How Fluke Jewellery Began
Ever since he was a young lad growing up in the heart of London, Roger Philby has had a deep passion for the natural world and all the creatures in it.
He would spend hours looking into a crude microscope bought for him by one of his relatives. It was the many minute forms wiggling, darting, shaking and crawling within a drop of water taken from the local ponds that fascinated him. He had no way of knowing what they were, but their diversity left an indelible impression on his young mind.
From those early days, the sheer number of adapted forms of animals has intrigued him, and none more than those of Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises. Their evolution has created animals totally at one with their environment.
The Marguerite Explorer
Since the early 1980’s Roger spent holidays and study trips aboard the 80-year-old converted Dutch Ketch The Marguerite Explorer (only a few years younger than Roger!! 😉 ) plotting the movement of Cetaceans. He has sailed around the Inner & Outer Hebrides studying Minke Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, White Sided, Risso’s and Common Dolphin and the fast disappearing Harbour Porpoise. He has swum with Common and Spotted Dolphin in the Azores, plotted the movements of False Killer, Sperm and Cuvier's Beaked Whale in the same area and whilst bringing the Marguerite back from the Azores as a crew member in horrendous weather, managed to spot Fin and Sei Whales. This ship image has the kind permission of our good friend Christopher Swann who used to be the owner/skipper of The Marguerite Explorer and now runs his new company Oceanus.
Inspired by Nature
Roger moved to Orkney from Surrey in 2002 & lived in Birsay, which is a beautiful part of the West Mainland of Orkney. There he was lucky enough to enjoy sightings of Orcas, Risso dolphins, porpoise and Minke whales from his workshop gallery. He even had Puffins, Fulmars & other seabirds breeding at the bottom of his garden!
To see new species of Whale, Dolphin or Porpoise is extremely exciting, but no matter how many times you see them the thrill never fades and your life is enriched.
From these encounters, Roger felt a need to create beautiful items of jewellery that represent, as best as he could, the true forms of these animals that fill his soul.
Now Roger has retired Fluke Jewellery is in the hands of a small but dedicated team of like-minded individuals who share Roger’s passion for nature. Getting to grips with his existing ranges, adding pieces to make sets, using hand applied enamel for colour and coming up with new additions.