#trynka

This weeks day in the life feature is about Victoria Lloyd, an intriguing jeweller based in Kent who has recently quit her job to launch TRYNKA, a fabulous company featuring original and funky sterling silver jewellery. Victoria's jewellery is contemporary and timeless at the same time and her attention to detail is what makes each piece special. Pendants are actually clever clasps, or luxurious shapes are imprinted with natural faint textures or shot with dramatic lines. Victoria's inspiration can come from anywhere, walks around the countryside, trips on the train, pondering in the bath, and that's what makes each piece different and special in its own right.

We are pleased to be exhibiting her beautiful pieces at our Brighton Fishing Quarter Exhibition at the moment, every Friday - Saturday untill 21st December.

"Take some silver, some geometric shapes, smoosh them together and the result is something both elegant and impactful. The reduced forms of my work are inspired by everything from weaponry to birds in flight. My aim is to produce unique, simple and striking shapes that you can wear season to season, which is why all of my pieces are made from sterling silver." 

"Handcrafting ensures that the straight-edged shapes which comprise a lot of my work are softened to be more delicate and wearable."

Part oxidised silver this pendant below reminds Victoria of a star! Its not available in her shop yet, but you can get your hands on one at Brighton Fishing Quarter!

"I love exploring how shapes can interlink and suddenly become something completely new! I’m pretty proud of my Collide necklace where the central pendant is also a clasp. The idea came to me in a car session when I was making one of my 3D shapes and the pieces of card collapsed together. It’s the closest thing to a Newton-apple-eureka moment I’ve ever experienced, although probably less important than gravity… probably."

As well as her fondness for straight hard edges, Victoria also has a soft spot for organic textures and shapes too. This Birch ring, above, has been hammered with a subtle wood texture, and her Tide ring, below, has an organic curve in it, inspired by the sea.

Below Victoria has kindly shared a day in her life with us!

Day in the life of Trynka

Waking up has never been easy for me. I’m a nocturnal creature, and although I try to stick as much as possible to a 9-6 routine, I often get carried away, or think of something in the bath and stubbornly have to see it through before I go to bed (a major hazard of working from home).

So I need to ease myself into the day with a good breakfast (preferably a poached egg), a cup of joe and one unadulterated, guilt free episode of Frasier with my cat before I can properly start.

  Here’s my workshop. And this is the tidiest it has ever been/ever will be again. Just don’t look in the drawers – they’re filling to the brim! It’s surprising how making something so small requires so much equipment.

 When you’re busy swapping between tools it can be really frustrating and time consuming when you can’t easily find them, so I created this toolboard. I couldn’t find anywhere that sells pegboard so I had to make it. It took longer than expected, but I still think it was an investment in terms of overall time saved. I’ve also optimised the workspace by keeping everything important within arms reach. It’s saved time, but I should probably do a few extra squats to make up for all the incidental exercise I’m missing.

 I made a conscious decision that I wanted my workshop to feel less like an office, and more like a play area. I think it’s a lot easier to think creatively when you’re in that headspace. So I went with bright colours, bold prints and you can find little nods to my 90s childhood dotted about. The second reason for making this place playful is that I gave up a very grown up job in order to pursue my dream. Despite what people say about every job becoming “just another job” I’m determined to never forget how fortunate I am to do something I really love.

I have sort of company in the form of Sharky (as in Sharky and George). The cat doesn’t like the workshop all that much – too many strange noises, but she does pester me at lunchtime.

I rarely come up with a design in my regular working hours – Usually, inspiration comes when I’m on the train, out walking in the Kentish countryside, watching a documentary, or (as aforementioned) in the bath. But as soon as I think of an idea I can’t wait to get to my workshop to get it down on paper. Technical drawing isn’t my forte, so the best technique I have found for visualising my designs is to cut them out of card. I find it’s so much easier to get a grasp on how 3D shapes work when you lift them off of the page and move them around.

  My work is abstract, so while I am inspired and influenced by things around me, it isn’t always obvious to others what they are. What I love the most is hearing people’s interpretations of my shapes – it’s a game like cloud gazing, the popcorn kernel game, or the ink blot test - Although I don’t try and psychoanalyse anyone based on their responses. Sometimes the names I give my pieces give the game away, though eg. my “Comet” necklace

Quite accidentally, the name Trynka has a similar effect. Trynka is actually my mum’s maiden name, and it’s incidental that it sounds a bit like trinkets, which is what most people seem to notice! I love that something so personal and specific to me has a completely different meaning to everyone else. Here’s my new favourite picture of when Trynka became Lloyd. Love ‘em.

Once I’ve got a shape that’s suitably ambiguous I get to my workbench and start sawing away. At the moment I’ve set myself a target of making at least 3 pieces a day on top of any orders I get from my website. That might not sound like a lot, but with all of the admin that goes with running a business you’d be surprised how easy it is to spend too much time away from the workbench. I stick on the radio (Magic or 6Music, always) get my head down and zone out. Making things is so incredibly therapeutic. For me it’s like meditation squared.

My background is in advertising / marketing so I love to spend  a good amount of time on branding. It’s really important to me that people enjoy every part of their experience buying with Trynka. Everything from my website, to my tiny boxes and price tags have to be just so. Never underestimate the power of a good font! I still have a lot of friends who are designers, web designers and strategists, they’ve all been overwhelmingly supportive and given me really good feedback and tips.

Trynka is still a fledgling business so every spare minute I get is spent trawling the Internet for new opportunities, inspiration and advice. I also make sure I regularly go to London for lessons to expand my skill set. I recently learnt enamelling, so expect a dash of colour in 2014!

  After a day home alone, I crave the opportunity to have a good natter, nothing sets me straight better than having dinner with old friends and if I’m really lucky, Hayleigh or Leanne have baked something scrummy. I’m really lucky to still have so many old friends in my life – I’ve known them longer than I haven’t known them! So really that makes them family. Then it’s back home, bath and hopefully bed, if I can resist the urge for a final stint at the workbench!

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Artist: Victoria Lloyd - TRYNKA

Website: http://www.trynka.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trynkajewellery

Location: Kent

You can find Victoria exhibiting at Brighton Fishing Quarter Gallery, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday untill 21st December, Kings Road Arches, BN1 1NB. We are right on the seafront to the right of the Palace Pier if looking at the sea, in the Fisherman’s Quarter. See website for more info and about our other fabulous participating artists! 

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JULY 2011 HARDCOVER David Bowie: Starman Paul Trynka 978-0-316-03225-4; $25.99

The definitive biography of David Bowie, the first modern rock star.

“Ziggy Stardust,” “Changes,” “Under Pressure,” “Let’s Dance,” “Fame,” “Heroes,” and of course, “Starman.” These are the classic songs of David Bowie, the artist whose personas are indelibly etched in our pop consciousness alongside his music. He wrote and recorded with everyone from Iggy Pop to Freddie Mercury to John Lennon, sold 136 million albums, has one of the truly great voices, and influenced bands as wide-ranging as Nirvana and Franz Ferdinand. Paul Trynka illuminates Bowie’s seemingly contradictory life and his many reinventions as an artist, offering over 300 new interviews with everyone from classmates to managers to lovers. He reveals Bowie’s broad influence on the entertainment world, from movie star to modern-day icon, trend-setter to musical innovator. This book will define Bowie for years to come.

About the author: Paul Trynka was formerly the editor of Mojo magazine, editorial director of Q magazine, and launch editor of Guitar Magazine. He is the author of Iggy Pop, Portrait of the Blues (Hamlyn, 08/98) and Denim (Aurum Press, 09/02). He lives in London.