Law student from Portsmouth turns jeweller with his exceptional talent - and makes a £30,000 sale

Kam Hussain, 22, put his unexpected free time over lockdown to good use and honed his jewellery-making skill.

The 22-year-old found he had a real talent, and he has gone on to sell his work for £30,000.

Kam, who studies at University of the West of England in Bristol, said: ‘I’m really passionate about it, it’s an art that not many people are able to do, which is why I find it so attractive.’

Kam has been producing and selling pieces while studying for his degree. He discovered his interest while working in a metal factory in Bristol around his studies.

One of the tradesmen at the factory offered him a job and trained him in the art – before he branched out on his own this year.

‘It’s incredibly difficult,’ he said. ‘You sacrifice your entire social life, I’m never on my phone or seeing people.

‘Working 12 hours in the day then trying to catch up on my education at night, but I believe the graft will all be worth it in the end.’

The most amount of money that Kam has received for a piece is a ring that he sold for £29,780 to a client in California. This was £9,250 profit after the costs of making it.

He said: ‘When I saw how much it sold for, it was a feeling you cannot prepare for. It was 10pm and I was having a bath after a long day at work when I got the news.

‘It took a couple seconds to hit me but then I was just completely overwhelmed, I was so proud.’

Kam’s portfolio is valued at around £70,000 in total.

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He said that not only has this helped him financially, it has also given him direction.

He said: ‘A year ago I was a 21-year-old bloke who was lost and had no direction in life.

‘I didn’t really know what I was doing or what I wanted to do. I changed university courses a couple times, it got to the point where I had practically given up on myself and my studies.

‘Jewellery has given me a new purpose in life, I’m happy, I have something to look forward to every day. I’m a whole new man.

‘The connection you build with the clientele is special too.

‘Making something as intimate as a wedding or engagement ring that will play such an integral part in someone’s life, you want to design it to perfection.’

However, Kam, of Baffins Road, Baffins, is still hoping to graduate and become a lawyer.

‘My main focus is my degree and jewellery is on the back burner as my parents have sacrificed a lot to get to where I am today,’ he said.

‘It has always been a dream of mine to be a lawyer. This being said, I won’t stop with jewellery, but the pace will be slowed down. I feel safe knowing I have a back up plan in something that I love.’

For more of Kam’s work go to his Instagram page @playingwithdiamonds.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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