The delicate beauty of a talented young silversmith’s creations echoes that found in the natural world, writes Diane Parkes.

The room feels slightly bigger than a shoebox. On its walls are tacked sketches of partly formed ideas and photographs of intricately designed silverware.

Littered on the workbench, delicately curled silver leaves vie for space with sheets of paper and the tools of the trade. Hanging from a hook on the back of the door is a carrier bag full of leaves – collected as inspiration for future designs and gradually curling into a new shape as they desiccate.

This is the workshop for Theresa Nguyen, a Birmingham-based silversmith who may be short on space but is certainly not short on ideas.

In fact the 25-year-old old has already forged a successful career since finishing her studies in Birmingham. And this year sees her taking another step forward as she has been picked to take part in two prestigious exhibitions.

Theresa is the subject of a solo exhibition, which also sees her working in the public eye, at Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire. And she is one of 12 silversmiths featured at the Goldsmiths’ Hall in London during the summer.

Theresa, who grew up in Shirley and whose workshop is based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, is delighted to see her work recognised in such a way, particularly so early in her career.

“Both events are really good opportunities to showcase my work,” she says. “I am really pleased to have been asked to take part.”

Of Vietnamese origin, Theresa grew up surrounded by beautiful objects, fine furniture, colourful lacquer wear and fabrics, which reminded her family of their home country and ensured she gained a strong sense of the aesthetic.

And from a very young age she was creative.

“I always had a an appreciation for really beautifully made things,” she says. “And I also had instilled into me the benefits of working hard.

“I am very grateful to my family for this. It meant I always had space to be creative and, even when I was young, I would like to explore with making things and with trying out different materials.

“Then I gained a place on a summer school in Birmingham, Gallery 37, which took place in Centenary Square. There I was given the opportunity to work with jewellery and it was where I really found that metal was something which was demanding but could also produce such beautiful results.”

Theresa went on to take a Jewellery and Silversmithing degree at Birmingham School of Jewellery. It was during this course that her work first caught the attention of The Goldsmiths’ Company when she won its UK Young Designer of the Year award.

“I made a container for cocktail sticks which won. It was really around that time that I decided to be a silversmith rather than a jeweller,” she says. “When you can create large pieces which still have so much detail and character, that is something really satisfying.”

Still a student, Theresa began to garner commissions and on graduating with a first class degree she moved to a workshop in Frederick Street in Hockley – a space she shares with a number of other local designer makers.

“Since I was at university I have really formed some fantastic contacts in the Jewellery Quarter,” she says. “They have really contributed to where I am today. It is really special to be able to work among so many really talented craftsmen.

“There are a lot of fantastic people here and being part of that community is very important to me. There is lots of interaction between people here.

“The Jewellery Quarter has a very strong cultural heritage. And you can learn so much from other people. If there is something you can’t do, there will always be someone here who can do it.”

Initially Theresa was inspired by strong geometric shapes and created vases and candlesticks with angles and shadows. But she has since become more interested in the natural world around her.

Many of her more recent pieces have featured detailed leaf shapes curved into new forms, creating vases, bowls and other ornamental pieces.

Theresa explains: “When you look at nature it is so multi-dimensional and yet it is so full of energy and life. My work is about capturing that energy, that fluidity, in metal.

“What fascinates me is that process, the way a shape is generated out of metal. How you can transform a