I’ve always been obsessed with fish. As a child my tropical fish tank and my pond were my pride and joy and a huge source of entertainment. I was also a keen fisherman until one day I decided it was cruel to catch them purely for sport.

My parents would take us to Britanny for our annual holiday and one day, bored of sunbathing and other beach activities, I took myself off for a solo swim in search of fish. I snorkelled along and saw very little, but then I noticed a lone fish resting on the sand beneath me. It was quite unremarkable until suddenly, startled by my presence, it spread these beautiful, oversized pectoral fins, like huge fan-shaped wings of blue and green. Presumably this was to make it appear larger in order to ward off predators, in this case me. I followed it for a while until it swam off faster than I could keep up. I had never seen anything like it. Once back at home I was able to look through my many fish books to identify the species - a Flying Gurnard.

There are many different varieties of Flying Gurnard, in a range of colours, often with a blue spot, like an eye, on each wing. 

This necklace is a little nod to that fleeting yet unforgettable moment and a continuation of my exploration into fin/wing shapes with radial vanes.