I am Pru McRae and I am a published jewellery designer, who specialises in jewellery made using kumihimo braids. My designs have appeared regularly in Beads and Beyond magazine since April 2010 and my work has also been published in Australian Beading magazine and Making Jewellery magazine.
In 2012 I won first prize in the Braiding Britain magazine for a beaded Kumihimo design and I have three times been a finalist in the Jewellery Maker of the Year competition.
I have loved jewellery in all its forms for as long as I can remember and over the years I have made items of jewellery in many different styles and from all sorts of materials. However, about 5 years ago I found myself with the time and inclination to make jewellery making my principal past time. I developed my skills by attending numerous workshops and by following tutorials in books, magazines and the internet. I started with simple stringing and linking, added pearl knotting to my repertoire and then took instruction in basic silversmithing and metal clay. Friends encouraged me to try beadweaving using seed beads and I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed working with such tiny beads. Then I discovered Kumihimo and it became the basis of most of my designs.
I live in the leafy suburbs of West London with my husband, two sons and two cats. I find endless inspiration in these surroundings, such as the glass and steel of the city, parades and pagentry, the colours in a front garden, geometric patterns in a public park or the mighty Thames.
My goals are to explore further ways of incorporating braids into jewellery as well as to bring Kumihimo jewellery to a wider audience.