Covent Garden, London

When the Covent Garden Apple Market was established in 1980 the idea was that it would provide an outlet for traditional British craftsmanship. Darrel Whittaker, who designs and makes his own jewellery, has been there since that very first Christmas. “It was fantastic,” he says. “You had really good craftsmen right across the board – fashion, leatherwork, pottery, wood.”
Following a review undertaken by the Apple Market Craft Council, which was formed in 2007, the market is returning to those roots. New rules mean that everything sold in the Apple Market has to have been handmade in the UK, meaning that skilled craftsmen like Darrel can once again trade in a space free of imported, mass produced goods.

How long have you been designing and making jewellery?
Since 1964, from when I went to the Central School of Arts and Crafts. I then attended the Royal College of Art for three years, during which time I made jewellery and sold it on the King’s Road to see myself through college. I actually started by setting up a barrow at Oxford Circus, which was fine until the regular traders came along, upped my barrow and tipped all the jewellery over the road. I lost about half of it, so I never did that again.

From where do you draw your inspiration for your jewellery designs?
It’s not a question of where, it just comes. And the more you do the more inspiration you get. You never dry up, it’s absolutely the opposite. It’s like any craft really – the more you do, the more you realise there is to learn, and the more exciting it becomes.

How long does each piece of jewellery take to make?
A lot of the time is in the actual design work. I can spend up to a month trying to resolve a design, just to get the exact shape right and to make a mock up, so bringing a design to its conclusion can take an awful lot of time. Once I’ve done that I can make another piece with a different overlay or inlay, but the basic way of making it has been resolved. So yes, it can take from a few hours with simple pieces up to a month.

What type of jewellery do you sell on this stall?
All kinds, it’s quite varied. I probably shouldn’t say this, but people often copy designers, so I tend to make things that others won’t, either because it takes too long or because it’s too difficult. And I get a kick out of that because it’s a challenge – and my customers like it too.

And who are your customers?
They are all nice people for a start. My buyers come from all over the world, and whenever these people are in London they know they can come and see me. I sell to the daughters of the mothers who bought for their Christenings, and now I’m selling to both of them. So that’s fantastic.

How do you cope with working outside in the elements?
Well actually I don’t mind it. I’d rather be outside than inside to be honest. The only problem here is when the wind blows and rain gets in. Unfortunately it’s acidic, so if it gets onto the silver and I don’t wipe it off then it burns a hole. That’s the down side, but I can cope with the weather.

If not the acid rain, what do you love most about being a trader here?
The reason I’m at the market is because I’m in control of everything. Here you stand or fall by what you make. If I don’t produce it – or if it doesn’t sell – then I go out of business, but I’m not relying on other people.

Which of your designs are you most proud of?
Oh gosh, there’s so many of them. I did a coffee service in Australia for a collector. It was a lot of work, all hand raised, and is the one I’m probably most proud of. And many years ago I did wine goblets shaped just like tulips which sat into an alabaster base. You put the alabaster base in the fridge, and then you placed the goblet into the base to keep the wine cold. I always found that a lovely little piece. But you move on.

How did you end up in Iran during the seventies?
Well myself and my lady were travelling overland to Australia, doing the hippy thing, and I met an architect in Iran whom I used to teach when I was a lecturer at Kingston Polytechnic. He had a practice there, but he didn’t have any ideas. And so we stayed. I worked on various projects, things like Chesmagir Moggadam, which is the best haberdasher in Tehran. It’s a massive shop and I did both the interior and the exterior. I designed the basis of a hotel for him, the Iranian second division trophy, all sorts of things.

What do you think of the average high street jewellers?
It’s totally not relevant for me, because about 90 per cent of their profits come from diamonds and watches. So they’re a business. They are not really interested in jewellery as such. I’m much more interested in what the jewellery does for the person, and so I have an involvement in it – it’s not just for the money, whereas high street jewellers are just a business.

Do you ever buy jewellery for someone?
Never! I don’t even look at other jewellery to be honest.

This article was written by the team at Covent Garden Journal, your free guide to everything that is anything in Covent Garden. Covent Garden Journal is available from the Covent Garden Market Building.