A STERLING silver brand inspired by the coastline and of West Cork has seen a huge swell in demand for its jewellery off the back of Cork’s sporting successes.

West Cork Silver, based in Inishbeg, has been buoyed by a surge in sales from GAA supporters this summer, as county pride runs high, with its reversible heart pendant proving more popular than ever.

For many customers, the pendant has become a way of marking a county’s big day, celebrating a home place or sending a little piece of home to someone living abroad.

‘It’s been a remarkable year – from Cork’s camogie win to Mayo finally getting their hands on Sam Maguire,’ said founder and silversmith Pauline Browne, who grew up on Inishbeg island near Lough Hyne.

‘We’ve seen people snap up the Where the Heart Is pendants afterwards to mark the occasion.’

One of the pendants inspiring county pride.

To top off a successful summer West Cork Silver has been named a finalist in the jewellery category of the Irish Made Awards. The range was shortlisted for its contemporary designs in sterling silver which are inspired by the rugged West Cork coastline and wild weather.

‘Being shortlisted for the Irish Made Awards on top of that feels like the icing on the cake,’ said Pauline, who designs each piece and works across a range of techniques, including cutting and shaping by hand along with lost-wax casting, drawing inspiration from the movement and texture of the Atlantic, the coastline and the landscapes she grew up around.

The awards celebrate their tenth anniversary this year, with the fitting theme of Storytelling – recognising not just Irish-made products, but the people, places and ideas behind them, something that is inherently part of the West Cork Silver brand.

One of the brand’s best-selling designs, Where the Heart Is, has taken that idea of home in another direction. The reversible pendant is inspired by Ireland’s familiar road signs and the places people continue to identify as home – even when life has taken them somewhere else.

‘It has become a really popular gift for Irish people living abroad,’ Pauline said. ‘I think people connect with it because it isn’t really about a road sign. It’s about that place you still answer when somebody asks where you’re from. You could have lived in London, Sydney or New York for years and still say ‘Cork’ without even thinking about it.’

The Irish Made Awards celebrate craftsmanship and design across Ireland, with the public invited to vote for their favourite finalist in each category. Voting is open now at irishcountrymagazine.ie/vote/.

Pauline is encouraging people to cast a vote for West Cork Silver in the Jewellery category. ‘I’d absolutely love people at home to get behind West Cork Silver. The whole business started with where I’m from, so having West Cork behind me for the Irish Made Awards would
mean a lot.’