Laura Fedus is a London-based jewellery designer whose background in industrial design and architecture deeply influences her minimalist approach to jewellery making. Her creations, marked by clean, geometric lines and architectural forms, aim to "speak without language," transforming everyday adornments into sculptural expressions of personal style.

After pausing her creative ambitions to start a family, Laura rediscovered her passion for design through a transformative jewellery workshop in Forest Gate. This experience sparked a journey of refinement and self-discovery that led to her unique aesthetic. Laura's jewellery career is a testament to her belief that less is more, continually pushing the boundaries of conventional design while maintaining meticulous craftsmanship.

Her latest collection, Multiple Space Collection, set to debut at the Shine 2024 talent showcase, blends artistry with innovation through the use of precious materials. In her Multiple Space Collection, Laura transforms two-dimensional ideas into three-dimensional works of art that come to life on the body and can also be appreciated as modern sculptures. We sat down with Laura to discuss her journey and inspirations behind her latest collection.

Crafting a New Beginning
It started when I was little. I always liked working with my hands. I found studying industrial design for four years therapeutic. I liked that industrial design enabled me to create something that could speak without language. After finishing my studies, I started a family. Ten years passed and I felt I didn’t have enough skills to pursue jewellery design until I saw an advert for a jewellery workshop in Forest Gate. As soon as I started the course I had this huge sense of satisfaction that I’d never experienced before. I decided immediately to take it very seriously. I was so lucky - the teachers were great. It was around that time that I started experimenting with using paper prototypes. My passion was huge even when my technical skills weren’t.

Following on from that, jewellery-making quickly became a big part of my life, and I started a degree at Kensington and Chelsea College. It was a really amazing three years and I graduated with distinction. I didn’t feel like it was enough though, so I went on to study for another two years at Morley College.

I also made a website and an Instagram account. I’m passionate about photography, and when I started uploading photos to Instagram, I gathered followers surprisingly quickly. My dream was to gain 10,000 followers in a year but by Christmas, I already had 12,000. I didn't expect that level of support, it was amazing. I didn't feel that I was interesting enough to have that many followers. It helped me to believe in myself, though that is still something I’m working on. No matter how many people say you’re good enough, it really comes down to how you feel about yourself.

Kelvin Birk was my favourite tutor when I was doing my degree and when I met him again at New Designers, he invited me to join K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery, where I still am after many years. It’s really important to have a community surrounding you that will push you and give you different opinions - no matter how good you feel about your work, you need that. Katrin Spranger at K2 has also been a great source of support and inspiration.

I found my home at K2, and so many friends from different backgrounds. They have really inspired me. You tell yourself that it’s too late in life to start something new, but then I would see eighty-year-old jewellers producing powerful and meaningful pieces and think that there’s always enough time to grow and influence the world - no dream is ever too big.

A Dream Realised: Shine 2024
I'm so excited to be chosen for Shine 2024, especially when I compare my abilities and confidence to what they were seven years ago. Taking part in this kind of exhibition in London was something I’d dreamt about, now it’s really happening. That I was noticed means so much to me. I’m conscious that I can reach a wider audience and it’s a big commitment. As artists, we make not only for ourselves but also for others. It’s so important to have feedback. When someone is interested in my work, although of course, everyone applies their own meaning to a piece, it makes me happy to know that they feel some of the same emotions that I do.

Every part of the Shine training has been challenging for me. As it’s a short course, I have to be really disciplined in terms of time management, and that’s not easy with my busy routine. To make the most of it, I really have to concentrate, which is good for me. I’m happy to be challenged. Although I have a good eye for photography, the resolution and quality of my photos haven’t been so good, so in a short time, I’ve had to push myself to create better photos, and also work on my personal statement and pricing.

Design Aesthetic
I try to put less in my designs than more - they’re minimalist with straight, clean, geometric lines.

I make pieces and then subtract certain elements and details, to make the message stronger. It’s all about simplifying the lines and shapes. My designs are more like objects, and then I adjust the shape and play with how they might fit on the finger, experimenting with how to make them comfortable. I like the moment of surprise that that brings. I make use of all the space and the result is quite sculptural from all sides.

I’m not concentrating on the piece being a ring. I’m trying to create an interesting object which can reflect the wearer’s personality and emotions. I want it to be like the cherry on the cake - a powerful statement about someone’s personality that is communicated without speaking. Jewellery by itself is so powerful. It always has been throughout history.  I’m open to experimentation in the future, as I get bored so quickly. I’d love to draw from my experience in industrial design and maybe work on a bigger scale again.

Inspiration and Process
I don’t look for inspiration. It just seems to appear. I even find inspiration in things other people might consider broken or discarded. It doesn’t have to be something beautiful, and I think I’m more drawn to architecture, lines, and sculptural objects than to nature. I’m very good at noticing things. I’m always looking around and thinking about how I can apply my creativity to something. At the moment, I’m mostly thinking about rings and how designs might work on the finger. If I find something inspiring, I’ll often snap a quick shot of it. I also work with paper a lot, using scissors to cut out very simple ideas. I’m very open to mistakes, and many of my rings started with a mistake. My philosophy is to use mistakes to take a new approach to a design.

The first part of my process is usually taking photos. I can’t remember everything so it’s good to have a photo to refer to, to pick out details you missed the first time, and come up with different ideas. I also sometimes try to draw from memory, though not often, even though I was very good at academic drawing when I was studying industrial design. For jewellery-making, it’s enough to just draw a few lines and imagine how a piece is going to look, and it saves time, too. I then make a prototype of the design first in paper and I might experiment in non-precious metals so as not to waste materials.

Connecting with a Diverse Audience
I’m sometimes surprised by the customers who are drawn to my work. I expect my clients to be someone like me, but actually they can be from very different backgrounds. It’s very hard to predict. When I was at New Designers, it was interesting to see that my rings were appealing to a wide audience, both males and females. I was very happy with this, as I’m not trying to force it, I just make what I like and the pieces are naturally finding a diverse audience. Most of my customers find me through Instagram, or they’re friends of friends. I don’t do many pop-ups but would love to do more. You need to see a ring in person and put it on your finger to understand how it really looks, rather than just look at a photo. So the Shine pop-up is really exciting.

Looking Ahead
I’m really open to whatever opportunities come my way after Shine. I want to continue growing, reaching a wider audience and pushing myself creatively. I hope to keep surprising myself and finding new ways to show case my work.