Sarah Carroll Kelly is the woman behind Shock of Grey. She is a jewellery maker and DCCI member based in Kilmainham, Dublin. Sarah’s work is bold and unique, she creates handcrafted statement jewellery that is wearable art.

What’s a typical day in the studio like for you?

Lately the typical days have not happened due to lockdown and homeschooling but now that things are opening up again I’m back to starting at 8.30am in my studio (which is in my attic). I print out orders in the evening so they’re waiting for me when I start. I set alarms on my phone to remind me to take breaks, 11am for coffee and 1.30pm for food, because I can just zone out and not remember the time.

I’ll check my calendar and my production wall, this is where I’ve mapped out what I’m making on what days based on direct sales or wholesale orders. I usually pick and sand all the wooden parts and put them on sheets of paper with post-its noting what colour to paint them. Once they’re all painted I’ll work on the edges and then move on to glueing. Once that’s set aside I’ll start on the metal parts and assembly, then finally boxing them up and getting them ready for dispatch. I shop twice per week as the time going to Post Office eats into production time. I only check my emails after I’ve gotten what I planned done, otherwise I get sidetracked.