Wendy Ramshaw, a textile designer, and David Watkins, a sculptor and jazz musician are today internationally renowned artist jewellers. They both made their first experiments in jewellery in the sixties.

In 1963, David Watkins and Wendy Ramshaw, collaborated in their first joint venture, ‘Optik Art Jewellery’ inspired by Op-Art. Ramshaw had been teaching screen printing, and Watkins developed this technique, to be used on acrylic, rather than spray painting. They printed multiple black and white patterns onto sheets of acrylic, which were then sliced up and finished as individual pieces of jewellery. With their ‘Optik’ collections, among others commissioned by Fenwicks of Bond Street they caught the spirit of the Swinging Sixties. These were fun pieces and jewellery accessible for the young. Their concept was to make well-designed fashion jewellery of inexpensive material. It was the right idea at the right time. ‘Optik Art Jewellery’ closed when larger competing manufacturers moved into their visual territory.