MY story
My journey to jewellery design
“Launching my first jewellery collection has taken me on a most exciting journey. I have met and worked with incredibly creative and skilled people along the way – all of whom have been wonderfully supportive and encouraging.”
It started in 1995. I was looking for an engagement ring for my wife and was introduced to the goldsmith and jewellery designer, David Bolding. He designed and made her a beautiful ring, and over the years I commissioned him to make several more pieces for her.
Latterly, I found myself inspired to design pieces for my wife myself. I would arrive at David’s studio bearing a stone I’d bought and a design I had scribbled – often on my prescription pad. David would bring my designs to life and create something unique for her.
After making the latest piece I had designed for her birthday, David suggested that I should consider designing jewellery beyond just adding to my wife’s collection. I had just retired from my paediatric practice and while I enjoyed our collaborative process, I had never considered jewellery design as a new career option.
I went home, bearing my wife’s birthday surprise, and spent some time thinking about David’s suggestion. Buoyed by the idea that such an experienced jewellery designer thought my scribbled designs had merit, I put some ideas down on paper to discuss with him. David gave each drawing an honest appraisal, and when I presented my ideas for a range of botanical pieces he was enormously encouraging and I realised that this was something clearly worth taking further.
My background
“Launching my first jewellery collection has taken me on a most exciting journey. I have met and worked with incredibly creative and skilled people along the way – all of whom have been wonderfully supportive and encouraging.”
I was about four years old when I announced to my family that I wanted to become a doctor and I never wavered from this plan. After qualifying, I went on to specialise in Paediatrics and it was during my training at Red Cross Children’s War Memorial Hospital that I met my future wife.
On completing my paediatric training, I went into private practice in the Cape Town City Bowl area. I really loved my work. My day often started with the arrival of a new life into this world, and it was a privilege to watch my patients grow up and become inquisitive toddlers and then assertive adolescents. Some even became parents in their own right, and I started to feel like a “grandfather”.
But life has a way of stopping you short in your busy tracks to reassess what truly matters. So after nearly 25 years in paediatric practice, I retired.
HELPING TO CONSERVE THE CAPE FLORAL KINGDOM
CONTRIBUTING TO CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES:
Deon Smith Jewellery is not just about using ethically sourced and recycled materials, I feel that it is also important to support conservation programmes to safeguard what we have for future generations. I will be donating a portion of my profits from jewellery sales to conservation programmes linked to the wildlife of South Africa and to the Cape Floral Kingdom.
