Sheila Fleet Jewellery and the Orkney Craft Trail

Scotland is a dream for creative types. In every corner of the country you’ll find artists, designers, and craftspeople creating their dreams. It doesn’t really matter if creative types flock to Scotland or if Scotland creates creative types, the bottom line is they’re here and they’re everywhere. In spades. And in many places, you’ll even find “craft trails” where the local artisans have banded together to create a more visible coalition, places like Skye’s Craft Trail, the South West Ross Arts and Eats Trail, and the subject of today’s post, the Orkney Craft Trail.

In my book, the Orkney Craft Trail is the most venerable and prestigious Scottish craft trail. There’s something wonderful about exploring the Orkney Islands by way of this trail, connecting the dots jaunting from shop to shop and exploring the far-flung peninsulas and coastlines that might otherwise escape you. The Orkney Craft Trail itself, however, is crammed with local artisans like jewelers, potters, woodturners, weavers, painters, and furniture-makers. And just in case it needs to be said, these are not mass-produced items, so keep your eyes peeled for souvenirs.

On my last visit to Orkney with Sarah, we celebrated our ten-year wedding anniversary and spent parts of several days visiting shops on Orkney’s Craft Trail. We stopped into the Harray Potter and purchased a set of clay water cups we’d spied at the wonderful Orkney Crofts, visited Michael Sinclair’s woodturning studio and left with a beautiful rocking bowl, browsed the tiny and wonderful Woolshed, and made a very important visit to Sheila Fleet Jewellery.

Sheila Fleet is synonymous with Orkney. She’s an incredible jewelry designer who takes her inspiration from Orkney’s natural beauty and history. I first visited her shop in 2006, and both Sarah and I were blown away by her gorgeous designs that perfectly capture the Orcadian essence. These days Sheila Fleet has a workshop in Tankerness, just east of Kirkwall, and we stopped there one rainy morning in September, just a day before our anniversary. Little did Sarah know I’d been in contact with the shop for a special gift!

After browsing the display cases for awhile my compatriot at the shop came out with the silver, engraved band I’d ordered. Happy tears and hugs ensued, and then we were treated to a tour of the workshop where we were able to watch the craftspeople making this gorgeous jewelry. The noise back here was truly wonderful as men and women hammered, polished, painted, and sanded various and sundry pieces of gold and silver jewelry.

The ring I’d ordered was, unfortunately, a hair too big so part of our backroom observation was watching the jeweler put the finishing touches on my gift. After a little bit of grinding and polishing, the craftsman performed some mystical processes (to my uneducated eyes) to wrap up the modifications. Shortly thereafter it found its new home on Sarah’s finger next to her wedding and engagement rings.

Sheila Fleet Jewellery is a highlight to any exploration of the Orkney Craft Trail, and, frankly, any visit to Orkney. Creative Orkney is the body behind the Orkney Craft Trail, which they created in 1995 to bring visitors into contact with the artisans and their workshops, and to provide an opportunity to commission bespoke works.

The Orkney Craft Trail is one of those special activities that appeals even to people who don’t love shopping (like me) because of its deep sense of place and the exquisiteness of the artisans’ crafts. Let the trail guide you!