Kitty trained as a printed textile designer at Loughborough College of Art and Design and took a PGCE at Roehampton Institute. She worked as a freelance for eight years before taking up a part time teaching post. She sold designs in America, Germany and Italy. Her interest in jewellery started much later. Each piece is a one-off. She works in silver with gold highlights and sometimes sets the pieces with semi-precious stones. She has been influenced by the land and seascapes of Dorset and Cornwall and also Gothic architecture. Another influence is her love of classical music, and she has had several commissions from musicians who wanted pieces related to music and musical instruments.

Having been featured in ‘What Not to Wear’ with Trinny and Susannah in 2005, she was told unequivocally that she should be wearing bright sparkling jewellery, so, undaunted, she began to make necklaces, earrings and bracelets from semi-precious stones. Through colour and texture they are, she feels, are closely related to her earlier textile designs.

Kitty undertakes commisions including napkin rings Confirmation crosses and cufflinks with an individual flavour. Her work can be bought at Somerset House, Strand, where she has pieces in the Gilbert Collection Shop where she was recently invited to give a lecture and handling session on her work. The invitation invited people to: “Join Kitty Wass, art teacher and jewellery maker, for an informal handling session which will take you on an extraordinary journey of her life, inspirations and major turning points which led her to become a jewellery designer’.

She has taken part in a series of successful shows including:

• The British Crafts Fair
• Two Seascape, Artists Wimbledon
• Teaching Artists, Kingston University
• Richmond Arthouse Open Studios
• The Landmark Centre, Teddington
• The Avalon Gallery, Cornwall
• The Gilbert Collection Shop
• Alexandra Palace