Lisa Rothwell-Young: Friend of a Friend
The content of this article is the opinion of the writer and was written for The Source
Say hello to Lisa Rothwell-Young, your new Friend of a Friend hailing from Langholm, in the southern part of Scotland. Lisa runs a vegan studio, can trace her supply chains, and fabricates the jewelry of her eponymous brand by hand.
Lisa Rothwell-Young at her shop in Scotland. Photo credit: Barry Young.
Has anyone else made Instafriends, especially during Covid?
Lisa’s posts caught my eye and stopped the scroll every time: at first it was the eye-catching and beautiful jewelry. Then I noticed her frank disclosures about running a vegan shop (no rawhide mallets, presumably!) and found I was learning a great deal about how a metalsmith can be a leader in environmental betterment.
Something else that turned me from an Instagram follower into an Instagram friend: Lisa shared details about the tough days, as well as the beautiful ones. The flat tire…. the crappy weather… the challenge of renovating one’s shop – oneself! In this age of mechanism and distance, here was Lisa, inviting us to see her hands at work creating artistry in metal; here she was, welcoming us into her shop and even showing us, quite literally, behind the walls of her arduous renovation. What a welcome antidote: warmth and real-live humans, creating a more beautiful and conscientious world.
Christina Malle: Where are you right now?
Lisa Rothwell-Young: [I]n my office during a quiet moment at SpringFling Open Studios. [I’m] enjoying a lemon and ginger tea, having just had a really interesting conversation with a lovely lady who wanted to know more about gemstones
CM: Are you a designer or a maker? Do you routinely get your hands dirty/chapped/filed/scarred? If not, who fabricates on your behalf, if you feel comfortable sharing this?
LRY: I make all of my jewelry and have the broken nails, numb thumbs and rough skin to prove it!
CM: Do you have some go-to vendors or suppliers whom you find trustworthy? Do they share confirmable, vettable information about their own supply chains?
LRY: Yes, I work with a handful of people who I know well and who are very upfront and transparent about their supply chain. Stuart Pool from Nineteen48 has been particularly helpful and I appreciate the way a percentage of their profit goes to community projects.
CM: Please list some things readers can do to make their bench, studio workspace or business more ‘responsible.’
LRY: My cardboard packaging is 100% recycled, recyclable, compostable and uses plant based inks and no glue.
My electricity supplier is 100% renewable.
My water supplier is carbon neutral and builds wells in developing countries.
I use citric acid for pickle.
My customers can choose between 100% recycled metals (silver, gold and platinum) or Fairmined/Fair Trade gold.
My work is vegan.
I make to order as it’s less wasteful of energy and materials.
Handmade ring by Lisa Rothwell-Young. Photo credit: Barry Young.
CM: Are there any good books you are reading now?
LRY: I’ve just finished the Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I absolutely love second-hand bookshops, especially old books with beautiful art nouveau covers. I’d love to have a room in my house with floor to ceiling bookcases and ladders.
CM: Favorite aesthetic inspirations? Visual, musical, written…
LRY: Can’t beat a bit of art nouveau or art deco. Gorgeous doors and railings, beautiful old buildings and patinas, always antique over new. My jewelry inspiration comes from the natural world, plants, animals, and weather.
CM: Do you have mantras that keep you motivated, balanced or just plain sane?
LRY: Not really mantras as such: Do no harm, take no shit. No is a full sentence. Just because someone throws you a ball doesn’t mean you have to catch it. Stand for what is right even if it means standing alone.
Ring by Lisa Rothwell-Young, who traces her metals and gemstones. Photo credit: Barry Young.
CM: Favorite way to unwind, relax, or gain perspective…
LRY: A walk in nature or a swim in the sea (preferably warm)!
CM: Any triumph, big or small, you would like to share, along with a takeaway?
LRY: I can’t think of a particular triumph, but I do think the knack to doing hard things is to keep chipping away and not give up. I’m pretty determined and decisive.
CM: Is there a set-back you would like to share, along with a takeaway?
LRY: No major setbacks in my life, just more of the above!
CM: If you could change one thing about the jewelry industry (or the industry in which you work), what would it be?
LRY: That’s a biggie. I’d like to see it be more about doing the right thing, less about just making as much money as possible. The industry needs to hold itself to higher standards, less self-regulation. It is very possible to do things better.
Lisa Rothwell-Young’s bench at her studio in the UK. Photo credit: Barry Young.
CM: How can we -- all of us, collectively -- make the world a more harmonious and just place?
LRY: We can consider the effects of our actions on others and make better choices.
CM: If you could shadow any jeweler or maker, alive or departed, while he/she/they worked in the studio, who would it be?
LRY: I’m actually working with someone at the moment who is an amazing maker—a really generous person and all-round good egg.
CM: Do you have any advice for young people or anyone starting out in a new job?
LRY: Be reliable, ask tons of questions, remember it’s a two way street, you don’t have to work for anyone who can’t or won’t treat you properly and with respect.
CM: What do you wish you knew then (when you were first starting out as a jeweler, maker, entrepreneur, artist..) that you know now?
LRY: Ha, pretty much everything! When I mentor young makers I try to tell them all the things no one ever told me.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned to meet other Friends of a Friend in the future!
Chloe interviewed Jessica Hudson of The Nomad Jeweler on her latest collection that features ASM Colombian gold and Tahitian Kamoka pearls. Read the full article to learn more about Jessica’s story and why she chose to design with traceable artisanal gold and sustainable pearls.