Cari-Jane Hakes has been making and designing jewellery for over 15 years.
Her studio and workshop are at the foot of the Wolds in East Yorkshire, England. Cari-Jane is originally from Glasgow, Scotland, and learned how to design while studying architecture at the University of Bath and Cambridge in the 1990s.
During this architectural training, Cari-Jane found herself continually drawn to the design of small architectural details. Her focus was often the places where a building scales down to the size of the human body.
When Cari-Jane began working as an architect and project manager she became conscious of how removed she was from the physical making of the buildings she was designing and managing. Enrolling in evening classes at London's Morely College gave her access to a more hands-on approach to design and making. In time, she swapped her hard hat and rigger boots for a jeweller's saw and a soldering torch. Jewellery designing and making then became her full-time occupation.
Today the ‘buildings’ she designs and makes are much smaller and the materials are a bit shinier.
Many of Cari-Jane's designs draw on a pared-back, minimalist aesthetic. Sometimes the pieces incorporate moving elements so that the jewellery becomes a tiny, wearable, kinetic sculpture.
Cari-Jane’s work often explores themes that embody movement; both literal and metaphorical. One of her recent collections focused on representing the movement of the starlings that swoop close to her workshop in mesmerising murmurations.
Her latest work, The Secret Garden collection, focuses on the details of the hydrangea flower and the beautiful simplicity of the repetition of this form.
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Cari-Jane has been an active member of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery since 2017.
Cari-Jane Hakes was selected as a Partner by notonthehighstreet.com in 2013. Her ‘The Day My Life Changed’ two ring pendant was shortlisted for the Make Awards 2017.
Cari opened her Etsy store in 2010 and has posted hundreds of unique, one of a kind pieces all over the world. Her shop has a five star rating.
In 2020 Cari submitted her Murmuring Flock collection to the Handmade in Britain team and was delighted to be selected for their famous Hand Made in Chelsea show. Since then she has continued her involvement and was accepted as a selling artist on their online platform.