Blog

  Since setting up her jewellery business in the 1960s, Ola Gorie has drawn inspiration from a range of sources, including the ancient past, her surrounding environment, her home in Orkney and from other pioneering designers. One such designer was Jessie M. King, a prolific early 20th century artist, known for her paintings, illustrations, ceramics, textiles and jewellery.  King was a contemporary of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret MacDonald (also inspirations to Ola) and studied at the Glasgow School of Art during its Art Nouveau heyday in the early 1900s. She was most celebrated in her lifetime for her fabulous...

One of Ola’s enduringly popular jewellery collections is Skara Brae, inspired by the discovery of a Neolithic village at the Bay of Skaill, on the west coast of Orkney, in the mid 19th century. Ola’s handcrafted pieces takes their inspiration from the stones and artefacts discovered on the site, which was properly excavated in the late 1920s. The site excavation was led by Professor Gordon Childe, the first professor of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, who was brought in to preserve the site for the public. Childe has long been credited with the dig and its historical findings but it...

Welcome to 2021!  We had a few days off, making the most of a spell of crisp clear weather to go for walks in the beautiful Orkney landscape.  Not sure if you can tell from this photo, but Stenness Loch was actually frozen solid on January 4th! We are all back at work now, and delighted to receive your questions and orders.  We have good stocks in most collections - and if we have to make something specially for you it won't take too long, and will be just that wee bit extra special. We are in the office part-time,...