Studio Dariolina is the brainchild of proud 'Geordie Italian' Daria who spent many years in teaching before making the decision to focus purely on her jewellery dreams. She designs and makes all her jewellery right here in Gateshead and loves to use colour and pattern in her earrings and necklaces, both for statement pieces and fun pick up accessories. Daria takes her influences from her dual heritage and her many travels while never forgetting to add the colour – it’s all about the colour! Studio Dariolina was a find at BALTIC’s Maker’s Market and we love that BALTIC Shop can stock beautiful jewellery so locally sourced – in Lobley Hill, in fact (about a 10 minute drive from the studio to shop!)
We asked Daria what made her decide to create jewellery full time and what she feels about the North East:
‘My name is Daria and I launched Studio Dariolina in October 2020.
My pieces are inspired by my love of colour and travel. My family is Italian and so all my childhood summer holidays were spent in Italy and this bicultural upbringing definitely sparked my love of foreign countries and culture. I studied languages, spent time living abroad and all these experiences influence my designs; every piece starts with a trip down memory lane, a reminiscence of places visited, experiences shared, a rummage through keepsakes and photos. For example, my first collection (stocked here) is inspired by my time living in Japan and each piece has a Japanese name and reminds me of specific places and occasions.
Before Studio Dariolina, I had been a language teacher for 17 years but the juggle of also raising 2 young kids was hard going and I really wanted to make a change. I quit my job at the start of 2020 (the timing was questionable as we were just heading into the first lockdown) but
I'm so pleased to have taken a chance on my creative dream - I didn't really plan such a big career pivot when I turned 40 but designing and making jewellery has brought me so much joy.
The North East is most definitely home - it's where I've returned to and settled down and love to be. My grandparents moved here in the 70s and they've no intention of moving back to Italy - I think the region and people take a real hold of your heart. I also think Newcastle and Gateshead have been coming into their own over the last 20 years - it's a beautiful place to live and one where opportunities abound and change and developments are always happening - it's an exciting place to be right now.’
