Sussex metalworkers feature in new TV series of Scrap Kings

Matilda Murback and Mira Donath will appear in the new series of Scrap Kings on the Quest channel this spring.

The two friends have known each other since 2010 and have their own jewellery and clothing company, Organik Mechanik.

They create jewellery from metals such as brass, copper and silver – which they get from scrap yards in Brighton and Burgess Hill.

Mira at work

Mira, who lives in Lewes, said they filmed the Scrap Kings episode over three days to document their whole process, from junk to jewellery.

The 35-year-old said: “On the first day we were sourcing the metal from the scrapyard in Burgess Hill.

“Then we were making the jewellery on the second day and we were selling it at the Forest Row village market near East Grinstead on the third.

“We got involved without really knowing much about the show but we really enjoyed it.

“It’s nice to be making people aware of all the materials that are out there, and how you can transform something from scrap into something beautiful.”

Matilda, who lives in Peacehaven, said: “It’s about opening people’s eyes about how scrap metals are actually really valuable. Really there’s no point buying new, because it’s all there.”

Selling their jewellery at Forest Row village market in the show Scrap Kings

Matilda said she and Mira met ten years ago when they were both working at a juice bar in The Lanes in Brighton.

The 36-year-old said: “We are both pretty creative people and so we started out doing some sewing together. I was also doing a bit of leather work.

“Mira’s partner is a sculptor and he had a metal workshop.

“We were both intrigued, and so that’s how we slowly started doing it.”

The pair began making jewellery from scrap materials and selling their creations at festivals in the UK during the summer and on trips to India.

Mira said: “We were doing it as a seasonal thing but then we realised people actually really liked what we were making.

“We had a pop-up shop in Brighton for a while with some other artists, but now we mainly sell jewellery from our online Etsy shop, as well as at markets around Sussex and at festivals like Glastonbury.”

Some Organik Mechanik earrings made from scrap materials

Although they make a range of metal jewellery items, from earrings and rings to pendants, necklaces and hair pieces, Matilda and Mira do not consider themselves to be jewellers.

Matilda said: “We primarily call ourselves metalworkers – we make jewellery but it’s not fine jewellery.

“Our stuff starts out bulky, and then we get into doing more fine details. We also do other bigger projects involving welding.”

Mira said they mainly use brass and copper, as these are the materials they can often purchase at scrap yards, such as the Richardson and Sons scrap yard in New England Street, Brighton.

She said: “We often find brass and copper sheets in scrap, which we can make into all sorts of interesting shapes. We just buy the material for the scrap price.

“We receive it unpolished and it might have dents or sometimes there’s glue on it, so there’s a lot of cleaning and straightening before we can start.

“You have to just work with whatever materials you’ve got, and come up with new ideas to make it work.

“People sometimes think the jewellery should be much cheaper as it’s made from recycled materials, but there’s a lot of manpower that goes into the process of making it.

“But that’s also the main joy of it, for us.”

Mira and Matilda are both keen to promote recycling.

Matilda said: “Everyone needs to do their bit and it’s just about having that awareness.

“There’s so much scrap metal out there, but this counts for everything – clothes, furniture, all sorts.

“We have to change the way we consume. That’s what it comes down to.”

Catch Matilda and Mira on Scrap Kings at 9pm on Tuesday, April 7 on Quest.