The returning jeweller

By Promote ShetlandFebruary 1st 2021

Living in Shetland offers people a real work-life balance and a high quality of life. It was these attributes, along with a desire to be nearer family, that prompted jeweller Karlin Anderson to move across country from London to Shetland.

Karlin Anderson was born and raised in Shetland before leaving the isles at 19 to study jewellery design and manufacture. Her career took her to Glasgow and London, where she successfully ran her own jewellery business in the renowned Hatton Garden district before deciding to make the move back home to Shetland in 2019.

“I lived away for 23 years but was drawn back to Shetland to be closer to my family and also for a better quality of life,” she says in her distinctive Shetland dialect. “There are so many positive aspects to biding (living) here.”

Originally from Tingwall, Karlin has set up her studio and home in the village of Hoswick in the South Mainland. This former fishing settlement is now a bustling creative community, home to Nielanell, Laurence Odie Knitwear and the Hoswick Visitor Centre.

In Shetland, I have a sense of space, peace and creativity. I feel that my head and my heart can breathe more back home.

“Hoswick is a wonderful community and I feel welcomed and supported,” says Karlin. “It feels like we work together for the good of each other. I had some of that working with the jewellery community in Hatton Garden but not necessarily where I was living. Here in Shetland, you feel safe, have a sense of community and a better quality of life. You have more time to get out and enjoy your surroundings.

“In London, I had a two hour commute to and from work each day, now I can walk to work in a few minutes. I have much more free time. There’s so much beauty on my doorstep. On a fine day, I can see the waves lapping on the beach at lunchtime. In London, I could head to the park but there’d be lots of people there. In Shetland, I have a sense of space, peace and creativity. I feel that my head and my heart can breathe more back home.”

Since returning home, Karlin has been a keen ambassador for Shetland, promoting the dialect and contributing to last year’s Shetland brand launch – creating a beautiful bespoke Shetland Brand Marque Brooch (see more details below) and also narrating a film about the new brand.

She’s keen to see Shetland evolve and grow for the next generation and believes there are no limits to what can be achieved here, as she’s already proven with her own successful business.

“While the Covid pandemic has obviously been really terrible, one positive is that more and more people are prepared to make bigger purchases online. This means I don’t have to be in London to sell my jewellery or get bespoke commissions, I can do all my work from Shetland through video conferences and my website. I think other businesses are realising the same – your work location matters less and where you live and your quality of life matters more.”

We’re giving away Karlin’s exquisite, one-of-a-kind Shetland Brand Marque Brooch in our latest prize draw. Visit our competition page for more details and how to enter.

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