Passion for every element of her work shines out in each exquisite piece of jewellery that is created by multi-award-winning designer Alexis Dove.
Enormously talented and innovative, she is equally passionate about ensuring that wherever and whenever possible the lovely and costly materials she works with come from ethical sources.
This took her far from home two years ago when she travelled out to Peru to explore the mines where Fairtrade gold originates. She was so impressed by the genuine benefits to the population there that since then she has focused on using Fairtrade gold, especially in the precious jewellery collections which are playing an increasingly significant part in her business.
Alexis’ charming shop on Lewes High Street, which she opened in November two years ago, is a joy to behold, the perfect setting for her beautiful work. It’s no surprise that this year she won the title of Best Independent Retailer in the Lewes District Business awards.
“We’ve actually been in Lewes for 15 years – it’s a very artistic place,” she says. “I love its independent nature and the independent shops, the whole feel of the town, it’s the right place for my business moving forward.
The surrounding Downland countryside and her love of the natural world has always been a major inspiration for many of the innovative pieces Alexis creates, but her precious jewellery is interestingly also heavily influenced by ancient history.
“The first date with my partner, Justin Small, was in the British Museum, where we went round all the gold exhibits. I found it so interesting to see how things which inspired people thousands of years ago are still influencing us nowadays. I love history and cabinets of curiosities are a particular inspiration for me as they bring together all of the themes that inspire me most and they have a slightly macabre side that is part of both nature and history.
“Justin is also a talented goldsmith and we work together more and more these days – he is in the workshop while I am concentrating on the design element. We have similar interests and so we know each others’ likes and dislikes which makes for a really good collaboration.
“I trained as a goldsmith myself and sometimes I have an idea which is only possible if I make the first one myself. But at other times Justin’s interpretation is even better than I imagined. I believe that the power of two is greater than that of two separate people and we work together to come up with the best possible designs every time.
“What distinguishes us from other jewellers is that this is a jewellery shop where everything is hand-made here in Lewes and that makes a huge difference. We’ve now won three awards for this shop, two of them national ones, but in many ways it’s the local best independent retailer award which means the most to me because the people you see in the town every day relate to that.”
Being based in Lewes also means Alexis has the South Downs on her doorstep, a constant source of inspiration as nature has always been a key theme and interest for her. Her first ambition was to be a farmer but after taking a degree in agriculture and travelling around the world, she discovered a love for creating jewellery and trained at Sir John Cass in fine jewellery and diamond mounting, establishing her business in 2006. This unusual path and her fascination for exotic cultures and ancient history have inspired her collections, which are all handmade in Sussex.
Since the early days she has been inspired by the beauty of nature and traditions of adornment, including motifs of wild roses, foxes and seashells decorated with semi-precious beads and pears, in silver and vermeil.
Her precious collections of fine jewellery are now playing an increasingly important role, including wedding and engagement rings, pendants and earrings, all heavily influenced by her love of jewellery from antiquity.
These collections feature twinkling diamond beads, fancy sapphires and rubies, Indian rose cut and Victorian old cut diamonds combined with rich beaten gold and palladium to create timeless pieces, including her signature handmade stacking rings, which can be made with a choice of stone and in any precious metal you want.
Her trip to Peru two years ago to visit the Fairtrade mines convinced Alexis that buying metal sourced this way is enormously valuable for communities.
“I want to encourage as many jewellers as possible to use it,” she says. “I went to the village and down the mine and I saw with my own eyes how the premium for Fairtrade gold is spent, how much it benefits the community as a whole is so uplifting.
“Run as a co-operative for the people, it also empowers women. It can be very hard there for women to make their way and there are a lot of single mothers. Thanks to Fairtrade, a lot of young women are now going away to university, getting degrees and ultimately bringing back their knowledge to benefit their community.”
Passionate about Fair Trade gold, Alexis seeks out ethically-sourced materials and over the past 15 years she has collected an array of stones including a selection of rare coloured sapphires, spinels and old-cut diamonds.
“Stones have always been very hard to trace but it is becoming easier nowadays and I want my collections to be both ethical and traceable,” she says. “I went to Sri Lanka to see how they mine stones there and I was pleased to see no child labour was being used.
“I continue to look for stones which are sometimes not the most perfect but have interesting inclusions. They can be great value for money but are beautiful with a real character, so we can make them up into something truly unique.”
People from far and wide now find their way to Lewes to seek out Alexis Dove jewellery.
“I think people nowadays look for a jeweller who embodies their style – they come to us because they like what we do,” Alexis explains. “People these days are very savvy and when they find someone whose style remit they like, they will travel to commission a piece from that person. We had a visit by a man from Dublin recently who wanted one of our rings, and we have customers from Wales and the north of England. When someone comes to you like that, it makes you feel really good about what you do.
“Jewellery is such a personal and sentimental thing. I love to think that when people buy our engagement or wedding rings, they are investing in something they will have for a lifetime. We also make pieces for all kinds of special occasions, such as wedding anniversaries, bridesmaid gifts, 60th birthday gifts, sometimes commemorative pieces. Some customers bring in pieces they have inherited and it is very personally satisfying to recreate something from those old pieces that will be worn now.”
Jewel in the town
Unique and beautiful contemporary pieces inspired by nature and ancient history are designed and hand-crafted in Lewes