Urchin Jewellery

Urchins

Sea urchins are marine creatures called, echinoderms in the class Echinoidea and there are approximately 950 species living on the seabed.

These fascinating animals have hard skeletons with movable spines and range from small species, too much large ones. They play a vital ecological role by controlling algae growth, but they are very delicate and therefore face threats from ocean warming.

The name ‘urchin’ comes from an old word for hedgehog, owing to their similar-looking spiky armour.

Sea Urchins come in a vibrant spectrum of colours, including shades of red , purple, green, yellow, blue and brown, often with striking variations like purple-tipped spines or patterns on their shells (testes). Their colours can differ by species, such as the green sea urchin with purple tips, and even within the same species, like the common urchin, which can range from pinkish-purple to green or yellow. 

Common Urchin Species 

• Edible Sea Urchin (Echinus esculentus): Large, found around UK shores, pinky-purple, important for controlling algae.
• Green Sea Urchin (Psammechinus miliaris or Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis): Smaller, purple-tipped spines, common on rocky coasts.
• Purple Sea Urchin (Paracentrotus lividus): Another common type in European waters, often purple.
• Black Longspine Sea Urchin Diadema setosum): Very long, hollow spines, found in Indo-Pacific, helps keep control of reef health.

There are also very many uncommon species including; the Slate Pencil, Flower and Sand Dollar Urchins.

Urchin Facts 

Sea urchins cannot swim. They live and move along the seafloor, favouring hard surfaces such as coral and rocks. They have appendages called tube feet that often have suckers at the tip. The sea urchin uses the hydraulic pressure of water moving in and out of their tube feet to move about slowly. They can also propel themselves along with their spines. That’s pretty impressive, considering sea urchins don’t actually have brains!

Some sea urchins also have pincer-like organs that look like little jaws. These are called pedicellariae. They are mostly used for self-defence or to remove debris from the animal. The pedicellariae in some sea urchin species are venomous. Ancient & long-lived some species, like the red sea urchin, can live for over 100, or even 200 years.

My Urchin Displays 

Urchins are very attractive and I also love a glass dome, which echo their shape! I have several urchins on display around my home. I found my latest orange Urchin at Ardingley Antiques Fair, along with this small dome, which is a perfect fit in order to show it off!

I wanted to design a new statement necklace to add to my collection and decided that I would use the Urchin, as my inspiration, so I set about drawing and sketching out some ideas.

Sketchbook Layout 

Urchin Jewellery 

The master was made in wax and the resulting necklace, in silver, is bold and striking. The detailed pattern on each link is delicate and ornate which is what makes the necklace so successful, in my opinion. This combination of strong with highly ornate detailing, make this piece very feminine too. It is this contrast that helps make my pieces recognisable as mine.

This is a resiliant piece, which I believe is more or less unbreakable and will last for generations.

Urchin Necklace 

Here is my Silver Urchin Necklace being worn; the success of this piece is due to the fact that it can be worn in the day, casually with a jacket, or later on, with an evening gown.

The contrast of the polished signature bobbles really stand out against the dark background.

Urchin Earrings 

The earrings are striking and are a row of three urchins graduating down in size. Here they are in silver.

Urchin Cufflink Commission 

Special Silver Urchin Necklace Commission 

I was delighted to get a phone call from a gentleman in the United States who wanted to commission a special 20th wedding anniversary gift for his wife. There was a personal story involving an urchin when they got engaged and so he was looking to buy a necklace, inspired by this sea creature. He searched the internet and found my work.