The People Behind Every Piece of Jo Downs Handmade Glass
There is a moment every morning, before the gallery doors open and before the first customer unwraps a carefully packaged gift, when the Jo Downs Handmade Glass studio quietly comes to life.
At the company's headquarters in Launceston, the first task is rarely answering emails or switching on computers. Instead, attention turns towards the kilns that have been working through the night.
There is always a sense of anticipation.
As the kiln doors are carefully opened, yesterday's ideas finally reveal themselves. Colours deepen. Textures emerge. Some pieces have behaved exactly as expected, while others have taken on subtle characteristics that only fused glass can create. It is one of the few moments in the production process that still holds an element of surprise, even for people who have spent decades mastering their craft.
For many members of the Jo Downs team, this daily ritual never loses its excitement.
Around the studio, shelves gradually begin to fill with shimmering sea blues, soft coastal greens and rich earthy tones inspired by the Cornish landscape. Some pieces are destined to become statement wall art. Others will be transformed into jewellery, bowls, mirrors or gifts that will eventually find homes across the UK and beyond.
By the time customers arrive at one of the Jo Downs galleries, much of the day's creative work is already well underway.
What visitors rarely see, however, is the extraordinary number of people involved in bringing each handmade piece to life.
Behind every collection sits a team of artists, craftspeople, finishers, gallery specialists, marketers, dispatch teams and support staff whose combined experience spans hundreds of years. Each plays an important part in ensuring that every piece leaving the studio reflects the quality, creativity and craftsmanship that have become synonymous with Jo Downs Handmade Glass.
This is their story.
Behind the Studio Doors
Step inside the Launceston headquarters and it quickly becomes apparent that this is not a factory.
Nor is it simply an artist's studio.
It is something in between.
Creative ideas and carefully refined production processes exist side by side, allowing artistic freedom while maintaining the consistency customers have come to expect over more than three decades.
Across the workshop, sheets of coloured glass catch the changing morning light. Workbenches are covered with sketches, cutting tools and carefully organised materials. Finished pieces wait patiently for inspection, while others are meticulously prepared for another firing, each stage gradually adding depth, texture and character.
Nothing is hurried. Every process has developed through years of experience.
Some items return to the kiln several times before they are complete, while others move across different workstations as specialists add their own expertise. Glass is cut, layered, fused, cleaned, drilled, polished, assembled, photographed, packaged and finally displayed in galleries or carefully wrapped for customers ordering online.
It is this journey that makes every Jo Downs piece feel personal.
Although technology supports certain aspects of the business, the heart of the company remains remarkably traditional. Every piece is still handmade in Cornwall. Every colour combination has been thoughtfully considered. Every finished item has passed through multiple skilled pairs of hands before reaching its new owner.
That commitment to craftsmanship is something the entire team shares, regardless of department.
A Small Team with a Remarkably Big Creative Reach
Today, around forty-five people make up the Jo Downs Handmade Glass family, working across the Launceston headquarters together with galleries throughout Cornwall, Dartmouth and Sunningdale.
The business has grown considerably since its early days, yet it has retained something increasingly rare among successful creative companies. It still feels personal.
Within the headquarters alone are glass artists, production specialists, finishing teams, workshop tutors, marketing professionals, retail management, dispatch, HR, finance, IT, commissions and operational support. Beyond the studio, gallery teams spend every day introducing customers to Jo's work, sharing the stories behind each collection and helping visitors choose pieces that often become treasured family possessions.
Yet despite this diversity of roles, there is very little separation between departments. Ideas travel quickly.
A customer may mention a colour they'd love to see in a particular collection while visiting one of the galleries. That feedback might reach the studio within hours, prompting conversations between artists, production teams and Jo herself.
Sometimes those conversations develop into entirely new products. Sometimes they evolve into new colourways. Occasionally they inspire complete collections.
It is one of the greatest advantages of remaining an independent creative business.
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From the studio |
Experience That Cannot Be Taught
Another striking feature of the business is the loyalty of its people.
In an industry where creative talent often moves frequently between employers, many members of the Jo Downs team have built long careers within the company.
Since the Covid pandemic, the core team has remained remarkably consistent, with many employees having worked across the studio and galleries for well over a decade.
That longevity matters.
While fused glass is an art form that can certainly be taught, genuine mastery comes only through experience.
Understanding how different glasses react together. Knowing precisely how colours will mature during firing. Recognising when a piece needs another hour in the kiln, or when it is already perfect. These are instincts developed over thousands of hours of careful making rather than instruction manuals.
The result is a depth of knowledge that quietly influences everything produced within the Launceston studio.
Customers may never notice the countless tiny decisions made throughout the creation of a single bowl, mirror or wall panel, but they certainly notice the finished result.
It feels considered. Balanced. Beautifully made.
That consistency is no accident. It is the product of talented people who continue to refine their craft every single day.
The Makers
Three Creative Journeys, One Shared Passion
Walk through the Jo Downs studio for any length of time and one thing becomes immediately apparent. No two artists work in exactly the same way.
Each brings their own experiences, ideas and creative instincts to the bench. Some are fascinated by colour. Others are driven by technical precision. Some thrive on solving complex commissions, while others find excitement in discovering an entirely new technique that may eventually become part of a future collection.
Together, they form a creative environment where experience is shared, ideas are encouraged and experimentation is part of everyday life.
Vicky Shopland
Twenty Five Years of Turning Ideas into Glass
There are very few people who understand the evolution of Jo Downs Handmade Glass quite like Vicky Shopland.
Having worked alongside Jo for more than twenty five years, she has watched the company grow from a small creative business into one of Britain's best recognised names in handmade fused glass, while remaining true to the values that inspired it in the beginning.
Today, Vicky is one of the studio's senior glass artists, creating major commissions, developing Artisan Collection pieces and helping translate ideas into the beautifully crafted glass artworks displayed throughout the galleries.
Yet despite the years of experience behind her, there is still a sense of curiosity that drives everything she does.
I have worked with Jo for over 25 years now and in that time my passion for fused glass has grown year on year. It is great to have the opportunity to use my creative skills to translate ideas into beautiful pieces of glass art. Experimenting with new techniques, colours and themes means our work is constantly changing and bringing something new to our galleries and customers.
It is perhaps this willingness to keep learning that defines Vicky's work more than anything else.
Glass is an endlessly fascinating material. The smallest adjustment in colour, texture or temperature can completely transform the finished piece, meaning every new collection offers another opportunity to discover something unexpected.
For Vicky, some of the most rewarding projects begin not with a design brief, but with a conversation. Commission work allows customers to bring their own ideas into the creative process, whether they are imagining a bespoke splashback, an architectural installation or a statement piece of wall art.
Rather than simply reproducing an image, Vicky interprets those ideas through the language of fused glass, balancing colour, transparency, texture and light to create something entirely unique.
Outside the studio, Vicky has always been naturally drawn towards creative pursuits, with jewellery making and art forming an important part of her life long before she discovered glass.
Emma Jasper
Finding Creativity in Every Challenge
Some careers are carefully planned. Others happen almost by accident.
Emma Jasper's journey into Jo Downs Handmade Glass is very much the latter.
When she first joined the business in 2005, her role had very little to do with glass itself. She was initially looking after Jo's young son, but everything changed after spending time inside the studio.
Watching artists transform flat sheets of coloured glass into vibrant works of art left a lasting impression.
She was completely blown away. The atmosphere. The creativity. The excitement of seeing ideas become reality. It was unlike anything she had experienced before.
Although family commitments meant Emma stepped away from the business for periods of time, she describes herself as something of a boomerang, always finding her way back to the studio that first inspired her.
Today she works closely alongside Jo and the wider team, bringing an exceptional combination of practical thinking and creative curiosity.
Where some people see obstacles, Emma sees possibilities. Much of her work focuses on improving efficiencies, solving production challenges and exploring new materials through careful testing and experimentation.
I am always inspired by Jo's creative process. I love taking those ideas and then going off at a tangent to create something completely new and exciting.
Asked which collection remains closest to her heart, Emma mentions Jo's Signature Collection and the excitement she still feels every time a kiln is opened.
Every firing carries possibility. Every experiment has the potential to become the beginning of something entirely new. That sense of optimism continues to shape both Emma's work and the wider culture of the studio.
Melissa Zillwood
Always Looking for a Better Way
When Melissa Zillwood joined Jo Downs Handmade Glass ten years ago, she had never worked with fused glass before.
She had studied Art and Photography at A Level and knew she wanted a creative career, but glass offered something entirely different. It combined technical skill with artistic freedom. Precision with imagination. Structure with experimentation.
Beginning as a giftware maker, Melissa steadily developed her knowledge of the material, refining techniques that would eventually see her become one of the studio's senior glass artists.
Today her work spans Artisan collections, jewellery, commissions and the continual development of new products.
Ask colleagues what defines Melissa's approach and one theme appears repeatedly. She enjoys a challenge.
Whether refining an existing technique or developing something entirely new, she is constantly asking how a process might be improved.
I love giving myself a challenge every day, whether that is finding a more efficient way of making something or developing a completely new technique.
Melissa speaks warmly about the handcrafted trophies created for the Cornwall Tourism Awards, Cornwall Living Awards and the annual Padstow to Rock Swim.
Unlike production pieces, these commissions carry enormous significance for the organisations receiving them. Each represents achievement, celebration and local pride.
When asked about a favourite collection, Melissa chooses an older design called Cosmic. Inspired by deep indigo skies scattered with stars, the collection blended rich purples, midnight blues and shimmering highlights to capture the beauty of the night sky.
Spend time with Vicky, Emma and Melissa and their personalities quickly reveal themselves. One is inspired by translating ideas into beautiful glass. Another thrives on solving problems and exploring new possibilities. The third is constantly searching for ways to improve techniques and push creativity further.
Their careers have followed very different paths. Yet they all share something remarkably similar. An enduring excitement about making. A genuine pride in craftsmanship. And a quiet determination that every piece leaving the studio should be worthy of carrying the Jo Downs name.
The Journey of a Single Piece
From an Idea to Someone's Home
When customers walk into a Jo Downs gallery, they naturally see the finished piece. A shimmering shoal of fish catching the light. A handcrafted bowl resting on a display table. An Artisan mirror reflecting the colours of the Cornish coast.
What they rarely see is the remarkable journey that brought it there.
Unlike mass-produced homeware, every Jo Downs piece passes through numerous skilled hands before it reaches its final destination. The process is neither quick nor linear. Instead, it is a carefully choreographed collaboration, with each member of the team adding their own specialist knowledge along the way.
Take an Artisan fused glass mirror as an example. Its journey may begin with nothing more than an idea.
Perhaps Jo has returned from a walk along the Cornish coastline inspired by the shifting colours of the sea after a storm. Perhaps a gallery assistant has noticed customers asking for a new colour combination. Or perhaps one of the artists has been quietly experimenting with a technique that suddenly reveals exciting possibilities.
Ideas are rarely confined to one person. They are shared, discussed, tested and refined. Only then does the making begin.
Sheets of carefully selected glass are cut with extraordinary precision before individual layers are assembled by hand. Every fragment has been considered, every colour chosen not simply for how it looks today, but for how it will transform once exposed to intense kiln heat.
For all the planning that takes place before a firing, there is still an element of anticipation. No one truly sees the finished piece until the kiln has cooled.
A Collaboration of Skilled Hands
The firing process is only the beginning. Once cooled, every piece undergoes careful inspection before beginning its next stage.
Some items are complete after a single firing. Many are not. A vase, for example, returns to the kiln to be slumped gently into its final shape. Wall art may require further refinement. Jewellery receives delicate finishing touches. Mirrors continue their own carefully managed journey through the studio.
Even a single Artisan round mirror may involve five or more members of the team before it is ready for a customer. Specialist glass cutting, mirror preparation, the glass artist creating the design, finishing teams assembling the piece, marketing photographing it for the website, retail teams curating gallery displays and finally dispatch preparing it for its journey home all contribute to the finished result.
Every stage matters. Every handoff requires trust. Every detail contributes to the overall quality customers have come to expect.
It is easy to assume handmade simply means someone made something by hand. In reality, handmade often means many people have quietly contributed their expertise to create something that appears effortless.
The Art Nobody Sees
Ironically, some of the most skilled work carried out within the studio is almost invisible to customers.
The finishing department spends countless hours refining every piece before it ever reaches a gallery shelf. Fish installations require individual drilling. Wall panels are assembled with remarkable precision. Mirrors are carefully bonded to their backings. Frames are aligned. Edges are inspected.
Every item is cleaned, checked and finally presented in Jo Downs branded packaging.
For certain products, the finishing process can take just as long as creating the artwork itself. It is painstaking work. There are no shortcuts.
Quality is rarely created by one dramatic moment. It is usually the result of hundreds of small decisions made consistently well.
Cornwall in Every Colour
Ask almost anyone within the Jo Downs studio where their inspiration comes from and the answer is remarkably consistent. Cornwall.
Not simply as a location. But as a constant creative companion.
The county surrounds the business in every direction. Its dramatic coastline. Its quiet estuaries. Ancient moorland. Granite cliffs. Changing skies. Soft sea mists. Brilliant turquoise water.
Even after decades of living and working here, the landscape continues to reveal something new.
For Jo Downs herself, Cornwall has always been inseparable from her creative vision. For the wider team, that same influence quietly shapes everyday decisions.
Many of the studio's most recognisable collections owe their existence to places that can be visited only a short drive from the workshop.
Bossiney Cove is perhaps the clearest recent example. Inspired by one of Cornwall's most beautiful stretches of coastline, the collection captures shifting sea colours, translucent water and the movement of light across the ocean. Its popularity has already encouraged the team to begin exploring new colourways, demonstrating how inspiration continues to evolve long after a collection first launches.
You cannot not be inspired by Cornwall, even if you are not in a creative role. Cornwall influences everything we do. The coastline, changing light, turquoise seas, wild moorland and dramatic skies provide a constant source of inspiration for our designs.
Handmade in Cornwall
Running a creative manufacturing business in Cornwall brings enormous advantages. It also brings challenges.
Suppliers are often further away. Transport takes longer. Recruiting specialist craftspeople can be more difficult than in larger cities.
Yet no one within the business would choose to be anywhere else, because Cornwall offers something impossible to manufacture. Authenticity.
Visitors arriving at one of the galleries know that the artwork they are admiring has genuinely been created here. Not designed in Cornwall and manufactured overseas. Not assembled elsewhere before receiving a Cornish label. Made here. By local people. Within a working studio they can visit.
That authenticity resonates with customers now more than ever. In a world increasingly dominated by automation and mass production, there is growing appreciation for objects created by skilled hands.
Every piece begins and ends its journey in Cornwall. And every collection carries a little of Cornwall's character with it wherever it travels.
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From the studio |
Creativity Never Stands Still
Why Every Day Begins with Possibility
There is a common misconception that creating handmade glass is a process of repetition. Once a design has been perfected, surely it simply becomes a matter of making it again.
The reality could not be more different.
Walk through the Jo Downs studio and you will quickly discover that experimentation is woven into the rhythm of everyday life. New ideas are constantly being tested. Colour combinations are refined. Techniques are revisited. Materials are explored from new angles.
Glass, by its very nature, encourages curiosity. It rewards patience but also surprises those who work with it.
For the artists, this continual process of discovery is one of the greatest joys of working with fused glass. It is also one of the reasons the Jo Downs collections continue to evolve without ever losing their distinctive identity.
Every firing offers another lesson. Every experiment opens another door. Every collection begins with someone asking a simple question: what if we tried this?
Looking Towards Tomorrow
While customers naturally focus on the latest collection displayed in the galleries, the team is often working many months ahead.
Designs that will not appear until Christmas may already be sitting quietly on a workbench during the height of summer. Ideas for next year's collections are often being discussed long before the current season has finished.
It is a continuous creative cycle. One that never truly pauses.
Christmas is never far from anyone's thoughts at Jo Downs Handmade Glass. Even while visitors are enjoying summer sunshine along the Cornish coast, the studio is already producing festive decorations, testing seasonal colour palettes and wondering which new designs will become customer favourites.
The recent success of the Bossiney Cove Collection has already inspired discussions around additional colourways, while the prospect of opening new galleries over the coming months brings fresh opportunities to introduce the work to entirely new audiences.
Growth, however, has never been measured simply by opening more galleries or launching more collections. Instead, success is viewed through a much more personal lens.
Creating something customers genuinely connect with. Receiving photographs of Jo Downs pieces proudly displayed in family homes. Reading heartfelt reviews. Hearing stories from gallery visitors who return year after year to add another piece to their collection. For the team, those moments matter every bit as much as the launch of a new design.
More Than Colleagues
Spend enough time within the Jo Downs business, and another characteristic begins to emerge. People genuinely enjoy working together.
Of course, every workplace experiences busy periods, unexpected challenges and demanding deadlines. Yet there is an unmistakable sense that everyone is pulling in the same direction.
The culture is built on dedication, hard work and a willingness for everyone to step in whenever needed. Whether someone normally works in production, retail, dispatch or marketing becomes far less important when there is an urgent order to complete or a gallery preparing for a busy weekend.
Outside the studio, their interests are as varied as the artwork they produce. Among the team are musicians, golfers, cricketers, clay pigeon shooters, keen travellers and people who have chosen to make Cornwall their home after living elsewhere.
These are not details that appear on product labels. But they are part of what makes the business feel human.
The Future of Handmade
Over the past three decades, much has changed. Technology has transformed retail. Shopping habits have evolved. Customers can now discover Jo Downs Handmade Glass from almost anywhere in the world.
Yet despite that evolution, one principle has remained wonderfully unchanged. Every piece is still handmade in Cornwall.
Processes have become more refined. The studio has become more efficient. The business has grown. But the philosophy remains exactly as Jo first imagined it.
Beautiful objects. Made by hand. Inspired by Cornwall. Created to bring lasting enjoyment.
In many ways, that philosophy feels even more relevant today than it did thirty years ago. Modern life moves at extraordinary speed. Mass production dominates many aspects of our homes. Consumers increasingly search for authenticity.
Jo Downs Handmade Glass offers an answer that feels refreshingly genuine. Behind every bowl, mirror, wave, piece of jewellery or wall panel is a team of people who still believe craftsmanship matters.
An Invitation Behind the Scenes
The next time you walk into one of the Jo Downs galleries, pause for a moment before choosing your favourite piece.
Look beyond the colours. Beyond the glass. Beyond the finished design.
Imagine the journey it has taken. Picture the first sketch lying on a studio bench. The careful cutting of every sheet of glass. The anticipation of opening the kiln. The hours spent refining, polishing and assembling each piece. The photographer capturing it for the website. The gallery team placing it thoughtfully on display. The dispatch team wrapping it with care before it begins its journey to its new home.
Every Jo Downs creation carries those stories within it. Stories of creativity. Of patience. Of craftsmanship. Of Cornwall. Most importantly, stories of people.
Because while customers may remember the colours, the sparkle of the glass or the place they first discovered the collection, it is the people behind the scenes who make every one of those moments possible.
And that, perhaps more than anything else, is what makes Jo Downs Handmade Glass so special.
Explore the Collections
Whether you are searching for a meaningful handmade gift, a statement piece of wall art, a beautifully crafted mirror or a bespoke commission inspired by your own ideas, every Jo Downs creation begins in the same place: the Launceston studio, where creativity, craftsmanship and Cornwall come together every single day.
We invite you to discover the latest collections, visit one of our galleries, take part in a fused glass workshop or simply spend time exploring the stories behind the work. We hope that the next time you hold a piece of Jo Downs Handmade Glass in your hands, you will see more than the finished artwork.
You will see the people who made it possible.
