A jewellery designer awarded an OBE has described it as the "icing on the cake" of a 44-year career in the industry.
Sheila Fleet left school at 15 with no qualifications, but with a passion for art and design she gained entry to Edinburgh Art School and won a number of awards for her jewellery design.
She went on to work with Corocraft, one of the world's largest costume jewellery companies for eight years before returning home to Orkney in 1977. She became the first professional designer and modelmaker at a local jewellery company before starting her own self-named business in 1993.
She has now been named as an OBE for services to the industry in the New Year Honours list.
The 67-year-old said: "I was extremely surprised and delighted of course, it was very unexpected and after 44 years in the jewellery industry I'm delighted, it's the icing on the cake.
"I'm very proud to think that someone took the time to nominate me for such a thing and I can't think who would have done, I'm just gobsmacked."
Despite the island base the company has continued to grow and now has a staff of more than 50 people.
"I grew up in Orkney and love the islands so it's been fantastic to be able to work from here. Lots of tourists come to visit the archaeology and history of the island and that helps us gain interest and custom from around the world," she said.
"I was very surprised when I got the letter to say I had an OBE, it was kind of surreal, I opened it in the office when there were people around and I thought 'can this be real?' I walked around holding it for a while before I took it to my house to read it again and it started to sink in.
"I would love my parents, my father especially, to have known I was awarded this because he was always so proud of anything I managed to achieve because I left school at 15 and that makes it more special. The letter I received the day I got into Edinburgh art college put the same kind of smile on my face, a warm glow that stayed for a whole day, but this honour might last a bit longer."
