'I am excited to see where the journey takes me': Meet the Northern Ireland goldsmith turning precious metals into a thriving business

I grew up in a very creative family, so making things with my hands has always been a big part of my life.

My father, William, is a harp maker, my mother, Anna, is a ceramicist specialising in crystalline glazes, and my brother is a professional photographer. Creativity was all around me from an early age.

I was home educated, which gave me the opportunity to develop an appreciation for good design and learn the importance of working with my hands. I also had a particular love of small, intricate designs and working with metal, so it gradually became clear that jewellery making was something I wanted to pursue.

I went on to study jewellery at Belfast School of Art and the Art Academy of Latvia, graduating with a First Class Honours degree. Afterwards, I worked at Steensons Goldsmiths in its Glenarm workshop, where I gained invaluable practical experience.

The team there encouraged me to pursue my long-held ambition of becoming a self-employed goldsmith. With their encouragement, some business courses, a neighbour's very kind offer of a shed that I could turn into a workshop, and plenty of equipment, I took the leap.

Some of that equipment was funded with support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and I have now been self-employed for nearly five years. My business, Joel Metal Smyth, is based in Newtownards and continues to grow steadily.

I design and make jewellery collections in gold and silver, often incorporating precious stones. My work is sold through my online shop, craft fairs, exhibitions and events such as Garden Show Ireland and the Fleadh.

Nature and landscapes are a big inspiration for my designs, although I always try to bring something unusual and intricate to each piece.

Alongside my collections, I create bespoke jewellery for customers, sometimes working with heirloom gold and precious stones that have been passed down through families. I can refine the existing metal and transform it into something completely new and personal.

I also offer jewellery repairs, resizing and alterations. I seem to be developing a reputation for taking on technically challenging repairs that other jewellers have turned down, which is something I particularly enjoy.

Ideally, a typical working day is spent in my workshop, surrounded by the peaceful joy of using my tools, hands and mind to glorify God by making a beautiful piece of jewellery for someone.

Of course, the reality is that I am regularly called away from the bench to work on the website, apply for exhibitions or catch up with the administration that comes with running a small business. It might not be quite as enjoyable as making jewellery, but it is still satisfying when everything is done well.

One of the greatest rewards is seeing a customer's reaction when they collect a bespoke piece or discover one of my designs and fall in love with it. Seeing that happiness and the smile on someone's face makes all the hard work worthwhile.

There have been some special milestones along the way, too. I was honoured to represent Northern Ireland at the 2019 WorldSkills UK competition, and I received a bronze award from the Goldsmiths' Craftsmanship and Design Council for a bracelet from my Tactility collection.

It is particularly rewarding to look back and see how my skills have developed, and how one new design can sometimes grow into an entire collection, almost taking on a life of its own.

Of course, not everything goes to plan. One of the more frustrating aspects of working with precious stones is that occasionally they break. As the professional stone setter who taught me in London once said: “If a stone wants to break there's nothing you can do to stop it.”

It is a rare occurrence, but certainly a sad and expensive one when it happens!

If I could go back and do anything differently, I would probably have worked even harder to develop new skills earlier in my career. I might also have considered studying in one of the world's renowned jewellery centres, such as London or Birmingham, or taking an apprenticeship to gain an even greater depth of specialist experience. I would certainly have invested in a better heater for the workshop during the winter!

But everyone has things they might have done differently. The only time we can decide what to do with is right now, so I try to learn from the past and make better decisions for the future.

More recently, I have enjoyed some particularly rewarding metalsmithing workshops with spinal injury patients at Horatio's Garden in Musgrave Park Hospital. It has been a privilege to share some of my skills and see people engage with the creative process.

I am also working on an exciting new jewellery collection inspired by the wild Atlantic coastline of Ireland's west coast. The designs came together during a residency at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in County Mayo, and I hope to have the collection finished and ready to launch next year.

There are some other dates I am looking forward to in the meantime. Every Christmas, my family and I transform our home into a gallery, displaying and selling our crafts to customers, friends and people we have met at fairs. This year marks the 10th anniversary of our three-day open house, which is always a special occasion.

I will also be taking part in the St George's Christmas Twilight Market on November 24 and 25, from 4pm to 10pm. It had a wonderful atmosphere last year, and I am looking forward to being back.

Ultimately, I feel very fortunate to make a living doing something I love. There is always something new to learn, another skill to master or another design waiting to take shape, and I am excited to see where the journey takes me.