Mr. Punch in the Arts: The Designs of Hoolala’s Sam Gannaway-Jones

For my birthday earlier this week, my parents presented me with a beautiful pair of hand-made cufflinks designed by Sam Gannaway-Jones. The cufflinks are particularly special because they depict Mr. Punch and his wife Judy. Even better, they’re inspired by my favorite George Cruikshank illustrations of the perennially squabbling duo. As you can imagine, I was (and am) quite thrilled with them.


The cufflinks came in a lovely box, but they weren’t alone. Along with them came three wee envelopes—special gifts from Hoolala which were pleasant little surprises in and of themselves. This is, apparently, the Hoolala way of doing business. If only more people were as gracious.

Another of Hoolala's designs

Hoolala is the online storefront of the aforementioned designer Sam Gannaway-Jones who hand-makes her own line of exquisitely quirky and charming jewelry. Miss Jones’ inspiration comes from what she calls, the “mad, bad Victorians,” her family’s vintage photos and her grandmother’s charm bracelet. She says:

I am fascinated by the idea of the charm; in some cultures they are used to attract luck to the wearer whilst in others they are worn to ward off evil. My work centers around the idea of compulsion and repulsion, the morbid curiosity of the Victorians and my boxes of unusual treasures I have collected since childhood.

Well, I think that’s just splendid! My work centers around that, too.

Her work is exceptional. I would strongly recommend that you take some time to visit her Web site. Miss Gannaway-Jones is based in the U.K. My British readers will want to visit the UK version of her site. My non-U.K. readers should visit there, too. However, for ease of ordering, Miss Jones has a storefront on Etsy as well. The Etsy site has a vast array of her fascinating creations. Really, take a look! While you’re there, order something, too.