Old School Thornhill Studio 4, Thornhill (2026)

27/09/2026

As a child, in my mind, I was always going to be a jewellery designer.
Back then there were beads, tumbled stones and wire. But getting into the Jewellery and Silversmithing department at Edinburgh College of Art in 1999 was what made it real for me.
With the support of tutors Dorothy Hogg, Susan Cross and Grant McCaig, alongside many visiting lecturers, I gained an essential grounding in benchwork skills. Through daily life drawing and keeping sketchbooks, I was encouraged to find my artistic voice — the themes that have carried me through more than 20 years of practice and still drive me to make jewellery today.
So I was deeply shocked and saddened to hear this week that the department is closing.
I found out from a fellow ECA alumna on the opening night of Goldsmiths’ Fair. Surrounded by the British jewellery and silversmithing community, I was struck by the collective shock — not just from alumni, but from respected people across the industry who understand what this department has meant.
I keep thinking about the students and staff who are there now. The students who have chosen this course to learn, experiment and find their creative voice, and the staff who have invested their knowledge and energy in creating the environment that made such a lasting impression on so many of us. I can’t imagine how it must feel to have that future called into question.
I hope our collective voice can help The University of Edinburgh understand the impact of this decision. Closing ECA Jewellery & Silversmithing Department , alongside Textiles and Performance Costume, means losing places where future generations can develop practical skills and creative thinking that contribute so much to our culture and economy.
The things we make matter. They become the objects we live with, use, treasure and pass on.
I’m sad and I’m angry.
Please sign the Craft Scotland petition, available on their feed, to help stop these closures.
I’m still in London so don’t have any photos from my ECA days so I’m posting my current sketchbook as it’s a habit I learned from my studies there.

25/09/2026

Goldsmiths’ Fair!
What a wonderful week it’s been so far. It’s been such a pleasure to share my latest work with visitors, talk about the ideas and processes behind the pieces, and see them being properly looked at and handled.
It fills me up to be surrounded by so many talented goldsmiths, silversmiths and jewellers, and to see all that they’ve been working on over the past year. There’s something really special about being in a room full of people who are all so absorbed in making.
Heading into the final weekend of Week 1 with plenty more conversations, discoveries and jewellery to enjoy, before we hand the hall over to another group of makers for Week 2.
Goldsmiths’ Fair, Goldsmiths’ Hall, London.
Week 1: 22–27 September.

17/09/2026

Overlay, a new one-of-a-kind ring, created as a result of my time learning hand engraving with Malcolm Appleby .
Made from panned Scottish gold, alloyed here in the atelier, then hand formed, soldered and meticulously engraved. The layered pattern draws on the woods and trees around Aberfeldy, the changing light through the seasons, and the many journeys between Malcolm’s workshop and my home in Dumfriesshire.
I’ve loved the process of bringing something new into my practice while keeping a connection to the work I’ve made before.
Overlay will be exhibited for the first time at Goldsmiths' Fair - fine jewellery & contemporary silver , Week One, 22–27 September.

10/09/2026

Not every piece of jewellery needs to mark a milestone. Sometimes it’s about honouring something precious that already holds a story.
A lovely customer, and someone who truly believes in marking the important moments in life with jewellery, came to me with two aquamarines from antique brooches she no longer wore, along with two Scottish river pearls inherited from her grandmother. The pearls came from Glen Lyon in Perthshire and, because the aquamarines and pearls were all different sizes, they led us towards the idea of a pair of bespoke mismatched earrings — each similar to the other, but not quite the same.
I love that each earring has become a little composition in its own right, bringing together these stones and pearls in their own individual way. They hang from handmade hinged gold hoops, designed to move with the wearer.
The Scottish river pearls are particularly precious. They came from freshwater mussels, a species now critically endangered, and harvesting has been banned for many years. My customer’s grandmother acquired these pearls well before the ban came into place, making it a real honour to give them a new life and to hear the story behind them.
Jewellery with a past, made into something to be worn and loved again.

27/08/2026

Busy, oh so busy, trying to pull this thing off.
Goldsmiths Fair is an incredible deadline — an opportunity to show new and experimental work to the industry, press and my peers. An excuse, really, to make something a little out of the ordinary.
My time learning from Malcolm Appleby has pushed me in a new direction. It’s still connected to my past work, but I’m embracing this new technique, and perhaps some of the more instinctive, unconventional approach that Malcolm brings to things. He’s not one for overthinking, while I am a very committed overthinker, so it’s been an interesting influence.
I’ve been alloying, forming, soldering and engraving. All this time and work going into one special ring — a way of distilling those trips to Highland Perthshire and everything I learnt from Malcolm.
Will I pull it off? Who knows.
You can find me (and, maybe, my ‘masterpiece’ ring) at Goldsmiths' Fair - fine jewellery & contemporary silver Week 1, from 22–27 September at the magnificent Goldsmiths’ Hall.
With many thanks to Malcolm Appleby and the The Goldsmiths' Centre for the amazing Catalyst Grant funded by Goldsmiths' Foundation

19/08/2026

A lovely thing to receive this week: the second edition of Ætla’s journal, featuring a little glimpse into my time learning hand engraving with Malcolm Appleby in Highland Perthshire.

Those days with Malcolm were intense and absorbing — learning with both my mind and my hands, trying to understand a new language of marks, pressure and movement. Abby Quick spent an afternoon with us in Malcolm’s workshop, capturing the work as I learned. These beautiful film photographs have such softness and atmosphere, and I will treasure them as a record of that time.

I’m now working on bringing what I learned into my own work at the bench. There is still a lot to learn, but I’m hoping to have something to show for it at Goldsmiths’ Fair this September.

Thank you to 𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑦 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑘 for these wonderful photographs, ætla | Fine Jewellery for bringing the story to life in their journal, and to Malcolm Appleby for sharing his knowledge, patience and extraordinary skill.

And a very special thank you to and Goldsmiths' Foundation for the grant that made this time possible.

A chapter I feel very lucky to have had.

10/07/2026

Looking ahead to a busy summer at the workbench…
I’m delighted to be returning to Goldsmiths' Fair - fine jewellery & contemporary silver this September. It’s always a privilege to exhibit in the beautiful surroundings of Goldsmiths’ Hall, and I’m looking forward to sharing a new collection of work beneath those glittering chandeliers once again.
I’ll be exhibiting in Week One, from 22–27 September, alongside an inspiring group of makers. If you’re planning a visit, I’d love to see you there.
Now, it’s back to the bench…

01/07/2026

This week I travelled home from Highland Perthshire after my seventh and final day of engraving tuition with
Over the past few months I’ve made the journey north every fortnight, spending time learning new skills before returning to my own atelier to practise, experiment and slowly absorb what I’d learned. I’ve loved being a student again. Challenging myself, asking questions, getting things wrong and gradually beginning to understand a completely new way of working.
One of the unexpected joys of these visits has been watching spring unfold at Aultbeag. Each journey brought something new; bare branches giving way to fresh leaves, the hedgerows growing denser and Malcolm’s wonderfully abundant garden changing week by week. It became as much a source of inspiration as the workshop itself.
As I’ve spent time looking closely at leaves, grasses and the layered rhythms of the landscape, I’ve found myself thinking differently about pattern. Ideas are beginning to emerge that I can’t wait to explore further in my own work.
I’ve written more about my time with Malcolm in my latest Journal, including what I’ve learned, the idea behind my final “masterpiece”, and how I hope these new skills will become woven into my practice. You’ll find the link in my bio.
This opportunity has only been possible thanks to a Business Catalyst (Large) Grant from the The Goldsmiths' Centre funded by the . I’m incredibly grateful for their support and commitment to preserving and developing hand-making skills for future generations.
Now it’s time to begin the final piece.

31/05/2026

Lately, inside and outside the atelier.
Recent bespoke pieces made for customers, each one carrying its own story, alongside the colours of the countryside around the atelier this season.
The hedgerows are so vibrant just now — rich greens, wild flowers, deep shadows and bright bursts of colour. I’ve noticed those same saturated tones appearing on my bench too, in gemstones, gold and tiny personalised details.
Each piece marks a moment or milestone in its own way. An honour, always, to make jewellery that holds those stories.

23/05/2026

The first day of Open Studios is complete and what a beautiful day it has been. Sunshine pouring into the atelier, wonderful conversations, and a steady stream of visitors all day long.
It’s been such a joy to have my friend exhibiting here with me again this year, filling the space with her beautiful resin jewellery alongside my own work. Thank you so much to everyone who came through the door today, took the time to look closely, ask thoughtful questions, and share stories. I’m always so struck by the incredibly informed and engaged audience that Spring Fling brings with it each year.
We rounded it all off this evening with a little celebratory cocktail before doing it all again tomorrow.

Alison Macleod Jewellery

27/09/2026

25/09/2026

17/09/2026

10/09/2026

27/08/2026

19/08/2026

10/07/2026

01/07/2026

31/05/2026

23/05/2026

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