Ann Smyth Stained Glass

Based in a quaint little cottage in the middle of beautiful Castle Ward, Ann Smyth has set up her studio among the stunning scenery of Strangford Lough.

Ann is a stained glass artist who began her career designing and creating stained glass for churches and public buildings. She has designed pieces for Bangor Abbey, St Anne's Cathedral and Belfast City Hall. 

After  a number of years designing bigger projects, Ann started making smaller pieces to sell online and at craft fairs. Her products are all handmade and have unique character, no two are the same.

As well as cutting glass and making unique items for your home, Ann also makes jewellery by pressing natural products such as flowers, feathers and butterfly wings between glass. From that she makes beautiful earrings, necklaces and cuff-links.

Ann is inspired by nature. She loves the history that surrounds her especially the 18th century property her cottage lies on near the village of Strangford. A lot of her home-ware pieces are made using medieval stained glass techniques.

Some of Ann's jewellery is designed to manipulate with light, changing colour as the sun hits them at different angles. That is just one way that these pieces are unique.

The butterfly wings used to make the necklaces are from butterflies that have died naturally as they have such a small life span with some only living for up to three weeks. They are sent to Ann from a butterfly farms that support butterfly conservation
 

Because both sides of the wing have different patterns the necklace can be worn either way round. This is the same case for the feathers used, each feather is unique and can look different when caught by the light.

I love that each piece can be worn casually or to dress up an outfit. All of her pieces are so different, perfect for someone who may love a pop of colour or others who are a little more subtle with their accessories.

You can visit Ann's studio on Saturdays and Sundays at Caste Ward or you can shop online at her Etsy shop.

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