Welsh Week: I Love Sjegan! & Giveaway

I love Sjegan, Fragment Designs Handcrafted Jewellery by Sarah Jane Egan. It's such a fantastic shop filled with gorgeous jewelry.

Everything in this shop is so pretty, original and accessible.

Sarah makes both silver and gold jewelry. And She has a wedding band collection that's absolutely stunning.

There's something for everyone in this shop as Sarah's jewelry can be worn by men, women and children.

I've asked Sarah a few questions to find out more about her and her shop.

1) How does Wales come back in your work?

Wales is a really really beautiful place to live, with green and nature everywhere. Even the cities are full of parks! Without a doubt this prevalence of nature has a bearing on my work, I use a lot of Oak, Ash, and Fern leaf textures which are the trees I see around me. More specifically my dinosaur range came directly out of a part time job I had in the National Museum Geology dept.

2) What about the country inspires you?

The green, the trees, the fact that if I'm having a rubbish day I can go for a 5 minute walk and see the amazing Caerphilly castle and feel like a child in a fairytale ...the people aren't half bad either. 

3) Where have you learned your craft?

I am mostly self taught. I started in Dublin with a few intro to jewellery making classes in a bead shop and then my Dad signed me up for a weekend silversmithing course. As soon as I heard the satisfying quench noise of hot metal in water I was hooked! I did a few other courses, a week here, a day there and I got some tools and a lot of books and played and had fun. 

4) What is your favourite place in Wales?

The castles! They make me feel like I'm in a fairytale. If I have to pick a castle probably Caerphilly castle for grandeur and scale, but Castle Coch for the jaw dropping effect of walking into the court yard and feeling like you're in a medieval movie....That's two places but I'm not picking just one! 

5) What should people who don’t know the country definitely know about Wales?

There are castles everywhere, lovely people, amazing scenery and some of the beaches are absolutely stunning. And luckily the weather is better than you expect, or at least it is coming from Dublin!

6) I would love to read more about you and your Etsy shop if you’d like to add this information as well.

I'm originally Irish, living in Wales almost 6 years now. Myself and my fiancé moved here to study teaching, which I did that for a year and a half in Cardiff before my health problems put a stop to it. Even before I left Dublin I wanted to make something of my jewellery, but it was very much just a hobby. I set up a bench and while I was teaching, on the rare occasion I had some free time I would go play on my bench. For years I have had some back problems and while teaching I was stressed and it wasn't really something I was enjoying, so the pain became worse, I was having trouble walking up stairs due to a disc issue in my lower back and coming home crying with pounding headaches from my neck pain. I was on a lot of painkillers and eventually I got signed off sick somewhat indefinitely. I had at this stage had a few sales on etsy; 4 or 5, and it didn't feel it was fair to mess my students around, so I handed in my notice and said its now or never. It was pretty terrifying especially since my fiancé was also unemployed at the time, but it didn't feel like I had an option. Luckily he got a job, and I got a few hours part time in the National Museum which I could just about manage pain wise. With the stress of teaching gone, my pain started to get better, I threw myself into yoga and reading about pain management and found that with regular breaks I could actually get stuff done and have a life. The jewellery became my main focus, it allowed me to do something I loved, and also to take the breaks I needed. I changed my diet, veggie and dairy free and I managed to get off all the pain pills. I had been routinely taking 12 a day, now I occasionally take one or two on a bad day, I can go weeks without popping a pill. My shop kept growing and growing, and I got a great Physio (Karen Fuller) and I was able to start doing some offline stuff too, I got involved in pop ups, Made in Britain in Bristol for example. I stopped needing to work in the museum, I did keep it up for a while as a social thing but it became that I was too busy with my jewellery to do that. Last May we moved house to Caerphilly from Cardiff and I have more room and a garden and the business and me are going from strength to strength. I'm really really excited to get a shed built, power up my kiln and start my glass work again! And my wedding is (finally) planned for the start of next month. I will of course be making my own rings :)

 I think these rings are gorgeous, I love everything in Sarah's shop.

The jewelry has been made with much love and attention and it shows.

I like this shop very much and am really happy I've discovered it.

Enjoy shopping! It's such a joy to look at Sarah's beautiful jewelry.

One of my readers will receive a fantastic prize.

This very lucky person will receive a set of five sterling silver bunny earrings. I love it and there are so many combinations that can be made with them. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will contact the winner via email. If I don't get a reply within 60 hours the prize will go to someone else. All of my giveaways are international.