You are never too old to learn!
After a lifetime in arts and community work, Romany Gypsy campaigner Andree Morgan Andrews found a new chapter in silversmithing, reconnecting with craft, identity and the joy of learning at any age
About six years ago, when the world entered a state of enforced limbo, I found myself at a crossroads. Not being old enough to qualify for a State Pension but being considered too old to be gainfully employed, I found myself with a great deal of time on my hands and very little money. Although I was used to social isolation, living as I do in the wild and woollies of mid Wales, this enforced isolation took away a freedom of choice. We were no longer permitted to go anywhere. Not because we didn’t drive, weren’t on a bus route or within easy access of shops, the government told us we had to stay home.
Previously I had spent a lifetime building a career in the arts, supporting communities, building connections and creating opportunities for others to grow. My work had been invested in community inclusion and empowerment, and I have a proven track record of making a lasting difference to the people I was employed to work with.
Guided by a strong grassroots ethos, I believe that meaningful community engagement depends on trust, respect and shared creativity rather than temporary or tokenistic initiatives.
So, this period of isolation coincided with my journey taking a personal turn. Or perhaps this enforced isolation was the catalyst. I began nurturing my own creativity and wellbeing through silversmithing. Three years earlier I had taken a 12-week course in coppersmithing, which introduced me to the foundations of metalwork and helped me reconnect with my great grandfather’s Roma craft traditions. I used metalsmithing as a source of healing, focus and self-expression. Metalsmithing also helps me understand who I am and instils a sense of pride in my heritage.
Over the last three years I have developed my skills independently through online resources, reading books and making many mistakes. My designs are inspired by organic forms and cultural heritage, and my work has been described as rustic. One young lady took umbrage over the fact that an elderly self-taught metalsmith had sold an item at a craft fair, whereas she, with her university degree, had not sold anything. She criticised my stall for being “messy”, while she had neatly compartmentalised her work into even lines. I prefer to think of my work as an extension of my personality. I don’t set out to sell a piece; I am happy if someone says they like it. I like to think of my work as organic and naturalistic. I draw inspiration from my environment and particularly like creating pieces with leaves or flowers, pebbles and shells. My work is unique; my designs are never replicated. I am not a bench jeweller; I aim to be an artisan.
Whilst I continued designing and creating, I realised that my work had limitations because I had not been shown how to use proper techniques or tools. Whilst I was still able to create, my creations were limited. This frustrated me, but I felt unable to do anything because I simply could not afford to avail myself of training. Frustrated, I decided to look into the possibility of a grant. Fortunately, I found a grant administered by the Arts Council of Wales. My first attempt at applying failed miserably and I very nearly gave up at the first hurdle. Luckily for me, the Arts Council pointed me in the direction of a woman they could fund to help write my bid.
Finally, at the beginning of 2026, I was awarded funding that enabled me to have five full days of training from an amazing silversmith and wonderful woman, Jayne Hunt of Blodau Arain, and three days of training from an equally amazing woman and silversmith, Lisa Lane. These women have taught me so much and inspired me to continue with my training. Whilst working alongside these women, who are both much, much younger than me, I realised that I wanted to learn more, I wanted to perfect my skills.
I realised that I was less interested in commercial success and more interested that I, a 70-year-old Romany woman, can learn to create beautiful pieces of jewellery that might still be around in 100 years’ time. I had left school at 16 with the hope of becoming an artist. This was dismissed by my family as futile employment, a waste of time. This is what led me into employment that gave me the opportunity to encourage others to be creative. I was always on the peripheries of someone else’s creativity, never in the centre of my own.
These two women continued to encourage me. They helped me to develop faith in my own abilities, but furthermore they encouraged me to continue to pursue my learning.
Lisa tutors in a college 50 miles from my home. It is the only college in Wales that runs silversmithing courses. She persuaded me to enrol on the Specialist Silversmithing course for a minimum of 10 weeks. The journey takes about four hours in total for one day a week. I realise that at 70 I am not as mobile as I was and that, as the nights draw in, the journey will be more difficult. But I also realise that at 70 I have nothing to prove to anyone else but myself. I am not old, I am wiser. I have more clarity now than ever before. I want to learn. I am not being told I have to learn, I want to do it. I want to be able to create a beautiful piece of jewellery using all the techniques I will learn.
Whilst I am making it, I will think of the great grandfather I never met and wonder what he would think. I will think of the Swedish Roma silversmith Rosa Taikon, who defied all cultural norms to take over her father’s business, and wonder if she ever thought she would be a role model decades later. I will continue to preach my mantra, “You are never too old to learn”, and hope that maybe one day I might inspire someone else.
I am a mother, a grandmother, a student and a silversmith.
By Andree Morgan Andrews
(All images © Andree Morgan Andrews)