Meet Our Makers - Mere Glass

Welcome to the latest edition of Meet our Makers, our monthly feature introducing you to the talented makers behind many of the brands sold here at Hesta Scene.

This month we meet Hannah Hardill-Jones from Mere Glass.  Hannah creates a stunning range of Dichroic glass jewellery, each piece so unique.

Hannah is a talented jewellery designer/maker based right here in Cumbria. Mere Glass is inspired by both Hannah's Lake District home and her Norwegian heritage - including the work of her glass artist Aunt, Åshild Karevoll.

We asked Hannah to share with us the story of her creative journey so far, her inspirations and what lies ahead for her brand. Over to you Hannah...

I specialise in Dichroic Glass Jewellery which is quite simply mesmerising, entrancing, stunning, intense… I could go on. When you hold a piece of my jewellery and turn it from side to side, you’ll see what I mean.

The dichroic glass forms the bottom layer, the name means two colour so as you turn a piece to the side, you’ll often see a different colour emerging which adds to the fascination for me. I then add smashed glass coloured shards and powders to create abstract detail and interest. Finally I design my own clear top glass to fuse on top of the dichroic. It is this clear top glass that is so important as it gives luminosity to the pieces. These pieces are fused either once or twice and then paired with sterling silver to create beautiful jewellery pieces.

I think the jewellery colours are very striking, so a little goes a long way. Despite working with bold colours I try for a minimalist aesthetic. The name Mere Glass references both the Lakes "(Meres) of the Lake District but also means simple in Norwegian.

I’m obviously very inspired by my Aunt but I’m also inspired by the glass. Its decades on from me first working with this amazing glass and I’m still in love. I want to bring the best out of it, to show people the beauty, to make beautiful if small pieces of wearable art. I’ve also found the process of creating a brand and running a business very creative and inspirational. Designing a website, learning how to photograph the glass well (very difficult!) and building relationships with independent shops and galleries has been very rewarding.

I’ve always been a little more in love with the Ice Blue pieces. All the colours have something special, but I confess to Ice Blue having slightly more of a hold on me. Having said that, as I sit here typing, I’m wearing a Cool Pink Ida Necklace and a Cool Pink ring, so maybe there’s a new rival.

I’m very proud to be stocked in Hesta Scene, it is the kind of shop that people say “wow” about because it is so beautifully edited and curated so to be a part of that is a good feeling.

Right now I’m looking at my designs sheet which is covered in new designs and I’m slowly getting those made. We’ve just launched some stunning cufflinks and I know I can take working with this glass to another level using texture and transparency to really make spectacular if time-consuming pieces. 

The other exciting development for us is making Glass Wall Art. I broke my elbow in Norway this Easter and whilst recovering with relatives was just surrounded by all this beautiful glass art. It was the final push to say yes, I need to be making bigger artworks as well as the jewellery.

Earlier this month we closed the studio and headed back to Norway for a weeks training in various glass enamelling techniques. We got the basics, and by the end of the week were making some lovely pieces. We know we are just at the start of the journey but I’m sat here surrounded by this weeks enormous shopping list and a plan to redesign the studio to allow us to produce glass art and jewellery.

Thank you to Hannah for sharing her story with us. There is so much history shared between Scandinavia and Cumbria so it is very interesting to see a brand that spans both cultures. We look forward to see what comes next for Mere Glass.

You can find a selection of Hannah's jewellery in store right now, and can follow her over on Instagram HERE