Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2009 | Page 123

LOCAL BUSINESS

life

Plaudits at
Goldsmiths
for Shanklin
Jewellers
Robin Starkey is achieving national recognition for his innovative
designs. He and his wife Imogen make quite a team
“IT has no beginning and no end,” says
Robin Starkey of Shanklin Jewellers. He
is describing the piece which won him
a Commended award (Fine Jewellery
Category) at the Goldsmiths’ Craft and
Design Council Awards, 2009.
The event was held at the opulent
Goldsmiths’ Hall in London, which was
positively bustling with the country’s
finest jewellers. Awards were presented
by Geoffrey Munn, of the BBC’s Antiques
Road Show, as well as a representative from
Cartier Jewellers. All the winning pieces
were exhibited at Goldsmiths' Hall in the
week following the awards.
Robin takes his inspiration from nature,
and the award-winning piece, a ring of
gold with platinum inlay, was made using
the ‘lost wax’ process. Using a scalpel and
heated wax pen, a design is carved by hand,
before being cast in 18ct gold. Handmade
leaves of platinum were, with great care
and precision, soldered on to the ring, and a
mirror, made of polished platinum, lined the
setting of the 1.25 ct certificated triangular
cut diamond, intensifying its fire and
brilliance.
The ring was hallmarked at Sheffield
Assay Office, where Robin has his
registered maker's mark.
This piece, which is unusual for having
no component parts, was crafted over three
months, one month of which was devoted
solely to the ring.
“Robin is truly an artist,” says his

wife Imogen, “as well as being a skilled
craftsman: he lets his imagination unfold
in the designs he makes. He does not rely
on a computer to aid him in his designs as
so many jewellery designers do today and
he specialises in the dying art of actually
creating the jewellery himself.”
Robin served his apprenticeship at
Kultakeskus in Ascot where he worked on
pieces designed for such illustrious figures
as Michael Caine and Ringo Starr. It is here
that he learnt the skills of the lost wax
process, and many other aspects of jewel
craft.
Five years ago Robin became
self employed, and in 2006 he
and Imogen bought Shanklin
Jewellers. Established in 1880,
Shanklin is the second oldest
jewellers on the Island.
The couple have lovingly
been restoring the original
features of the shop: their love
of nature is reflected in the
display surrounds.
Imogen herself plays a vital
role in the business. In March, she
gained her Diamond diploma from
the Gemmological Association of Great
Britain. The intensive four-month course
which required considerable dedication and
stamina was harder for Imogen because at
the time she had a broken arm. “It made
manipulating the diamonds, during study,
pretty tricky,” she says.

The Island's most loved magazine

The qualification is the icing on the cake
for Imogen, who has long supported Robin
in a designing role. She is a vital part of
the initial consultation when a piece of
jewell W'