My name is Victoria and I'm the sole designer and maker at Bikudesigns. I've been living in Japan for over 2 decades and I'm originally from the UK. I started making costume jewellery when I was a teenager and as an adult I turned to more serious materials such as gold, silver, semi-precious and precious stones. While studying in New York I learned classical jewellery techniques at The Jewelry Art
s Institute as well as commercial jewellery production and diamond setting at Studio Jewelers. In Japan my jewellery studies continued in a more apprenticeship-style approach, where accuracy was the key and the curriculum was prescriptive. All of these methods gave me a good grounding for my metalwork skills as well as giving me the opportunity to develop an understanding of my own design aesthetic. Stepping away from jewellery design for a time while my children were small babies, I embarked on Ikebana (Japanese flower art) training. After a period of 5 years or so, I eventually became a Sogetsu teacher-trainer. Flowers, and the passing of the seasons, are still a constant source of inspiration to me, especially as I am now surrounded by seasonal kimono silk designs from across the decades. And here I am, in my tiny little studio, packed to the gills with materials, happy to be back at the bench again.
