Amy Logan grew up in a home full of arts and crafts.
So it was probably no surprise to her family when she decided to pursue a career in jewellery-making.
However, no-one could have predicted that, at just 24, she would be named as one of the ones to watch in a new report by Visit Birmingham called Europe鈥檚 Young Cities: A New Beat Generation.
The report examines the impact under 25-year-olds are having on the cultural offerings of some of Europe鈥檚 youngest cities, and likens them to the Beat Generation of the 1950s in the way they are instigating an explosion of culture in the city.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great honour,鈥 says Amy, who lives in the same building as her workshop in the Jewellery Quarter.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot happening at the moment.鈥
Amy鈥檚 creative passion was inspired by her mother and grandmother.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have a dining room in our home,鈥 she laughs.
鈥淲e had a craft room instead.
鈥淢y friends would come round and say 鈥榳ow鈥 at all the stuff my mum and my nan would be making.
鈥淢um was always sewing and making cards, Nan used to make Christmas decorations.
鈥淲e鈥檝e always been a very creative family.
鈥淚 always loved making things myself. If I could get out of PE, I鈥檇 always sneak up to the art room at school!鈥
Upon leaving school, Amy began making button bracelets.
She explains: 鈥淚 loved making beaded jewellery. My mum made boxes for me to put them in and I鈥檇 march into local shops and ask them to sell them for me.
鈥淚t got very distracting when I was trying to do my A-levels.鈥
It was whilst doing an art foundation that she spotted a magazine about metalsmith work, which helped her decide upon her career.
鈥淲hen I saw the jewellery in there, I thought it was amazing and decided that鈥檚 what I wanted to do.鈥
Amy continued to do a degree in metalwork and jewellery at Sheffield Hallam University before becoming an artist in residence at Bilston Craft Gallery in Wolverhampton.
鈥淭hey were so friendly and good to me at Bilston, giving me the chance to run workshops there, which was great experience,鈥 says Amy.
Her big break came when she was given the chance to move into Design Space, a unique scheme funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Birmingham City Council which gave free shared workshop space for up to 20 jewellers.
She explains: 鈥淒esigns Space gave up-and-coming jewellers the chance to share a workshop in the Jewellery Quarter.
鈥淚t was a great way to meet other jewellers and have their support in my first year of taking it seriously.
Sadly, Amy was in the last group to be able to use Design Space as it is no longer has funding.
From there, she moved into The Spectacle Works in the Jewellery Quarter with her partner Andrew, also 24, and a graduate geologist.
The move enabled Amy to have home and workshop in the same building.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great because I have a small workshop upstairs and most of my suppliers are right on the doorstep.
鈥淚t makes us feel like part of the community.鈥
Amy鈥檚 current collection is inspired by photographs she has taken of everyday landscapes, some within the Jewellery Quarter.
She then does impressionistic line drawings from her photographs and recreates the lines with silver and wire which is then powder-coated and plated to create striking statement necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
鈥淓ach item in my collection is an individual piece made from start to finish by hand and therefore unique.
鈥淚 wanted my jewellery to be colourful and contemporary in bright pinks, greens and golds.
鈥淎 large necklace takes around a day to make, smaller items can be made more quickly.鈥
Amy sells her designs from her website, and at jewellery fairs and galleries.
鈥淭he first time I had my own stand was June last year at a new designers show.
鈥淚t was the first time I鈥檇 sold directly to the public and it really spurred me on to keep going. It showed me people wanted to pay for my work.鈥
Her work has impressed industry experts so much she鈥檚 been invited to the Goldsmith鈥檚 Fair in October, an event which boasts it has the 鈥渃r猫me de la cr猫me of the jewellery and silversmithing talent in the 海角视频鈥.
Amy says her bestselling items are her earrings which sell for around 拢43. Her necklaces cost from around 拢60 to 拢335, and her rings cost around 拢110. Amy is a co-founder of Chroma, a jewellery collective formed by four young jewellers who make colourful contemporary jewellery.
Together they share a goal of raising the awareness of contemporary jewellery within the Jewellery Quarter.
Amy explains: 鈥淚 feel the Jewellery Quarter would benefit from a gallery that stocked contemporary work.
鈥淭here鈥檚 are so many beautiful, traditional pieces available in the Jewellery Quarter and that鈥檚 great.
鈥淏ut I would love to run a gallery stocking work that is more along the lines of what鈥檚 coming out of the jewellery schools.鈥
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