MARIANNE MCCAUGHEY
Harmattan Jewellery
Handcrafted Jewellery shaped
by landscape, culture and time
Marianne McCaughey creates sculptural contemporary jewellery inspired by geology, archaeology and the enduring traditions of human adornment. Influenced by her Danish heritage, geological background and archaeological studies at Oxford University, her work explores the connection between landscape, culture and material memory.
Harmattan Jewellery takes its name from the desert wind that travels across the Sahara — reflecting Marianne’s time in Egypt and a lasting fascination with wide open landscapes, ancient objects and the traces people leave through time.
​Working with precious metals and natural stones, she creates pieces intended to be worn, collected and returned to — objects that carry beauty, continuity and meaning.
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Marianne McCaughey (b. 1969)
Lives and works in Berkshire, UK.
Education & Professional Background
1997
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M.Sc. in Geology, University of Copenhagen
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Fellow and Chartered Geologist (FGS, CGeol), Geological Society of London; qualified geological scrutineer
2022–2026
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Certificate of Higher Education in Archaeology, Oxford University
2008–present
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Independent study and selected silversmithing training in the UK, Denmark, Italy and Egypt
​2025-present
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Honorary Secretary Whiteknight Studio Trail.
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Originally from Denmark and having lived and worked across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Marianne’s work reflects an enduring fascination with landscape, human culture and the objects people create to carry meaning through time.
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Marianne’s practice draws on geology, archaeology and traditions of adornment across cultures, exploring the relationship between contemporary jewellery, landscape and material memory.
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Current Display & Exhibitions
Work currently exhibited and available through Reading Museum and featured at Thames Lido.
Exhibits regularly through selected exhibitions and open studio events across Berkshire and surrounding areas.
I work from a studio in the Coach House on the grounds of Yeldall Manor, where my workshop and showroom come together in one space. Surrounded by parkland and shared with a small community of artists, it offers a quiet sense of continuity that informs the pace and material sensitivity of my work. You can read more about the studio in my journal here.
Hallmarking is your guarantee that your purchase is genuine precious metal.
By law silver items weighing over 7.78 grams need to be hallmarked, hence all larger jewellery pieces from Harmattan Jewellery are hallmarked. Read about the rules for hallmarking and what to look out for as a customer in the below official pdf document from the London Assay office.