24/11/2025
They say it’s an overnight success- of 20 years..
Talent is a pursued interest - and looking back on 25 years of my jewellery journey makes me proud of how far things have come…
Here are a few moments that shaped the path to where we are today:
2008 - After returning from Mexico, where I learned gold smithing and fell in love with gemstones, I began selling my work in Cambridge with my then husband (and other half of Gallardo Blaine) and best friend.
2016 - Taking part in craft fairs - of which I did for 15 years, shows such as Gifted, which eventually brought me to Dublin…
2017 - Seeing the Drury Street shop for the first time, back when we were just leasing the basement. It was a clothing store back in the day!
June 2017 - Launching The Collective. I was blown away by how warmly people responded to our small but mighty jewellery store!
2018 - Bringing my mum down to our basement shop when it was laid out for our new ring making workshop! Two trestle tables pulled out of the cupboard when the shop shut at night!
2017 - Our very first shop window display - simple, but filled with heart (and hiding the alterations shop behind us with a curtain!)
2019 - We took over the ground floor as well. Jackie, my right-hand lady was there through every step...
2019- Silver Works expanded to the ground floor as well..at the back of the store!
Fast-forward to today and we have four floors of jewellery - Silver Works on the first and second floors, and The Collective on the ground floor and The Collective Studio in the basement.
Most recently - I carved out time to return to my creative roots and launched a whole new range - Madeleine Sculptural Jewellery, a passion project that reconnected me with the joy of working in wax and the beauty that there is always something new to do in this field...
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey - The Collective wouldn’t be what it is without the people who supported, collaborated, cheered, and believed along the way.
I hope this encourages anyone chasing a dream to keep going. The road isn’t always easy, but with persistence and passion, you get there in the end x