Elsa in her studio
For London-based, Basque-born jewellery designer Elsa Gomez, a surprise 50th birthday present unleashed a new career opportunity and increased her confidence. Having moved to the UK with her husband and one-year-old son, 20-years ago, establishing herself as a freelance photographer wasn’t easy. ‘Everyone around us felt very settled professionally and economically,’ she explains, ‘and we were just starting out.’ After a decade in London, Elsa’s confidence suffered, ‘ As a photographer you have to sell yourself and that’s not me, ‘ she adds. The midlife pivot occured when Elsa took a part-time job in a small, local boutique and started experimenting and making her own jewellery (at home).
‘ When my husband gifted me a jewellery course for my 50th birthday, there was no turning back. I immediately fell in love with jewellery design and started my business brass+bold. It is nine-years old in November, on my 59th birthday!’
For my latest Creative Women at Work feature, Elsa talks about how establishing a second career by launching an independent jewellery business helped to turn her life around:
TNMA: Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your background, please?
I grew up in Spain’s Basque Country when General Franco was in power in the late 60s and early 70s, my sister and I were raised mostly by our mother, alone. Given that we lived under the regime of a dictator, it goes without saying that life was very different and think we grew up quite isolated from the world in many ways. As I get older, I am able to appreciate how this upbringing influenced my nature and character more that I was able to understand at the time.
In my late 20s I moved to the UK, lured by British partner, now my husband (who had been teaching English in Bilbao) . Everything changed; a new language, new friends, culture, landscape and so on. I had no career or job prospects, and I certainly had no plan! During the early years in the UK, my shy nature and lack of confidence grew and looking back was probably an impediment for many years. I became a self-employed portrait photographer for a while, but any illusions of having a career were dented. Money was tight, my husband ( now running his own business) out at work all hours, and I was bringing up our young son.
Even though I am a positive person, my self-confidence spiralled in a downward direction and I became withdrawn, sometimes just not wanting to leave the house. Starting from scratch was much harder than I expected – as a mother, a family member and a professional – but life is long, so there are these moments and we survived!
After an intensely unhappy period, when I was around 40, I managed to get a job in a small boutique called Sublime, behind the counter. This, I think, was a subtle but all-important turning point in my life.
TNMA: How did working in the shop help?
Unwittingly I found myself in a place where I felt comfortable. Surrounded by design, colour and chatty customers who were searching for things to make them feel good. Eventually, just as a hobby, I rekindled my childhood interest in making jewellery and started threading components onto chains and making simple earrings at home. Just the act of making, made me feel better and with this came more confidence and happiness. I carried on and decided to ask the boutique if I could display a few items in the shop… just to see. I will never forget that time. It was glorious! People loved the pieces I made. It was an amazing feeling.
Then, when my husband gifted me a jewellery course for my 50th birthday, there was no turning back. I took a leap and made brass+bold my full-time job. Today, the company employs three assistants and you can find my pieces in 50 independent shops and galleries around the UK, from Brighton to Shetland. And the boutique where it all started still stocks my work!
TNMA: Tell me more about your jewellery, Elsa
Always having been a creative person, I enjoy visual arts, product design and architecture. I love simplicity and honest materials. My jewellery collections and pieces are based on simple ideas of balance, equilibrium, movement and geometry.
First and foremost, I want women to choose and wear my designs because they identify a sense of themselves ( and also a sense of me) in the piece. I want my work to be able to communicate in this way so that the wearer feels they know the designer/maker and that the work celebrates this relationship. I like to feel very close to my customers. Secondly, I want women to feel confident, stylish and contemporary.
Some of my best-selling pieces are my first designs. My ‘Less is More’ collection which launched brass+bold is as popular now as it was eight/nine years ago. This is a testament to timeless design. Each time I bring out a new collection there are always one or two pieces that customers gravitate to. My best-seller so far this year are my Gardena Glass Bubble earrings (pictured above). This is probably in part because they were featured in The Observer magazine recently.
TNMA: Tell me about working your studio and workshop
My studio is in my garden and was built by my husband. The studio is small but adequate, although it is very full indeed. All the drawers are brimming over with historical collections and pieces I have made and also with materials I am currently using. The walls are also covered with gemstones and my collections of other works from my favourite makers I meet at markets. I think it is really important to swap pieces with other makers as often as you can.
The studio is so valuable, it’s the perfect place to put on a podcast and get lost in making. It’s small and simple but I love it!
TNMA: What’s important to you when designing? And what appeals to you about working with brass?
Brass is such an alluring material because it has a softness to it – and a richness of tone I haven’t found in other materials. Brass can also be recycled an infinite number of times and does not lose its chemical or physical properties in recycling. All my pieces are made from off-cuts of recycled brass. This is a huge advantage environmentally, which also makes brass a very affordable material to work with. I also like the fact that it does need some maintenance, but revitalising it is a simple process. It’s a bit like wood in that sense. I think it’s good to have the mindset of taking time and effort to look after things.
TNMA: How does the creative process work?
For me there is nothing like holding something in your hand. Feeling the weight, appreciating the shape and how it might interact with other shapes, how the light reacts with the materials. Matte against shiny tones, delicacy against bold and so on. When creating designs, I always allow the material to lead me on a journey. This makes my designs spontaneous rather than planned so I never sketch. Instead, I have a ‘three-dimensional’ sketch book in my studio where hundreds of my designs hang on the wall. I am definitely inspired by simplicity, strong shapes that are punctuated by colour. What is most important for me is that the designs have a strong identity and that my character is somehow conveyed through the pieces.
I didn’t set myself any level of expectation when starting brass+bold but I knew that if I stayed true to myself and let my personality grow through my pieces then this would be the best thing. It is still a surprise actually, when I receive lovely comments, customers who keep coming back and the acknowledgement and support from the industry. It’s truly wonderful!
TNMA:..and what’s a typical day like?
Customers are my top priority, so the first thing on the agenda is to fulfil online orders and make sure wholesale orders are being logged, organised and packaged. A typical wholesale order may take a whole day to prepare so tasks have to be staggered. There is one place that I can guarantee I will always be at the end of every day and that is the post office.
Running an independent business means spinning many plates at once. I am very glad that brass+bold has grown organically because it has helped me structure my days as my business has developed. Each day I will always dedicate some time to social media, organising and planning face-to-face markets/events, researching and testing new ideas and materials, and stock taking. I am very lucky to have extra help from two wonderful craftspeople who help make my designs and another who helps to ensure my pieces are packaged to perfection.
If I manage it, there might be a walk in the woods during the morning or a portrait drawing class in the evening. Weekends are dedicated to either market events or recharging the batteries.
Elsa in her garden studio
TNMA: What’s your advice to other makers who want to change careers?
First and foremost, I think you have to create something that is a reflection of you, an extension of your personality with a strong focus on quality and customer care. If these things are in place and the business is allowed to grow organically, however small, then it will provide a strong foundation which will make the transition to a full-time career a natural one. One that has substance.
Pitching the product to the right market is also extremely important. My customers are much like me, so there is a natural understanding and common ground. Always try to value what you do fairly, to make sure that your price point works. Never be afraid to change and never be afraid to start a new project. There is a lot of support out there and plenty of people to go to for advice, which is why I value my creative community so much. Sharing makes life so much richer. I managed the transition to a full-time career in jewellery design at the age of 50. It is more than possible to start a new career at this age and well worth doing.
TNMA: How would you describe your style?
My clothing style is very much like my jewellery – I think I have quite an eclectic look. At the moment I love wearing mustard with dusty pink. Even though I follow fashion, I don’t necessarily wear what is on trend. I like mixing and matching everything from vintage dresses to high street basics. I buy a lot of pre-loved clothing and treat myself on occasion to timeless brands like Toast. I have to be comfortable in the studio but also smart enough to run to the post office – and I always wear natural fabrics. I love shoes, especially clogs.
TNMA: And do you have any advice for staying stylish?
Wear your own style with confidence. After all it is your look, and that’s the thing that should be celebrated!
Check out Elsa Gomez’s designs at brass+bold. And, subscribers please keep an eye on your inboxes for a discount code, this week.
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This post was published on
thatsnotmyage.com
on July 22, 2025 and written by Alyson Walsh.