Bill lived most of his life near the sea. His love of the West coast of Scotland came from summers spent on his family’s boat, a wartime lifeboat that he and his father refitted for domestic use. He only ever talked about what influenced his design aesthetic when on a rare occasion he was pressed to do copy for clients.

The abalone shell he incorporated into his jewellery during the 1980s and early 1990s was at that time, an unusual medium and I like to think indicates his love of the sea along with an enduring passion for boats.

This was the view from his house.