‘It started with a £12.50 bag of clay’: Hartlepool artist makes her mark on the town

The Little Silver Kiln, located in the BIS, in Whitby Street, offers beginner workshops for people of all ages who can learn the fundamental techniques of metal work and silversmithing needed to make jewellery.

Carley Pearson, 33, founded The Little Silver Kiln in 2019 as a small online Etsy shop where she sold jewellery she had made at home.

She said: “It was meant to be a creative outlet. It was never meant to be a business but it became apparent that people wanted to buy my products.”

Carley began her career at the Northern School of Art, in Church Street, when she studied as a student of applied arts, specialising in ceramics, silver and textiles.

It was not until she suffered a hand injury however, that she decided to take on jewellery making first as a hobby and then as a career.

She said: “I enjoy doing workshops myself and there is nothing really close to Hartlepool. You have to travel and make a day out of it.”

She added: “I just have this need to make things and, with my passion for teaching, it just made sense.”

Currently, Carley runs two classes a week but hopes to grow and expand her business in the coming months.

She said: “This job just fits me so well. I have been a different person since starting it. All of my family and friends have been saying it.”

As a small business owner herself, Carley understands the struggles faced by others across the town, choosing to buy her materials from local providers.

She said: “If we do not support each other, we are going to lose out on these little niches in the town.”

The Little Silver Kiln will be holding an interactive stall at the upcoming Hartlepool Tall Ships Races, which is taking place from July 6 to July 9 and which is expected to be one of the biggest free events in the country.

Carley will not only be selling her jewellery but also encouraging the public to get involved by making their own signature items.