Vintage, it seems is the new black.. it has been for a while however, a talented new Scottish designer has taken vintage and put a completely different spin on it by recycling in a more cosmetically enhanced way shall we say. Intrigued?

Meet Nicola Reed – I suspect you are going to be hearing a lot more from her in the near future.

Can you tell Qypers who you are and what you do?

My name is Nicola Louise Reed and I am a jewellery designer & maker based in Inverness, I recently graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone, University of Dundee with 1st Class Honours in Jewellery & Metal Design. My focus is mainly on concept-driven collections with an interest in vintage materials and sentiments used in a contemporary context.

Your designs are so quirky with a distinct vintage feel, how did the idea come about?

For a university project, we were asked to design a piece of jewellery based on a theme chosen from a list provided. The word ‘Vanity’ immediately stood out as it conjured up the image of a 50’s boudoir filled with pearls and atomisers. One day a classmate was telling the story of opening her bag to discover her make up had burst, completely covering the contents. I’d played with the idea of make up spills and marks for a while before discovering the quote by Henri Bergson: ‘The only cure for vanity is laughter, and the only fault that is laughable is vanity.’ These factors all became the backbone for my degree show collection Vanity Series 2010.

Can you describe to Qypers your favourite places and perfect day in Edinburgh?

A perfect day would involve strolling around Princes Street Gardens on a sunny day and visiting Edinburgh College of Art’s annual degree show, which initially inspired me to study jewellery. I would then follow that with a spot of shopping in all the quirky boutiques the city has to offer, ending at a gig at the Cabaret Voltaire. I love that there are so many places to discover in Edinburgh, there’s always a small gallery or shop to stumble across.

Any tips for the best vintage and jewellery finds in Edinburgh?

Armstrongs is always a winner for unique vintage finds and it is always worth visiting the many charity shops of Morningside. New store ‘The Spider & The Fly’ in Barclay Terrace stocks many quirky designs and cute accessories, as well as some of my own jewellery, so it is worth going for a rummage.

Do you have any favourite Dundee haunts from your student days?

I have to recommend RaRa, vintage clothing store & showroom, to anyone visiting the city, but for a night out I enjoyed a trip to Templelane for their infamous ‘Pixie Juice’ or ‘Opal Fruit’ cocktails followed by a night at Underground, although I’m not ashamed to admit a cheesy night dancing at the Union was often the venue of choice! To help get inspired I liked to visit the DCA, McManus Galleries and take a trip to the Recycling Centre for endless course materials. Nothing would beat a day sunbathing at Magdalen Green with a few mates though!

Lastly, where can Qypers see and buy your designs?

At the moment I have jewellery stocked in The Spider & The Fly and at Glow Beauty Therapy in Inverness and have pieces for sale in various exhibitions highlighted on my website and blog. However I am currently in the process of deciding on an online site to sell my commercial work through which would be predominantly featured on my website. Anyone interested in purchasing or commissioning work can easily contact me through my site.

Check out Nicola’s website here as well as her blog to keep up to date on the latest news.