Jessica Awari-Tefé
Jessica Awari-Tefé is a British-Nigerian silversmith and jeweller based in the Scottish Borders. Specialising in the ancient technique of chasing and repoussé alongside traditional Japanese metal decoration, she creates objects in silver and one-of-a kind Jewellery inspired by direct observation of the natural world.
At the age of 20, while studying Materials Engineering and Metallurgy in Nigeria, Jessica Awari-Tefé began making choker necklaces as a creative outlet. What started as a personal hobby soon grew into her first jewellery brand, Choked by J, revealing a passion for making that engineering alone could not satisfy. As the business developed, so too did her desire to understand the craft more deeply, leading her to pursue formal training in jewellery.
After moving to the United Kingdom with her family, Jessica enrolled at K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery where she obtained a diploma in Jewellery design. She went on to undertake an internship with Stephen Webster in whose workshop she came across a catalogue on Japonisme, the influence of Japanese art on Western artists and craftspeople. Among its pages, she discovered nineteenth-century gold- and silversmiths whose response to Japanese art transformed the way they depicted the natural world. Having never seen chasing before, she was captivated by the delicacy with which flora and fauna were rendered in precious metal. It revealed a way of working that united craftsmanship with a profound reverence for nature, altering the course of her career.
Jessica later joined contemporary jeweller Bleue Burnham, refining her technical skills while gaining invaluable experience in craftsmanship and production. Yet it was chasing and repoussé that continued to occupy her thoughts. Bringing together drawing, observation and slow craftsmanship, it offered the expressive language she had been searching for.
Jessica later joined contemporary jeweller Bleue Burnham, refining her technical skills while gaining invaluable experience in craftsmanship and production. Yet it was chasing and repoussé that continued to occupy her thoughts. Bringing together drawing, observation and slow craftsmanship, it offered the expressive language she had been searching for.
Determined to learn the craft at its source, Jessica completed an internship with silversmith Miriam Hanid in Suffolk before travelling to Japan to study chasing, repoussé and other Japanese decorative techniques with master metalworker Kenji Io, working alongside Koichi Io and Mariko Sumioka. Beyond learning the techniques themselves, her time in Japan instilled an appreciation for a culture of craftsmanship rooted in patience, humility and the lifelong pursuit of mastery, values that continue to guide her practice today.
Returning to the United Kingdom, Jessica was awarded a place at the Bishopsland Educational Trust, where she spent ten months refining her silversmithing practice within Britain's rich tradition of metalwork. She was later awarded a residency at the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop through the Hugo Burge Foundation, where she continues to develop her practice among a community of contemporary silversmiths.
Today, Jessica’s practice is drawn from a direct observation of the natural world. Each piece outdoors, where she sketches wildflowers, leaves and landscapes from life before returning to the workshop to transform those observations through chasing, repoussé and Japanese metal decorative techniques. For Jessica, time spent in nature is more than a source of visual inspiration, it is a place of wonder, stillness and reflection. Her work seeks to honour the beauty of the natural world, inviting others to pause, look more closely and reconnect with the details that are so often overlooked.
Alongside her annual collections, Jessica welcomes private commissions, collaborating closely with clients to create bespoke jewellery and silver objects that celebrate personal stories, meaningful places and significant moments.
Her work has been recognised through opportunities including the Graduate Bursary at Goldsmiths' Fair, the Bishopsland Educational Trust and a residency at the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop. Whether created for a collection or a commission, every piece is made entirely by hand and reflects Jessica's belief that careful observation, skilled craftsmanship and time are among the most meaningful things we can invest in.
Jessica's work is rooted in a simple belief: that there is still so much beauty in the world if we would only take the time to look. Through careful observation, traditional craftsmanship and the discipline of making by hand, she hopes her work invites others to pause, look more closely and rediscover the beauty that surrounds us.
