Meet the Maker: Thomas P Cochran

Silver Inspiration from the Sea

Meet the maker Thomas P Cochran

Pictures Christian warren You know that the Isle of Wight is on the up when an international jewellery designer and maker relocates here from Mauritius — that jewel of an island with white sands and azure seas in the middle of the Indian Ocean — and sets up in the centre of our Island. Now at Arreton Barns, Thomas P Cochran’s stunning silver and gold jewellery, incorporating semi-precious stones, is inspired by the ocean but made to be worn anywhere. Thomas Patrick Cochran moved to the Island in December 2020 after Covid shut down Mauritius. His wife Carrie followed him shortly afterwards, and their son, also Thomas, has now joined them in the family business. Originally, they set up in attic rooms at Woodnutts’ Yard, overlooking Bembridge Harbour, but accessibility

was an issue so they moved to a smaller unit at Arreton Barns until this beautiful space, that was formerly Farmer Jacks, became available. Thomas and his family sadly had to leave their home in Zimbabwe, where he had worked in the gold mines and learned casting and refining. “Mauritius was a healing balm for the family, having left our home in Zimbabwe,” explains Thomas. “We collected our original shells from the beach there and cast our first pieces. We don’t buy in lots of shells, one shell can be used again and again,” he adds. “Our sustainable trail is very important to us,” says Carrie. “We use recycled silver, and our gold is certified Fair Trade. All of our stones come from a reputable British supplier who knows the provenance. Our packaging is either hand-made by us, or from a company that use recycled materials — The Tiny Box Company — who were a Dragon’s Den company. “Our ribbon for packaging is made from recycled plastic, and the furniture in our showroom is made from recycled wood and pallets,” adds Carrie, who hand makes the fabric pouches for jewellery items. The presentation of their jewellery is Carrie’s speciality, with pretty hand-painted driftwood-style boards of ombre sea colours setting off the (mainly) silver pieces to perfection. “They aren’t shells covered in silver,” laughs Thomas, “I get asked that so often. They’re cast using sand in our workshop here. We will be doing casting for other jewellers in the UK — we want to bring jewellery production to the UK, rather than overseas. “We mould our jewellery from real shells; we have a very precious box of the originals, many of them collected years ago by friends and donated to us. Our process of moulding from the real shell means we only need one.” Each piece is solid silver and assay marked by the Birmingham Assay Office. “This year they are doing a Jubilee hallmark and in 2020 they had an NHS rainbow,” says Thomas. This sounds like the ideal gift for a friend or family member, especially if they work in the caring industries or you want to mark the year of the Platinum Jubilee. Thomas also has bullion coins on sale in the shop — the ideal investment pieces that are also very beautiful with Liberty on the American five-dollar coin, Britannia on the British coin, and elephants on the attractive coin from the Ivory Coast. to the letter D. These are made from recycled military parachute cord and stainless-steel whales’ tails. Buy one of their D Shackle and Anchor bracelets and a donation goes to the local southern branch of the RNLI.

Thomas spent lockdown casting a full chess set with a travertine chess board. A labour of love, he intends to offer bespoke chess sets to discerning customers — and these could be cast in silver, copper or even gold. Plans are afoot to run courses and an area in the shop is currently being made ready for this, with Carrie’s interior design flair. You will be able to come and make your own silver ring or bangle, or maybe a clam ring. An ideal hen party idea, or for a small birthday party or a gift to someone you love. Thomas is hoping to offer courses in the ancient art of sand and cuttle fish casting too, and he might offer the option to encase Island sea-glass into a piece of jewellery. We’ll be letting you know more in our next issue of Style of Wight. Thomas P Cochran will have a shop on the Parade for Cowes Week (July 30th to August 5th), so do drop in to see them there, or visit them at Arreton Barns to see their stunning hand-cast jewellery and other sea-inspired pieces. “We love to interact with our clients and really value being able to offer a highly personalised service,” says Thomas. thomaspcochran.com