Rachael Plassard
Jewellery Artist in Old Portsmouth
Hello, I'm Rachael, a jewellery artist and goldsmith working from my studio and shop at the Hotwalls in Old Portsmouth, where I make handmade silver and gold jewellery, take on bespoke commissions, and teach small-group jewellery making workshops.
I'm a third-generation jeweller. I grew up making jewellery alongside my mum and grandma, both of them wonderful makers, so the workshop was always just part of home.
For a long time though, I thought my path was somewhere else entirely. I studied music and spent several years working as a saxophonist, and it was only after finishing my degree that I found myself irresistibly drawn back to jewellery — seeing it this time with a completely new perspective, and falling deeply in love with the craft.
I was so lucky to be able to learn under my mum's tutelage, and went on to take courses at West Dean and Morley College before finding my way to Hatton Garden, where I interned and worked across all sorts of roles, soaking up as much of the industry as I possibly could.
Then, after my daughter was born, I decided it was finally time to go and properly figure out my identity as a maker. That became a two-year MA in Jewellery at the University for the Creative Arts — an incredible journey of self-discovery, and where my work at last found its subject.
Handmade silver and gold jewellery
I make highly decorative jewellery in silver and gold: ornate, richly layered, and unashamedly maximalist. Almost all of it comes back to the acanthus leaf, a motif I've become completely fascinated by, and one that has been reinterpreted throughout architecture and the decorative arts for centuries as a way of elevating and embellishing everyday things.
Underneath all that decoration, my work is about memory — its fragility, its imperfections, and the ways it changes over time. Shaped by the experience of losing someone very close to me, my collection A Place to Remember considers what we choose to hold onto, and how objects can become small shrines that preserve the memory of something, or someone, lost.
Ornament has become my way of saying the things that are difficult to put into words. It's a way of holding onto something fragile, gently disguising imperfections whilst giving value and significance to what might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten. Frames appear throughout the work too — a frame protects the thing it holds, which quietly admits that thing is fragile, and an empty frame says something else again.
My process: traditional goldsmithing techniques
Every piece begins with drawing. From there it's marked out and pierced by hand, and the surfaces are built up in layers — etching, roller printing, keum boo, gold plating and oxidising — until they reach the richness and opulence I'm after. What might look at first glance like a Greek headdress, or a baroque frame, turns out on closer inspection to be something far more contemporary.
I work intuitively, allowing myself to become completely absorbed in the flow of making, which does mean I rarely know quite what a piece will be until fairly late on. It's only right at the end, when I lift, twist and form the metal, that it truly comes to life — a delightful and satisfying process of experimentation and discovery, and still my favourite part of the whole thing.
My studio and shop at Hotwalls Studios, Old Portsmouth
Back in January 2025 I applied on a whim for a studio at the Hotwalls in Old Portsmouth, a beautiful row of little workshops built right into the old sea wall, looking out over the water. It's such a competitive spot that I really didn't let myself hope, so when I found out I'd got it I was absolutely over the moon. After three years happily squeezed into a teeny tiny studio with my mum, having a space that is completely my own — to make, to sell, and most importantly to meet people properly — has honestly been the most exciting step in my career so far.
The door is always open, and I would love to see you. You're very welcome to come and browse the collections, talk to me about a bespoke commission or an engagement ring, watch me working away at the bench, or join me for one of my jewellery making workshops in Portsmouth and make something beautiful of your own. I do run the studio around two small children, so my opening hours shift about a little — they're kept up to date on the website, and if there's a particular time you'd like to visit, just give me a shout and I'll happily open up for you.
I send a newsletter every month or so — new pieces, workshop dates and studio news, usually before anything goes on Instagram. Sign up here
"My parents commissioned Rachael to craft me a ring for my graduation. She worked closely with me from start to finish to develop a completely unique design — we settled on the most beautiful silver signet ring with engraved honeysuckle flowers. It is a statement piece and represents for me my parents love, exquisite craft and celebrates my independence and ability. My parents also had their initials engraved on the back of the ring and it now feels like a timeless piece. One that will no doubt become an heirloom, passed on with love, to the next generation."
- M. Prosser
For galleries, press and stockists
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Rachael Plassard is a third-generation jeweller whose work reinterprets historical ornament, with a particular fascination for the acanthus. Taking a maximalist approach, she layers etching, roller printing and keum boo to build richly decorative surfaces. Beneath them she weaves personal narratives of memory, fragility and loss. She works from her studio at the Hotwalls in Old Portsmouth.
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Rachael Plassard is a jewellery artist based in Old Portsmouth. A third-generation jeweller, she grew up making alongside her mother and grandmother before completing a music degree and working as a saxophonist. She returned to jewellery through short courses at West Dean and Morley College and several years working across Hatton Garden, and in 2022 undertook an MA in Jewellery at the University for the Creative Arts.
Her work reinterprets traditional ornament, taking the acanthus motif as its central language. Using saw piercing, etching, roller printing, keum boo and oxidising, she builds layered decorative surfaces that fade, fragment and break away. For Rachael, ornament becomes a way of holding onto something fragile, gently disguising imperfections whilst giving value and significance to what might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten.
She received a silver award at the Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Awards for her Acanthus Frame necklace, and was selected for the Goldsmiths' Centre's Shine programme in 2026. Alongside her collections and bespoke commissions, she teaches jewellery making from her studio at Hotwalls Studios, and has taught at West Dean College, FORGE and Meon Valley Studio.
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Rachael's collection 'A Place to Remember' explores personal narratives and the nature of memory — its fragility, imperfections, and the ways it changes over time. Through ideas of beauty and loss, and shaped by the experience of losing someone close to her, the work considers what we choose to hold onto and how objects can be small shrines, preserving the memory of something or someone lost. Ornament and decoration are used as a visual language for stories that are difficult to express in words. Rachael is fascinated by the acanthus leaf and the way this historical motif has been reinterpreted in architecture and the decorative arts. For her, ornament becomes a way of holding onto something fragile, gently disguising imperfections whilst giving value and significance to what might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten. By extracting these motifs from everyday objects she creates small, portable pieces of art. Through a process of drawing, piercing, carving and forming, each unique piece evolves.
CV
2026
Dazzle @ Dovecot, Edinburgh
Shine, Goldsmiths' Centre
Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey — The Byre Gallery Showcase Award
2025
Getting Started: Spotlighting, Goldsmiths' Centre
Making It, MAKE Southwest
Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey
Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Awards — Silver, Mixed Metals & Patina
Bircham Gallery, Norfolk
Victoria Sewart Gallery, Plymouth
2024 and earlier
Refiguring Nature, Mayfair Gallery — London Craft Week
New Designers — Diana Porter
Forged & Formed, FORGE