Helen Ashton spent her early childhood in the Welsh hills and Hay on Wye, before her family moved north to the green suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne. While raising her family she taught school for several years, then had a successful career writing best-selling school text books on food and nutrition. She then studied art history with the Open University, obtaining a First Class Honours Degree, with a particular interest in early Italian painting. While looking into her genealogy, particularly the Cumberbatches from Barbados, she discovered the silversmith Omar Ramsden's connection to her family. Discovering his reputation for superb workmanship and his involvement in the world of Arts and Crafts, she delved deeper into his history. There was almost no published information about his life, in spite of the renown which his work had achieved. Her interest became a fascinating obsession, resulting in three years of research, finding out about his family background in Sheffield, his long partnership with Alwyn Carr.