Newgrange Jewellery

About

Dorothy Fletcher Bentley makes jewellery using the ‘Lost Wax Casting’ method, one of the oldest methods of
jewellery-making techniques dating back 6,000 years. She uses this age-old method for her Newgrange-inspired
jewellery collection.

Dorothy grew up in Ireland near the Newgrange Megalithic tomb in Meath, where she became captivated by the tri-
spiral design carved into the surrounding kerb stones. She relocated to Los Angeles as an adult and, as a creative
outlet to her technical job as an E-Communications Specialist at UCLA, she enrolled in a Lost Wax Casting course.
Fully expecting to just have fun and make a unique piece for herself, she fell in love with wax carving, so her hobby
became a sideline business!

Upon returning to Ireland, Dorothy settled in Carlow. A Web and Graphic Designer by profession, she is always
inspired by symbolic shapes, so the tri-spiral and Celtic knotwork patterns are a source of inspiration for her work.
Although 3D printing makes it possible to sculpt wax jewellery nowadays, she prefers to stay with traditional
techniques by continuing to carve her pieces using a piece of wax, a spirit lamp, and wax files. So, you can see and
feel her work in the tactile raised relief patterns in her pieces. Because of this, her Newgrange-inspired jewellery is
truly hand-carved, just like the exquisite patterns made by ancient Irish craftsmen.
Dorothy works out of her home studio in Tullow, Co. Carlow.