Cassandra Iosub: Jewellery as Memory, Emotion and Personal Truth — Q&A

Some stories begin with a sketch. Others with a gemstone. This one begins at home — in childhood, in quiet conversations about beauty, gold, and design overheard at the kitchen table. Long before formal education, ateliers, or international journeys, Cassandra Iosub’s relationship with jewellery was already deeply personal, intuitive, almost instinctive.

In this conversation, she takes us back to the very first piece that still gives her strength today, through the transformative years at the British Academy of Jewellery, and onward to the places, textures, and emotions that continue to shape her timeless aesthetic. It is a story about memory, craftsmanship, and creating jewellery not just to be worn — but to be felt.

 

You fell in love with jewellery so young—what was your style and taste back then? And do you still treasure any pieces from those early days?

I felt in love with jewellery when I was 5 and I saw my mum doing business with gold jewels and then I was listening to their discussion in our home about beauty and designs. When I started school and I had my first job school and I was receiveing first income from government as a student 4 of my first allowances were spent  on a tie brooch that I still have and is well kept in my workshop , every time I face one hard time and not only I look at it and gain power. That brooch was full of mixed cut fancy cut stones all pastel colors and with a frame made out only of light  pink stones. It is next to my heart and I am absolutely in love with that brooch even today.

Your time at the British Academy of Jewellery must have been transformative. Which part of that experience truly shaped who you are as a designer today?

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My time in school was both beautiful and challenging. Changing countries, moving houses, adapting to new environments and living through the pandemic all of this shaped a new version of myself. I met wonderful people who guided me, supported me, and opened new creative paths for me.

BAJ made me more aware of who I truly am as an artist and what I want to express through my jewellery. It was there that I learned that London is one of the most creative hubs in the world. My tutor Bekkie Ora Cheeseman played a crucial role in this journey. She made me feel complete, capable, and confident in every project we worked on together during our workshops.

My first Erasmus project, The Glider, created in wax at BAJ, was the moment I first felt that I could truly grow and become a full creator in the jewellery field. I love them, I love to create — and that period of my life gave me the courage to trust my skills more and more.