Artistic Practice

Elsa Tierney is a London-based artist-jeweller whose work occupies the space between jewellery and sculpture. With a background in Fine Art and more than fifteen years of professional experience in jewellery, she creates distinctive, sculptural works designed to be worn and exhibited on the body.

Her practice is rooted in a fascination with jewellery, sculpture and historical artefacts, particularly objects that appear to have been unearthed, carrying a sense of mystery, age and permanence. This interest is brought into dialogue with the visual language of modernism, drawing inspiration from artists including Brancusi, Man Ray and Tamara de Lempicka, alongside the geometry and elegance of Art Deco, Bauhaus and Futurist design.

Wax is central to her practice. Through carving, modelling and the Japanese wax-sculpting technique Mitsuro Hikime, Elsa explores the relationship between gesture, texture and form, allowing the material itself to inform the development of each piece. Her approach combines traditional jewellery-making with a Fine Art sensibility, resulting in works that are as much sculptural objects as they are jewellery.

A fascination with ancient adornment and historical objects continue to inform her work. She is drawn to pieces that suggest they have a story beyond their function. Her jewellery is conceived as contemporary artefact: sculptural, tactile and highly individual, with a presence intended to endure beyond the moment of wearing. Each work is made by hand and approached as an individual object, existing somewhere between adornment, sculpture and collectible art.

For Elsa, making begins with a dialogue between material and form. Whether working with wax or metal, the process starts at the bench with an idea, allowing the piece to develop through direct engagement with the material.

Wax is central to her practice, offering an immediacy and freedom that allows form to be carved, shaped and transformed intuitively. Rooted in the ancient tradition of lost-wax casting, wax enables her to work directly and sculpturally, creating forms that can move beyond conventional approaches to jewellery.

Her practice embraces the qualities of wax as both a jewellery-making and sculptural medium. Carving, modelling and building form by hand allow texture, gesture and proportion to evolve organically, often revealing possibilities that are not apparent at the beginning of the process. This physical relationship with the material is an important part of the work, creating a balance between intention and discovery.

Trained in jewellery making and with a degree in Fine Art from Sir John Cass & Guildhall University, Elsa brings together traditional jewellery techniques with the principles and visual language of sculpture. Influenced by modern art and design, her process is deliberately exploratory, allowing each piece to emerge as an individual object with its own character and presence.

The act of making is an essential part of the practice. Working by hand creates a concentrated and contemplative space in which ideas can develop through touch, observation and repetition. The resulting pieces retain the marks and subtle irregularities of their making, a record of the artist's hand and the journey from initial idea to finished work.

Awards & Accolades
 

. 2025 Silver - Goldsmiths Award winner for Lapidary & Carving category

. 2019 Bronze - Goldsmiths Award winner for the 3D modellers category

·       2018 Bronze - Goldsmiths Award winner for the 3D modellers category

·       2015 Gold - Goldsmiths Award winner for the Raw Pearls category

·       2016 Silver - Goldsmiths Award winner for the QVC category

·       2017 Goldsmiths Award commendation exhibitor

·       2016 Benchpeg Award Finalist