International Women's Day 2024

Each year, International Women’s Day is a chance to celebrate women everywhere. Our workforce is around 80% women and we are delighted to be surrounded by an outstanding team throughout Sheila Fleet Jewellery, in our retail locations, the jewellery workshop, our busy office team, and everywhere between!

We'd love to introduce you to some of our valued team members and what they get up to at Sheila Fleet Jewellery!

Olivia Yorston | Designer & Master Pattern Maker

A bit about your role:

It's my job to draw and sketch ideas that I will then turn into pieces of jewellery. All Sheila Fleet jewellery starts with a concept, and that concept can come from many things: from butterflies in the garden, to Orkney's rich history and traditions. I sketch ideas, working directly with Sheila to decide on the final design. As I am also Master Pattern Maker it is my role to make designs come to life in metal. I make the masters out of silver, which are then used to make moulds for all the jewellery that comes after. It has to be perfect! Making jewellery is a mixture of creativity, technical engineering and sheer perseverance. You have to figure out a way to make your idea work for the master, and then all the other stages that come after.

How does it feel to be the person to make the masters for Sheila Fleet Jewellery and now to also be assisting Sheila with new designs?

I feel very honoured to be trusted with designing and making jewellery for such a wonderful company. It’s great to be able to use my creativity on a daily basis, and with the help of so many others, see my ideas come to life. Sheila has been an amazing support through all this. She is encouraging and has been responsible for helping me in developing my skills for this role and giving me this opportunity that I am so grateful for. Seeing someone wearing a piece I’ve created is a great feeling.

Olivia has assisted in designing collections including Butterfly and Shells and is currently working on some very exciting designs for 2024!

Erica Drever | Jewellery Enameller & Enamel Room Coordinator

A bit about your role:

I work in the enamel room where we add the coloured ground glass to Sheila's silver and gold designs. We use swan feathers, shaped into quills, to apply the enamel to the pieces. We blend the colours from dark to light to create the perfect ombré, and we'll combine up to seven enamels to create these colourways. When we're happy with the design, we'll fire the pieces in a kiln at 840°C for up to three minutes, depending on the size of the piece.

What do you find most interesting about your job, what is your favourite stage of the enamelling process and what is your favourite enamel colour?

My favourite stage of the enamelling process is seeing the jewellery come out of the kiln. Because the jewellery is so hot at that point, the colours are completely different, and it's really satisfying to watch the jewellery cool down and the colours change into the final design. The most interesting part of my job is developing the enamel colours for new designs. It's lovely to see something new coming to life. My favourite enamel colour to wear has to be Peacock or Tempest. I love how the colours contrast from the deep blue through turquoise-green to the paler colours at the end. My favourite to enamel is probably Shallows, Pentland or Meadow, which are some of our most popular colourways. Not a day goes by where I'm not enamelling something in those colours!

Coylah Entwistle – Glasgow Gallery Manager

A bit about your role:

I'm responsible for creating a perfect Orkney shopping experience out-with Orkney. I try to ensure our customers have a memorable day with us, helping to build a good relationship for years to come. I pride myself in taking care of the store as though it's my own and making sure my staff feel appreciated and supported. We have a large selection of Sheila's jewellery, and a beautiful display area to maintain and keep exciting for our returning customers, which I think we achieve brilliantly as a team. Teamwork makes our Glasgow dream work!

What is your favourite part of your job and what is the most loved piece of jewellery or collection by your customers in Glasgow?

It's difficult to choose only one so I'll go for two! My favourite part of my job is being a good team leader to my colleagues. It’s always been important to me that I'm an approachable manager to my team and that they feel supported where and when required. Out-with managing, I absolutely love displaying Sheila's jewellery in creative ways and seeing positive responses from anyone looking at the designs. I am definitely my own biggest critic, so it keeps me feeling challenged if I can rework something that I thought was perfect yesterday.

The most loved item in Glasgow is the Tidal 3-part Bangle in 9ct Yellow, White & Rose Gold, which is admired by all! Sheila's classic Pentland collection is also a consistent top seller in Glasgow, as well as in our other shops and online!

Eva Herdman | Retail & Merchandising Coordinator

A bit about your role:

Having worked for 13 years as the manager of Sheila's Jenners shop in Edinburgh, there's not much I don't know about her collections and the pieces that sell best. When I moved back to Orkney in 2012, this knowledge proved very useful when helping our trade customers decide what to order for their shops. I work with several of our biggest customers to organise what the new collections will be for the coming year and I set up new displays to include these new pieces. As well as helping our own shops with their displays, I also manage the jewellery catalogue that all shops use on a daily basis, coordinate jewellery samples to be sent to photography, and I help Sheila with 101 other little jobs around the workshop!

What is your favourite collection to display and why?

I can't say I have a favourite collection to display. (I certainly have favourite collections to wear but that's a different question!) I really love when we do a completely new display setup. Sheila and I usually work together to get the overall look of the display, especially if it's for one of our own shops. We'll decide what pictures to use, and what natural materials complement the jewellery best, such as beach pebbles, shells, seaweed or branches. You're always restricted by the size and shape of the cabinet, and what works for one shop maybe won't work in another. I think that's what makes this an interesting job: it's never the same day twice!