Guided by Texture

Lindey Tydeman’s creative trajectory is a testament to the often-overlapping qualities of craft; a painter might find kinship with the glazing of ceramics, or a woodworker might manipulate metal with similar sensitivity. Lindey came to jewellery making already armed with a long-held appreciation for material, form, and texture, nurtured during years working with knitted textiles.

While freelancing as a textile designer and maker, Lindey was tasked with creating swatches for a trade show in Italy. The experience of making on a smaller scale piqued her curiosity. “I started experimenting with making these necklaces using textiles, and I knew I wanted to work with metal,” Lindey reflects. She enrolled in a master's at Central Saint Martins, viewing it less as a change of direction, and more as an evolution of her artistic output. “I still had that love for textiles and handcraft, so I wanted to somehow carry it into the jewellery journey. That's when I discovered electroforming.”

Electroforming is a technique which involves depositing metal through electric currents, gradually building a solid metal layer. In jewellery making, it is useful for creating a high level of detail on the surface of the metal. Lindey’s early explorations applied this method to create fine, knitted textile structures and then electroform metal onto them, so the resulting jewellery retained the texture of knitted fabric. Not only did it allow her to blend both crafts, but she also discovered new possibilities along the way. “It’s very unpredictable, so I'm quite happy to let it do its thing and see how it turns out,” she laughs.

From the process of play and trialling different applications, Lindey landed on a method of layering metals to uncover different colours. In a jewellery practice where metal is the star – rather than gems or stones – combining copper with silver, or silver with gold, is a natural way to achieve tonal diversity. “Sometimes I layer the different metals on top of each other, then I slice through to reveal all these different layers.”

Recently, Lindey has introduced additional techniques to add dimension to her pieces. “I've been focusing on reticulation, which is a way of heating the metal to create organic texture,” she explains. It's very intuitive – my practice is quite hands-on and experimental, so I sort of let the material guide me.” Lindey works with a UK supplier to source recycled metals, predominantly sterling silver. The biggest difference between her core material now and the yarns she once worked with is how willing they are to let go. “They behave in completely different ways. With metal, you can cut a piece and know it will be exactly that size. Yarn, on the other hand, can be knitted with the same tension and the same needles, and it will still turn out slightly differently every time.”

Lindey’s creations for our New Makers 2025 collection incorporate copper accents, which stand out beautifully against the tactile silver surfaces. The earrings, rings, and bangle are simple in form yet richly textured, each reflecting the exploratory nature of Lindey's process – and carrying marks of their influences. Though living and working in North London, Lindey looks to the seaside for inspiration. “I walk along the coast and pick up pebbles that are encrusted or pitted, or a strange bit of seaweed, and it might give me an idea,” she says.

Having followed TOAST for years and participated in our Festive Markets, Lindey felt compelled to immerse herself further in our community of craftspeople. “I think I was doing the second market when I found out that I got into the programme, which was really nice.” The experience so far has encouraged her to try different aesthetics and streamline her designs. “I had the TOAST customer in mind, so I pared the collection back as I wanted it to be quite simple in a way, quite wearable.” She still works with textiles on the side, believing that the two crafts can coexist in harmony – each continually inspiring and informing the other.