Collecting has always been central to Iona's way of seeing the world.
After her family moved to the coast of the Scottish Highlands, the shoreline became an endless source of discovery, where weathered stones, rock pools, and found objects sparked her imagination.
Today, that same spirit of discovery shapes every piece she creates, inviting a sense of connection and the feeling of uncovering something truly special.
Iona is an award-winning silversmith and jeweller based in the Scottish Borders, where she is currently undertaking a two-year residency at Marchmont Estate as part of the Hugo Burge Foundation's Springboard Programme.
She graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 2018 before continuing her training at Bishopsland Educational Trust, completing the programme in 2019.
Iona's work is inspired by her upbringing on the Scottish coast, where creativity was nurtured in a home filled with art materials and a working studio. She expresses her ideas through drawing and illustration, developing themes that form a visual language reflecting a sensitivity to tactile qualities.
Chasing and repousse masterclass with silversmith Rod Kelly 2019
Awards
Shine 2025 Award for Silversmithing from the Goldsmith's Company
Heritage Crafts Precious Metals Bursary Award funded by the Royal Mint 2023
Contemporary British Silversmith's Industry Award, silver grant to create design 2022
David Canter Memorial, fund reducing environmental impact within their craft practice 2022
Goldsmiths Craft & Design Council Award 2021, Bronze award in the Smallworkers section for 'Echo Box' design, and a Bronze in the Modellers 3D Design category 2021
The Eaton Fund Award 2020
Highland Visual Arts & Crafts Award Scheme 2019
Moray Artists Bursary Award 2019
Goldsmiths Craft & Design Council Award 2019, Bronze award for Smallworkers section for 'Reflection Box' 2019
Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018, nominated 2018
Goldsmiths Bullion Precious Metals Bursary 2018
Exhibitions
Crafted in Colour - The Goldsmiths Centre at New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham 4th July – 5th September 2026
Make Southwest @ Craft in the bay - Makers Guild Wales, Cardiff - 2026
Shine at The Goldsmiths Centre, London - 2026
Touching the Surface Logie Steading Gallery, Moray - 2025
Making A Mark, Lyon & Turnbull - 2025
London Craft Week, Cutler's Hall Exhibition with Bishopsland Education Trust - 2025
A Scottish Symphony, Crane Court Gallery, London - 2025
Around The Table, Make Southwest, Devon - 2024
WEST, Wasps Studio Glasgow, Visual Arts Scotland - 2023
NORTH, Wasps Studio Inverness, Visual Arts Scotland - 2022
Surge, Tatha Gallery, Visual Arts Scotland, Fife - 2021
Love and Chaos, The Alchemy Experiment, Glasgow - 2021
Making It, Make Southwest, Devon - 2021
F L O W, Visual Arts Scotland's Online Exhibition - 2021
Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries and Galloway - 2020
Open up HammerClub Exhibition, The Netherlands, 2nd February - 2020
Renewal HammerClub Exhibition, Dock Street Studios, Dundee - 2019
Silver Museum in Freiburg, Germany - 2019
Goldsmiths Hall, Goldsmiths Craft & Design Council Award Exhibition, London - 2019
Rising Stars, New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham - 2019
Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018, The Netherlands - 2019
Goldsmiths Centre, Getting Started, London - 2019
New Designers, London - 2018
Iona draws inspiration from the lines and irregular patterns found in the natural forms along the beaches near her home in Scotland.
Her work is abstract, embodying her emotional connection to place. Iona translates fragments of her drawings onto silver surfaces creating her distinctive style.
Much like finding a hidden treasure on the beach, her work evokes the feeling of unexpected discovery, sparking an impulse to hold and cherish the object.
Each piece becomes a keepsake, symbolising the connection to home and personal roots, acting as a permanent reflection of the places and experiences that shape our identity.
Press
Heritage Crafts Makers 2026 Edition
Craft Scotland Art Spring 2025 Edition
Heritage Crafts Bursary funded by The Royal Mint
The Flux Review, Q&A, London (Online), 2020
Quarantzine, Gaada. Shetland (Online), 2020