Maggie Read Jewellery was established in 2020. Maggie, herself creates eco conscious handcrafted jewellery in the beautifully scenic village of Cornhill on Tweed, located in rural Northumberland and just a stone throw away from the Scottish Borders.
Read on to learn more about Maggie’s inspiring business journey, her love of jewellery and with the help from BIPC North East, explored the latest funding opportunities to help expand her business activities.
Photography by Hannah Layford
Tell us a little bit about you and your business
I have always been a lover of textiles, after extensive experience working in clothing along with completing a textiles degree, I began making my own creations with textile-based products moving onto jewellery and eventually combining the two. I then discovered that making jewellery was my main passion, which inspired me to develop my skills even further by attending several courses including completing a diploma in Silversmithing (Silversmithing covers the production and manufacture of pieces of silverware made in precious metals.) through the London Jewellery School.
After a period of acquiring new skills and self-development, I took the momentum to turn my business vision into a reality by launching the Maggie Read Jewellery website in 2020, which was an extremely exciting new chapter enabling me to design & create all types of a wide range of bespoke jewellery products to attract a wide audience. I try to make jewellery pieces that are different from other businesses within the market, by handcrafting unique designs made from silver with ethically sourced gem stones as well as working with enamelling and copper. In addition, I try to be environmentally friendly as possible, I use recycled materials, invest in eco-friendly packaging, and purchase my jewellery supplies from the UK.
Photography by Hannah Layford
How did The Business & IP Centre (BIPC) North East help you? What services did you access?
The BIPC was originally recommended to me by a friend who had previously been supported by the BIPC North East team to help them to access suitable grants to develop their website. I then booked an appointment with BIPC North East’s Library & Information Officer, Simon Hayward, who helped me explore the GRANT finder database and search for suitable funding opportunities relevant to my business. After completing a successful application to the relevant funder, I was delighted to receive a grant totalling in £5k.
Receiving a grant in this amount is amazing and has helped my business significantly, not only did it give me the capacity to deliver teaching classes but has opened doors for Maggie’s Jewellery to reach different people and markets across Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.
What is next for Maggie Read’s Jewellery?
I have very recently opened my own jewellery teaching studio within Cornhill on Tweed’s new charity centre, which is owned by the Cornhill Community Action charity. The centre currently houses five small businesses offering a wide range of products and services, now even made more accessible to serve Cornhill’s community including handcrafted products, yoga, tourism, and jewellery of course!
In my fully equipped jewellery teaching studio, I frequently deliver jewellery making classes to a wide variety of people and parties. My classes provide an enjoyable experience as learners are now able to explore the art of jewellery making as well as take their own bespoke pieces home with them!
I just could not believe the array of free information resources that BIPC North East have accessible and available to help small businesses . As my business opened across Northumberland, it opened a whole new area for me to explore. When I went along to see Simon, he had already done the research as to what type of grants I was eligible to apply for , which I did and I was successful, which was fantastic. I have sent a lot of business contacts Simon’s way for help on accessing future funding!
