Isle of Lewis jewellery designer turns lockdown hobby into thriving business

About the business

Alice Catherine Jewellery was launched by Alice Cant in 2021. Using sea glass found in the Outer Hebrides, as well as silver, gold, and gemstones, she hand-makes sustainable pieces inspired by the ocean, which cannot be found in any other jewellery collection.

How Business Gateway has helped

Business owner Alice discovered her passion for jewellery design after searching for a new hobby during the pandemic. Initially operating from a home workshop, Alice moved into new premises in Stornoway, benefiting from a larger workshop and retail space to sell her unique designs.  

Following the move, Alice approached Business Gateway for help to grow the business further. Through the service, Alice benefitted from one-to-one support and guidance from a dedicated business adviser, as well as advice on funding. This support helped with purchasing new equipment for the workshop, which allowed Alice to develop her product range.  

Support from her Business Gateway adviser led to Alice receiving grant funding through the Outer Hebrides Young Enterprise Support Scheme, which is fully funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and delivered by Business Gateway. This funding helped Alice to purchase additional equipment to create her designs.

Thanks to the additional funding and new equipment, Alice can now create more complicated pieces, expanding the range of her jewellery designs.  Alice has recently completed a Diploma in Silver Jewellery with Jewellers Academy, as well as a stone setting course at Vanilla Ink in Glasgow. These new skills will allow Alice to create more intricate designs using gemstones as well as sea glass.   

Alice Cant, Owner, Alice Catherine Jewellery, said: “Business Gateway has been such a great support since I moved to the Island. The one-to-one support I received from my business adviser has really instilled confidence in my business ability.   

“It can be quite daunting launching a business in such a rural area, but it has been fantastic to see my little business grow over the past year, and I am so excited to see where it goes next.”