Made by Joy, with Joy.
Young goldsmith, old soul.
Beautifully captured by my friend Daniel Riley. @pictureriley
Colourist: @will_and_film
A carefully amassed collection of tools, fire, objects, books, materials- I’ve taken three decades to bring together (and several reincarnations). These include Japanese paintbrushes from Kyoto made of female hair (from when I was on a research fellowship ), Damascus steel I made with a Katana (sword) specialist in Tokyo, Sheffield steel snips from 1800’s, and my original workbench from the Glasgow School of Art.
Honoured to have a ring of mine added to this extraordinary collection. The Alice and Louis Koch collection of rings spans from ancient Egypt to the 21st century, and can be found on display at the National Museum of Switzerland @landesmuseumzurich
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Beautifully curated by Jewellery historian, curator and scholarly author, Beatriz Chadour-Sampson @beatrizsampson
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This monumental dedication to the ‘ring’, in so many extraordinary renditions, from art-Jewel, to dowry, conceptual, playful and decorative, it really shows the artistry and ingenuity of the human hand, both in making the piece, and of how we think about the form that engages with it 🤚.
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Some of my favourites from this collection include Meret Oppenheim, Rene Lalique, Stefano Marchetti, Francesco Pavan, Paco Durrio, Yasuki Horamatsu, (my Sensei) Kimiaki Kageyama, Suzanne Belperron, Mario Pinton and Jaqueline Ryan.
Deconstructed Portrait (w/diamonds). 2026
18ct gold, 925 silver and natural diamonds.
The last in this colour-way/material combination went to a wonderful custodian. ✨
Artemis (Moon Shadow)’ pendent portrait and handmade chain by Joy BC 2025.
18ct Yellow gold
‘Artemis’ is the Greek goddess of the moon, wilderness, wild creatures, and care of children. The undulating hair of my Artemis is swirling like the clouds she lives in. She is a literal embodiment of the moon in the night sky.
This meticulously hand carved portrait is my contemporary take on a classic deity. Made of glowing. beguiling yellow gold, she is divided at an angle, epitomizing the moon’s changing phases. Depending on what angle, or from what perspective you look at her, she is different. This is akin to the different states we witness of the moon, seen from all continents around the world. The dark, textured section is leaning forward, creating a feeling of transformation.
The Moon, our only natural satellite, has a mysterious and alluring power. It effects the tides, agricultural cycles and appears in many guises across the Arts. …
Whilst carving and soldering this piece, I listened to 11th hour by @lyndadawn_ Beautiful album. Music feeds my soul and ability to work long hours in solitude.
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Magic triangles.
My magic trio: head, hands and heart. Each piece is made with these three.
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Triangles are special because they are exceptionally strong.
They aren’t just mathematically significant, they are also fundamental to the way we build our environments, both physical and virtual.
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Studio Photos by @pictureriley
‘Sekhmet’ by Joy BC 2025. 18ct yellow gold, platinum and natural diamond.
The ancient Goddess Sekhmet (‘The Powerful One’) was depicted with the head of a Lioness, signifying her ferocity.
The premise of this piece, which is part of my work on work on Metamorphosis, is that when the wearer puts on the golden lioness, you transform- part lioness, part human – like Sekhmet. Psychologically, talismans have been used for centuries as ways of mental and physical transformation. Many stories throughout history depict hero’s wearing animal skins to be empowered- take Alexander the Great with the lion helmet or Hercules and the Golden Fleece.
The Egyptians believed that the lioness was the greatest hunter of all. It is the Lioness who is the predominant hunter, not the male. Yet it is predominantly male lions which have been depicted in heraldic artworks as the fiercest and most powerful.
Both ferocious and loving, the piece has paws 🐾 carved on the inside. Soft pads conceal sharp claws.
‘Gaze (hazel)’ ring by Joy BC 2026
Bronze, recycled 925 silver, natural diamonds.
No.02/08
To ‘gaze’ is to steadily and intently look at something with admiration.
How do we ‘look’ with love. ‘Looking’ is not just with one’s eyes. It is with your heart and
mind. How we are emotionally affected makes us look in different ways.
If we are conscientiously sensitive to receiving all the wonder around us, then we notice the
effervescent tiny purple flowers growing through the cracks in the concrete. This piece is to
aid in consciously looking and feeling all the beauty around us, even through the brutal and
mundane.
In literary theory, the ‘gaze’ is a particular perspective considered as embodying certain
aspects of the relationship between observer and the observed – and refers to a gender, i.e.
‘the male gaze’. However, this piece is a ‘section’ of an imagined portrait, not gender
specific, nor referential to any era or character, it is mysterious and unknown. It’s two eyes,
looking out at the world. The area of the iris and pupils are set with hazel brown diamonds.
Brown eyes are not as often represented in jewellery, yet they are the global majority, and so
very beautiful.
The patina is achieved using a technique I learnt in Japan.
Precious Tear by Joy BC 2025.
14ct gold, 925 silver and old cut natural diamond.
‘A decade of research into tears’. 💧
… there is even a butterfly that drinks the tears of turtles.
Fragments are a recurring motif in her practice, informed by Greco-Roman antiquity, global mythologies, and the concepts of ruin-lust and kintsugi. Central to her work are noble-metal techniques, lost-wax casting, hand-carving, miniature portraiture, and a decade of research into tears.
‘Listening Aid (blue ripples)’ by Joy BC 2025.
Pendent & listening talisman.
18ct yellow gold, 950 platinum, 0.94ct blue sapphire and Tahitian pearl.
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Photo by @oliviarosegarden
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Active listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret and evaluate what they hear. The ability to listen actively can improve personal relationships through conflicts, strengthening cooperation and fostering understanding.
The latter case is true in conflict or disagreement. Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others, focusing on the speaker. Suspending ones own frame of reference, suspending judgement and avoiding internal activities are important to fully atened to the speaker.
This particular ‘Listening Aid’ is with a pearl (that looks like water ripples) references the sea as and archetype of the unconscious.
“The sea is the favorite symbol for the unconscious, the mother of all that lives. Carl Jung; Special Phenomenology; Part IV; Psyche & Symbol.
The sea is like music, it has all the dreams of the soul within itself and sounds them over.” (Carl Jung; Memories Dreams and Reflections Page 369)
‘Listening Aids (emerald)’ by Joy BC 2023. Will be at Somerset house @somersethouse presented by @sarabandefoundation in London, from 27 February - 1 March as part of Collect @collectartfair
The presentation brings together works across design, fine jewellery and sculpture by award-winning Sarabande alumni and our new cohort of artists-in-residence, exploring craft as a living artistic language that challenges convention. Photo by @chris.rhodes
Visiting Joy BC in her new studio @sarabandefoundation to talk about her upcoming show at the gallery in October 2026. We have been planning this show since we’ve met ( 5 years ago) and finally it is happening.
It’s early but as always stay tuned 🎉🎉🎉
🙏🙏❤️🌸 Joy - you are a force of nature
Gratitude for the friends, collectors, artists, curators and new encounters, who showed up for me in 2025 in spectacular ways with admiration and vitality. My cup is so full.
2025’s Goldsmiths fair @goldsmithsfair was exceptional. I am a craftswoman as well as an artist- and a proud goldsmith. I met so many fabulous people who many are now custodians of JOY BC precious talismans. ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
