Tributes paid to inspirational jeweller

Diana Porter’s colleagues have paid tribute to their “formidable leader” as they announced that she has sadly died.

Diana trained as a teacher and later ran theatre companies, set up an arts centre in Bristol and ran a women’s festival in Birmingham.

But it is for her jewellery that she is best known, with the shop bearing her name set to continue on Park Street.

“It has been the greatest honour for us to work alongside a strong and inspiring woman,” her team wrote in a blog post.

“A prolific creative mind, she was not only renowned for her innovative design but creating work with integrity and honesty. She was a fighter and believer who fought hard to raise awareness for women’s rights and promote equality throughout the world we live in.

“I still cannot believe how lucky I have been,” said Diana Porter about her extraordinary life – photo: Jon Craig

“Diana’s passion for her work has been infectious, her collections like Diana herself, are so spirited and who she was as a person is palpable within her work.

“Over the years we have heard from hundreds of customers about what Diana’s jewellery has meant to them. How it has brought them comfort through difficult times or reminds them of a special person or moment in their lives. Her words have such meaning to so many. She loved meeting customers, finding out all about them, connecting with them through the design.

“She loved supporting upcoming and renowned designers, both through the gallery and also her own workshop.

“She bought many amazing people together. She was one of the first designers in the UK to produce her full collection in Fairtrade gold, with ethical sourcing at the forefront of her practises. She has been an inspiration to so many.”

Diana Porter was born in Weston-super-Mare in 1942 and grew up in Bristol – photo: Diana Porter

In her biography on the Diana Porter website, Diana herself wrote: “I wanted to be an actor. I trained as a teacher, had two children, was a single parent, did lots of amateur acting, found feminism, worked for 20-odd years as an arts administrator during which time I did fascinating jobs such as running theatre companies both in London & in Bristol, setting up a small scale theatre and community arts centre in Bristol, running Birmingham Women’s Festival.

“I campaigned for more money for the arts, for equality of opportunities for women, disabled people and ethnic minorities; I demonstrated against nuclear armaments.

“And then in 1990 I went to the University of Central England to do a three-year full time degree course in Jewellery and Silversmithing.

“I loved the way that working with metal centred and concentrated my mind; I learnt about design and form and my teachers pushed me to develop my design ideas which I now thank them for; I loved the History of Art part of the course and became passionate about investigating the history of the involvement by women in the arts and crafts. This was three years to take stock and to create – it was a gift and the jewellery is an outcome of that.

“On leaving college in 1993, I immediately started my own business making jewellery in my front room. In 1999 I was awarded UK Jewellery Designer of the Year!

“I’m passionate about keeping the manufacture of my jewellery in the UK and now have the shop of my dreams with workshops behind it, in my beloved hometown of Bristol. My current concerns centre around investigating the move towards ethical trading.

2018 marked the 25th anniversary of Diana’s ‘Sibyls’ collection of 21 pendants, each etched with a different affirmative word. The collection was originally created for her degree show and was a cornerstone of her jewellery career – photo: Bristol24/7

“Since visiting artisanal mines in Bolivia and seeing first-hand the conditions for the miners and the environment, the company became accredited by the Fairtrade Foundation. All our gold pieces of jewellery are now made in Fairtrade Gold as standard, something I am incredibly proud of.

“I still cannot believe how lucky I have been. The collections are in galleries and shops all over the country. I get to choose beautiful work to exhibit in the shop from other designers and I meet incredible people who come from miles around to consult about bespoke designs.”

Main photo: Diana Porter

Read more: Shop of the Week: Diana Porter Contemporary Jewellery