I'm Susan.  I'm the designer and maker behind Thistledown Wishes and I live in Edinburgh, Scotland with my husband and three boys.  I create Thistledown Wishes jewellery from my home on a work bench which was made for me by my lovely Dad.  

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I have always loved creating things.  As a young girl I was always sewing and knitting and I can remember trying to make rings from wire that was so thin that I couldn't even take it on and off my finger without it deforming - luckily my rings no longer do that!!  I also love science and it was this path that I originally followed working towards a PhD in physics and then working as a scientist.  Once I had my children I realised that I wanted a career that allowed me to spend more time with them and this is when I decided to start Thistledown Wishes.  

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I have a love of the natural world and take so much inspiration from the plants growing around me and the way in which they change throughout the seasons.  I am very lucky to live beside the woods and very close to the sea and these are both frequent walking routes for me and provide constant inspiration.  

 

Ferns and lichen are among my favourite sources of inspiration and many of my pieces are designed around them.  Another source of inspiration is in looking at the world through a microscope, it's amazing to see the world in this way and all the mathematical patterns that are usually unseen by us.  The flowers in my garden are frequently under examination providing more inspiration for designs.