Dr Sofie Boons is a self-proclaimed Alchemical Jeweller whose research and creative practice span the disciplines of science, craft, and design. She completed a four-year Crafts Council Research Fellowship at the Centre for Print Research and earned her Ph.D., investigating lab-grown crystals and crystal growth technologies. Through her research, Sofie grew her own ruby crystals and proposed innovations that challenge conventional classifications, material authenticity debates, and the role humans play in the creation of so-called “synthetic” materials.

As a jewellery designer with a conceptual mindset, Sofie’s work is not limited to any single material or technique. Collaborations are a key driving force in her practice, since graduating from her second Master’s at the Royal College of Art in 2013, she has continually exhibited her work both domestically and internationally.

Before her research, Sofie served as Head of Academy at the British Academy of Jewellery, where she remains actively involved, supporting its BA and Higher Education programmes and hosting the BAJ Podcast.

Alongside her work at BAJ, she contributes to several leading international institutions as a Researcher, Senior Lecturer, and External Examiner, including the Royal College of Art, University of the West of England, Birmingham City University, Istituto Marangoni, and Trier University of Applied Sciences.