Andrea Mears Jewellery is Coming to Bloom 2026 - Find me in the DCCI Irish Craft Village
There's something that happens when you hand someone a piece of jewellery and they ask, "who made this?" - and you get to say, I did. That moment is one of the reasons I keep going back to the bench, keep picking up the tools, keep working late into the evenings in my Limerick studio.
This June, I'm bringing that same energy to the biggest gardening and outdoor living festival in Ireland.
Andrea Mears Jewellery will be exhibiting at Bloom 2026, in the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) Irish Craft Village.
What is Bloom?
If you haven't been, Bloom is one of those events that has a way of making you fall back in love with Ireland in the summer. Taking place every June in the Phoenix Park, it's a five-day celebration of gardens, food, craft and creativity that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. It's big, it's beautiful, and the Irish Design Village - where you'll find me - is where some of Ireland's finest independent makers set up and meet the people who actually wear, use and treasure their work.
It's the kind of event where you stop in front of a stall not because you were looking for anything in particular, but because something catches your eye and pulls you in. I'm hoping that'll happen with my jewellery!
Why Bloom Matters to Me
As a small, independent maker working mostly from my studio, a lot of what I do happens in relative quiet. Designing, casting, sculpting, polishing. Repeat. I love that part. But there's something irreplaceable about getting to stand beside the work and talk about it.
Bloom brings together an audience that genuinely values craft. People who want to know how something was made, why it looks the way it does, what the symbol means. That's exactly the kind of conversation I love having - and rarely get to have through a screen.
Being part of the Irish Craft Village also means being surrounded by other talented makers doing extraordinary things with their hands. That community is part of what contemporary Irish craft is, and I'm proud to be part of it.
A Little About the Work
I'm a self-taught goldsmith and silversmith. I came from a background in business and design, not a formal apprenticeship. What I had instead was an obsession with materials, with Irish symbolism, with the idea that a piece of jewellery can carry real meaning - not in a vague, decorative sense, but genuinely.
My pieces blend traditional metalsmithing techniques with 3D printing and hand sculpting. I think of them as wearable talismans - small, precious celebrations of memory, hope and identity. Each design comes with a story.
Some of that work has ended up in places I never could have imagined when I started. In 2023, I was commissioned to create a commemorative coin for President Joe Biden's visit to Ireland, and a solid gold Irish Rose necklace for Dr. Jill Biden. In 2025, a sterling silver coin I cast from an original 1928 Irish threepence - featuring the iconic Irish hare and the inscription Saorstát Éireann - was presented to President Zelenskyy at the Oireachtas. Two of the most significant state visits in recent Irish history. The same Limerick jeweller behind both gifts!
New for Bloom 2026: The Dragonfly Collection
I'm especially excited to be launching a brand new design at Bloom this year.
For the past while, I've been spending time at our small family farm in County Mayo, where we've created a little nature pond. The dragonflies that visit it are something special - jewel-bright, impossibly delicate, hovering like something out of a dream.
The new Dragonfly Collection will debut at Bloom 2026.
Each piece is hand-crafted in sterling silver, with small set precious stones that catch the light the way the real thing does over water. Custom orders will be available in alternative gemstone options, and in solid gold for those who want something truly one of a kind.
Dragonflies have long been symbols of transformation and adaptability - the ability to move through change with grace. I think a lot of us could use a reminder of that right now. These pieces will be wearable in that spirit.
Come and Find Me
If you're heading to Bloom 2026, come and find me in the Design Village. I'll have a full collection of handmade gold and silver pieces with me - necklaces, earrings, bracelets and the new designs - and I'd love to talk through any of them with you.
If you're interested in a commission, a custom piece, or just want to see the work up close before you decide, Bloom is a perfect opportunity.
Dates: 28th May to 1st June 2026 Location: Phoenix Park, Dublin Where to find me: The Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) Irish Craft Village
You can also browse the full collection in advance here - and if you have any questions before the festival, feel free to get in touch.
See you there.
Andrea x