Orchy Design is a small family business run by mother and daughter, Susan Barnwell and Susanne Arbuckle.

Susan Barnwell (Mother)  - Designer, Maker, Seller and Bookeeper!

Susan has spent most of her career working in retail management, working in several different stores within one of the UKs largest retail companies.

A large part of her career was spent as a customer service manager and this has given her a great understanding of customer needs and care which are now fundamental to Orchy Design.

In 2006 Susan began to experiment with different creative hobbies including stained glass and jewellery making, attending short introductory college courses to increase her knowledge in these areas.  It was during this time that she came across dichroic glass, an amazing material with vibrant shades and colour changing properties.

After investing in a small kiln and teaching herself mainly from books and the interenet, Susan combined her two interests to make dichroic glass jewellery. Over the years Susan has honed her skills and now produces a wide range of jewellery items with a growing list of regular customers.

In 2009 Susan took early retirement to allow her to pusue her jewellery design full-time.  In September 2009 Susan commenced a college course to study silversmithing,  allowing her to learn new skills and improve her glass designs with the use of silver.  She has already completed the beginners course and is currently studying in the intermediate course.

Susan spends her time travelling between her cottage in Bridge of Orchy and her flat in Glasgow.  She is particularly inspired by the vibrant colours of the Scottish landscape which are a great influence in her designs.

Susan sells her jewellery directly at many events giving you the opportunity to speak to her directly about her work.

 

Susanne Arbuckle (Daughter) - Everything Else!

Having worked in a variety of careers and run her own business previously, Susanne has gained a wide range of knowledge about sales, marketing and managing a business.

Having always helped with selling and ideas for the business, Susanne has always been an unofficial part of Orchy Design. However in September 2009, Susanne decided to join on a permanent basis to help the business grow to it's full potential.

Although not having the skill to make the jewellery, Susanne is still hands on with the design process, quality control and research for new collections and design ideas.  Many of these ideas come from listening to feedback and taking the time to talk to customers which she feels is imperative to finding out what they actually want.

Susanne has attended several business workshops to improve her skills and is constantly looking at ways to not only improve Orchy Design but help the business to expand and become established in the competitive jewellery market.

Susanne can also be found selling at many of the events and enjoys meeting and talking to customers face to face.  She is also the face behind the Orchy Design blog and Facebook page as the business enters the world of social media.

Susanne is passionate about the future of Orchy Design and is delighted that she can work in partnership with her mother, combining their talents to create beautiful jewellery and a succesful business.