Human Resources Manager to Jeweller – how did that happen?

Well, like a lot of new mums, things change in your life, like your desires for you and your family. After my first son was born, I knew that I didn't want to go back to my grown-up job. I mean, it was so much fun staying at home being a mum (I was, at this stage, overly hormone-induced happy). As Alex and I got into a routine, well I started to get bored. I was VERY lucky, Alex was a great baby. He was easy, slept and fed well, and put himself into a routine very early on.

So as Alex turned five months old, I opened my first online business. I sold nursing clothing and loved it. I researched clothing, set up the website, learnt about advertising and, most days, Alex and I would go to the Post Office with our orders. Bliss!

Then baby boy number two arrived – 18 months after Alex. I was still happy running my online business. I went into hospital and came out with Ethan and a stack of online orders. In my mind, I was a rocking mum entrepreneur. But, oh did reality bite me on the bum! Ethan was not the chilled-out, calm baby that Alex had been; and Alex was now a busy toddler. I was reduced to a sobbing, lactating, hormonal, post-nataly-depressed mother of two with an online business. Oh, and we had decided to emigrate to Canada.

During this chaotic time, my husband and I decided that I needed to do something for "me" – whoever that was. And so I signed-up to learn silversmithing. One evening a week, I would design, saw, solder and polish and learn to become creative. I loved these three hours a week and was soon hooked on jewellery making.

Part 2 to follow...