Based in Jerico, Oxford, the jeweller & silversmith Tony Thomson developed his passion for stones after seeing them being polished in a gem shop. His early work caught the eye of the sculptor, Dame Elizabeth Frink, who generously sponsored his first collection. Tony usually begins a piece by selecting some stones - maybe semi-precious, a fossil or opal, piece of slate, pearls, a diamond or bits of sea glass; these are his starting point and help shape how something develops. He then uses different silver and gold working techniques including cuttlefish casting, fabrication, stone cutting and setting. This process creates unique pieces that vary from the delicate to the unusual to the striking.