Three-Minute Interview: Q Branch Bespoke Casting

Describe yourself in three words? Geeky, organised and logical When you were at school, what did you want to be and why? I wanted to be in a band, playing guitar or keyboards. Why? Having a ridiculous ‘flock of seagulls’ hair cut, Going on tour. The cool synths and samplers, and having a laugh with your friends. The band I was in once opened for ‘Radio 2’ soft rockers - Scouting for Girls and also played on a bill with Finlay Quaye which was very, should I say, interesting. How did you get to be where you are today? I have worked in a luxury bespoke jewellery retailer/manufacturer for the last 13 years - this gave me a fantastic insight of all areas of the business from setting and goldsmithing to rapid prototyping and casting. It essentially boils down to a lot of hard work, going the extra mile for the customer - it is not just a job. Embracing new technology and having a natural affiliation to anything hardware/software related has helped a lot too, I think. Which aspect of your job do you enjoy and why? One thing I find particularly enjoyable is the arrival of a new metal order. The grains or pieces, as they arrive at Q Branch, are relatively uninteresting, apart from the obvious attraction of being precious metals, but I love wondering what form they will take once cast. Will they be an engagement ring, a signet ring for a 21st birthday, a bridal collection for a new designer, or a pendant for dear old nan? They could become anything, and that just captures my imagination. What is your proudest achievement? Founding Q Branch. With a retail business, I feel there are certain expectations for an established luxury jeweller that are harder to break free from - with Q Branch, we have more of a startup mentality, we have more freedom and more flexibility. We have a fantastic, talented and extremely knowledgeable team who are a joy to work with - I am very proud of them. What is the best advice you've been given in work or in life in general? For work - spend more time on the business, not in the business. This can be pretty hard. I am sure some of your dear readers can relate to this - it is so easy to get absorbed into the day to day that you forget about the bigger picture. For life - don’t take yourself too seriously. What is your next goal? This is more of a long-term aim - to always be learning and acquiring new skills, to make Q Branch the go-to casters for quality and innovation, to stay out of the comfort zone. Currently getting my head around zBrush, a fantastic 3D modelling app for creating more organic designs.