About Gee Backhouse – La Creatrice

I design and make jewellery for people who are looking to celebrate special occasions and significant milestones.

It’s jewellery for people, just like you, who are looking for something as original and distinctive as they are.

One day I decided to change my life and follow my dream; I moved to France from England, leaving a career behind to pursue my creativity as a designer craftsman. I now spend my days in my workshop studio, surrounded by wonderful tools and with a sunny view from my bench.

The decision to change my own life is part of what lies behind my passion for creating compass pendants and compass jewellery.

Jewellery for Your Journey

I create jewellery that looks and feels good ~ I also consider the wearability of each piece to ensure it sits comfortably against the wrist or collarbone and won’t snag on clothing. I want you to feel beautiful in my creations; my jewellery is designed to be worn as a reflection of you and your personality, to become synonymous with who and where you are on your journey through life.

Timeless Elegance, Effortless Style

Exhilarated by the fusion of rocks, water, mountains and ocean, I incorporate this energy into my designs. Like a sorceress I combine the fluidity of metal with the solidity of quartz and gemstones to create beautiful and expressive jewellery. Jewellery that embodies smooth sensuality, enduring strength, timeless elegance and effortless style.

Handmade Gold Jewellery

Hand-crafting raw materials creates unique quirks and idiosyncrasies that are often only revealed by close inspection; a piece of custom made jewellery is like a beautiful secret that only fully reveals itself to its owner. The more you wear your creation the more intimately you know and understand it. The magic continues working…

La Creatrice

The French have a term ‘La Creatrice’ – a creator, a designer. I am the artist behind my creations ~ and the woman behind the artist.

My life is an adventure and I am in my element. I am ‘La Creatrice’.

Early Independence

My career story started in Information Technology where I used to design and build databases for clients such as Microsoft and Guinness. Life was very comfortable but, well, just not the stuff of adventurers. I felt there was more to life and wanted to do something I felt passionate about.

Since then I’ve changed my life, become a goldsmith and moved to France.

Becoming a Goldsmith … Evolved

Coming from a family of fine art dealers provided me with an opportunity to see many beautiful creations, in a variety of forms. Paintings, glassware, furniture – and, of course, jewellery. It also meant meeting a rich mix of people and gave me a window onto how others appreciate art. For some it’s an inexplicable attraction, for others, purely an investment.

Treasures from the Past

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved jewellery. Visiting antiques fairs with my Mum, through much of my childhood, gave me exposure to a lot of jewellery from various times in history. I remember sifting through boxes of treasures and trinkets that had once been cherished. Signs of their wear and tear sparking my imagination of what those pieces of jewellery had witnessed, the stories they carried within them. Who had owned and worn them? Where had they travelled?

Practical by Nature

I’ve also always been very practical and good with my hands. In addition to jewellery, I make all sorts of creations using fabrics and wood and hoard stashes of these materials that are under the threat of disposal. I chose woodwork over cookery at school. Growing up, I spent hours and hours in workshops helping to rebuild old LandRovers and other farm vehicles. But that’s another story.

The Skills of the Craftsman

Through a friend with whom I shared a weakness for fabrics, I met a Master Craftsman of Goldsmiths’ Hall. A gentleman with a wealth of knowledge and skills and a gift for teaching, he took me under his wing and agreed to one-to-one tuition in his private workshop. A stickler for precision and the correct use of techniques, he provided the perfect setting for the hungry apprentice – me. On the solid foundations from his tuition, I have continued to develop my skills through dedicated practice for several years. For me, creating jewellery in my workshop is a kind of alchemy.

The Adventurer Within

I became a goldsmith by deciding to live a life of adventure; to risk the safely familiar in favour of being involved in something that inspired me. With an open mind I looked out for opportunities, tried new things and made mistakes. I applied myself to finding a way of living a life that truly engaged me. And I found my place with the creation of beautiful jewellery, in a wonderful part of the world.

Everyone has a story, and the story about the rest of your life starts today.

I hope my creations inspire you to Choose Your Direction.