Take a tour of my London jewellery studio
Take a tour of my jewellery studio by Militza Ortiz
A jeweller’s studio in Wimbledon, South West London
I spend a huge amount of time in my studio, simply tinkering away. I recently renovated my work space as it was getting very cluttered and it needed a new lease of life. Like any other artist, a jeweller needs a space to think and create, here are a few snap shots of my happy place.
What I love most about my home jewellery studio
What I love the most about my studio is that it’s a space that really reflects the journey I’ve taken through life. When I show people around my studio, and the various pieces that I’ve collected and curated within it, I find myself telling my own story of how my business grew and evolved and how my studio space expanded and adapted alongside it. It’s somewhere I take pride in, a safe environment where I can learn from failure and a place where I can let my creativity flow around me.
Pancha, my English bulldog never leaves my side, unless I have my pendant motor on for polishing. She hates the noise. And while I work, she snores and keeps me company. Pancha and I recognise and accept each other on a deep and uncomplicated level. We have a good thing going on.
My journey as jeweller: from Houston,TX to Wimbledon, London
I think if I was going to start anywhere I would have to start by talking about my oakwood antique roll top desk. I’ve always loved old-style early 19th century American furniture, especially antique roll top desks. They embody a sense of mystery, with hundreds of little drawers, nooks and compartments, whilst maintaining a feeling of utilitarianism and practicality in their design.
I originally bought it as a decorative piece, from an antique shop in Peru, whilst I was living there with my husband and two daughters and it came with us when we all moved to Houston for my husband’s job.
Whilst we were living in Houston I had to leave the corporate world as I was only there with a spouse visa. I found the move incredibly difficult and isolating, as I left behind my strong support network of friends and family in South America, and found myself bored, frustrated and in need of connection.
I loved jewellery and couldn’t afford everything I wanted, so I decided to take a beading course so I could start doing something for myself again.
This is where my journey as a jeweller began and the oakwood antique rolltop was perfect because everything is so organised and compartmentalised, which is essential for beading. So, at the start, my studio was just this desk, no more no less, and though my studio and my business has come a long way since then, I would say that everything remains rooted in my oakwood antique rolltop.
We moved again, this time to London, when my husband got transferred for the last time. This time, we managed to settle somewhere where I could have my own space - a rarity in London - and this changed the game completely. Whereas previously my studio had been my desk, now my desk had a studio, which completely changed my perspective on how I saw my work.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a particularly big space and it might not be what people imagine when they think of ‘an artist’s studio’, but I had a room, with door, that I could close, and set some boundaries between my work and my family life, which I didn’t have before.
So what was previously a hobby I decided to convert into a business as I had the physical and mental capacity to be able to conceive of it in this way.
The leap from beading to jeweller making
I began to find beading wasn’t enough for me and it started to get very stifling from a creative point of view, as there’s only so much you can learn or do. I decided I needed to get back to learning and master new techniques in the craft and enrolled in a short course at Central Saint Martins. It was here that I met Martin Hopton and Alexandra Huerga, two extremely talented and skilled Master Jewellers, who had their own jewellery school, Central School of Jewellery. I trained with them at their studio in Hatton Garden and when I felt I was ready, I commissioned my own bench in my studio at home, to set up the same kind of working environment for myself.
A jeweller’s bench made bespoke
It was Martin Hopton, that came and built the bench for me, as he is also a trained carpenter and I trusted him to build me something that would be suited to me and my studio space.
I had the bench made bespoke to bring different elements of a typical jewellery studio and assembly process together. Dimensionally, it complements the space perfectly as it sits directly opposite my oakwood antique rolltop and I can swivel my chair to focus on different tasks - the bench for making, and the rolltop for business.
As a result, my studio space changed completely as the bulk of my jewellery work could be done on the bench and I could use the roll top for designing and consultations, using the pull-out panel as a station to separate me from my clients, helping to recreate the feeling of being in a shop.
By dividing these two operations up I found my concentration and focus improved dramatically as I was able spatially distance myself as I moved from one task to another, helping me structure my day and take advantage of creative episodes.
Organising and beautifying my home jewellery studio
It wasn’t until I started to take the business seriously that I decided to make the space around me beautiful. It seemed like the last step I hadn’t taken yet and I hadn’t felt it was something I was able to prioritise until my daughters gained independence and moved away from home. It was also at this point that I started getting more clients, and therefore needed a more professional space to receive them.
My primary aim was to remove distraction and increase efficiency, so I started with some serious spring cleaning. I got rid of the cork board that I had filled with personal and family photos and instead filled the room with objects and prints of natural forms that inspired me: shells, crystals, flowers, rocks, coral formations - to name a few.
I replaced the cork board of photos with a pegboard for my tools so they’re handy and easily visible and accessible. I bought transparent boxes from Muji to clear my bench of clutter whilst still being able to see all my devices in front of me. Then I added plants and a new coat of paint, to give the room a clean, bright and natural new look.
This beautification project and process did wonders for my creative mindset.
Before, I had begun to resent being in my studio and consequently, I’d begun to resent doing my work, whereas now I genuinely enjoy being in my own space, surrounded by all the things that inspire me. I find that I work harder to take the business seriously as clients enter my space and get a sense of who I am as a creative and a professional. I think this is the most important thing I’ve learnt about having my own space, it says so much about you that you’ve got to feel your most comfortable when you’re in it.
It’s taken me almost 20 years of self-discovery and growth to get to where I am now and I feel like my studio is a reflection of the journey I’ve taken to get there, which is why I’m so proud to call it my own.
Militza Ortiz is a London based jeweller that creates raw, organic and intricately textured pieces. She is an expert silver and goldsmith with over 17 years of experience. Her pieces draw inspiration from intricacies of nature and the underwater world.
To view and buy her work visit her website: www.militzaortiz.com
