Former museum curator Sue Lunt tells Dawn Collinson why she turned to creating eye-catching jewellery

AS DECORATIVE arts curator at the Walker Art Gallery, Sue Lunt was charged with caring for more than 10,000 valuable and highly precious historical pieces.

She was a regular guest expert on radio and even appeared alongside Ann Robinson and Michael Parkinson on the BBC’s Going For A Song.

Three years ago, though, Sue was forced to give up her job when she had a knee replacement operation.

But, having worked for many years with the gallery, she was determined not to waste all the knowledge and skills she’d acquired.

“Obviously I had a design background and an interest in design history, so when I was looking for something to do when I was laid up, that was an obvious place to start,” explains Sue.

“I went to night school at Neston High School to study jewellery making, I got books on the subject and taught myself from there. Then I did a week-long course at the art school in Edinburgh and just got hooked.”

The result is that, at the age of 62, Sue finds herself with a new career and rather than curating exhibitions of other people’s work, she now has her own at galleries around the country, including the Walker and the Blucoat.

It’s been an unplanned path, she admits, although not an entirely unpredictable one especially as there are so many parallels with her previous role.

“As a curator, I had to have a knowledge of my specialism and also a general knowledge of the decorative arts as well,” she explains, “because you have to be able to understand what someone was wearing, or what the furniture was like in a particular period, to be able to place pieces in an accurate setting.

“When you look after a collection you have to present it to the public, research it and care for it; that’s all part of your job.”

Sue, who lives in Parkgate, became involved with the Walker around 15 years ago after working as an antiques dealer.