Let’s connect through stories, jewellery, and creativity. After all, words are powerful and I love helping people wear the ones that matter most to them.
Hi, I’m Gillian, the maker behind Paper2pearls. I’ve always been creative and some of my earliest memories are of playing in my dad’s workshop, making models out of wood shavings and offcuts. Creativity runs in my family, my grandmother was a tailor, my mother an incredible knitter, and my sister a skilled seamstress. Creativity is definitely in my DNA.
For several years, quilting was my passion. I loved every step—designing, dyeing fabrics, piecing and quilting and I had begun to sell my work locally. But life had other plans. After developing chronic osteoarthritis in my neck, I had to give up quilting completely. It was heartbreaking, but my need to create never went away.
After much searching, I rediscovered origami—one of the many crafts I had done as a child and eventually that became my unique jewellery business. What started with folding models became origami jewellery after I had a “I wonder if ..?” moment. I did some research, learnt to fold using smaller squares of paper, taught myself some basic jewellery making skills and experimented with different varnishes and glues until I found my favourite combination and ways of working. I nervously added these to my range at my next market and – people loved it.
The following year, my confidence soared when I won a Theo Paphitis Small Business Sunday Award. I continued to sell at local markets as well as on Etsy and noticed that I was selling about twice as much book jewellery as that made from origami paper. In conversations at markets I learnt why people were especially drawn to this and once I saw this was consistently the case I decided to only recycle paper from old books and then added vintage sheet music. The first book I used was Pride and Prejudice, and my Elizabeth and Darcy pendant remains a customer favourite today.
Now, books are at the heart of everything I make. As well as the number of books customers can choose from I also offer a wide range of origami designs. I particularly enjoy designing pieces that relate to the book being used, flamingos and hedgehogs for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, uncaged birds for Jane Eyre and even ravens for Edgar Allen Poe!
In my work I hope to celebrate our literary heritage and how strong our connection to our favourite books can be, whether it’s a childhood classic,or a favourite novel. I love seeing fellow book lovers’ faces light up when they find a piece made from “their” story, and I’ve had the privilege of creating many special commissions, from memorial keepsakes to anniversary gifts.
Paper2pearls is more than just jewellery, it’s a way to celebrate the emotional pull of books, to hold your favourite words close, and to carry a little piece of story with you every day.
I feel so lucky to have turned a difficult chapter in my life into something positive, something that brings joy not only to me but also to others. Ten years on, I’m proud of how far Paper2pearls has come, and I’m excited about the next chapter.
