JORIE GRASSIE: THE LAST DEER TUSK JEWELLER IN THE UK?
Perhaps surprisingly, she does
not bleach the tusks to a pearly
white colour - commonly seen
with most traditional deer tusk
jewellery - as she prefers “their
natural colours.” Explaining
the process, Grassie says:
“Once the tusks are extracted
from the culled animal, they are
cleaned, buffed and polished to
a perfect sheen.
“I then start designing with
30 JEWELLERY FOCUS
precious and semi precious
stones,” she adds. Choosing
to source all of her materials
first-hand, Grassie does not
restrict herself to the resources
immediately available to her
on the Culachy estate and its
neighbouring stretches of land.
Instead, she travels far and wide
in search of the precious and
semi-precious gems which are
also used in her pieces. “I like
‘‘
So far, the
most notable
piece in her
Culachy
collection is
a necklace
costing
£63,500 which
houses 250
diamonds
‘‘
JORIE GRASSIE
to source my own stones, for
instance, my best trips have been
to Tanzania where I have found
spectacular Tanzanites.”
So far, the most notable piece
in her Culachy collection is a
necklace costing £63,500 which
houses 250 diamonds. As well
as using a rarely used means of
creation, Grassie also cuts the
stones used for her jewellery in an
unconventional and archaic way.
“I use tumble cut semi-precious
stones, which is an ancient way of
preparing the gemstones.” This is
a basic form of gem-cutting which
helps the precious stones retain a
unique and organic shape.
Each piece is then thoughtfully
presented in a bespoke box and
travel pouch which was designed
by the jeweller in 2002 and
made out of tweed exclusive to
Grassie’s estate. The tweed has
a history of its own, with each
design reflecting the individuality
and heritage of each manor. The
Culachy tweed is characterised
July 2017 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk