Tag Archives: fashion

poppy jasper and silver ring ~ custom made

I created this custom poppy jasper and silver ring for my lovely friend (and fabulous hairdresser) Charmaine. Charmaine is such a kind person, it’s always a pleasure to have a good old chat about life, the universe and everything with her (and have my hair done of course!)

Charmaine chose the stone from my collection of gemstone cabochons. I chose to showcase the beautiful stone with a simple matte silver border and ring shank. I love simplicity, and I always believe in letting the stone do the talking!

As well as this poppy jasper and silver ring, Charmaine has a number of my creations in her jewellery box. You can see her dendritic opal ring, her agatised fossil ring, and her malachite earrings here on my website. I always love creating for her – her taste is very similar to mine.

Jasper is the name for a large group of gemstones which are basically a variety of silica. The word jasper means spotted or speckled stone in old French. Poppy jasper is a kind of orbicular jasper, so named because of the round eye like patterns in the stone. There’s some good information about poppy jasper here. There are many beautiful variations of jasper!

silver leaf logo pendant – bespoke handcrafted necklace

My lovely client Angela contacted me and commissioned to make this silver leaf logo pendant for her.

Angela emailed me her logo, and I got to work with my jeweller’s saw and my soldering torch. I pierced the logo into a sheet of silver then soldered the pierced work onto another sheet of silver. I formed and attached a bail to suspend the piece by. After I used liver of sulphur to oxidise the piercing, I finished the piece with some emery and elbow grease. This is the end result!

I think this silver leaf logo pendant turned out pretty well. What a lovely logo!

If you have a logo that you’d like made into a pendant, contact me and we can discuss whether your logo would be suitable for this or some other kind of silversmithing work. We could even add a gemstone or two to really add some pop! This is a great gift idea for someone who runs their own business, or to provide to employees as a reward or marketing idea.

If you’d like to connect up with me on social media, head over to FaceBook or Instagram. It would be lovely to see you there!

bumblebee jasper and silver ring ~ handcrafted ring

I created this custom bumblebee jasper and silver ring for the lovely Elektra of Luna’s Light. Check out her Instagram feed, she has a wealth of fabulous crystals in her collection. A woman after my own heart!

Elektra found her own cabochon and asked if I could make her a ring, which I was happy to do! If you wanted your own, you could choose a stone from the gemstone selection I have available.

I do have some more bumblebee jasper in my gemstone collection, so if you would like your own bumblebee jasper and silver ring, get in touch. You’ll love having a bespoke piece made for yourself!

Bumblebee jasper is actually a kind of calcite, with no quartz in it at all! There’s some good information about bumblebee jasper here.

amber and silver pendant and earrings set

My lovely friend Anna commissioned me to make an amber and silver pendant and earrings set. The set was a Christmas gift for her mum. What a sweetie, and so thoughtful!

Anna chose the amber cabochons from my available gemstone collection. The brief was that the set be fairly delicate, and that the earrings not hang too low. I drew up a few designs, and we worked out what Anna’s mum would like best.

Amber is actually fossilised tree resin, and sometimes contains suspended life forms, for instance insects or plants. You can read a bit more about amber here.

blue chalcedony and silver ring ~ gemstone piece

This blue chalcedony and silver ring was a custom creation for Carla. Carla is a lovely client from Goulburn, Australia which is not far from Canberra where I grew up. I have family in Goulburn, too!

Carla liked the rings she saw in The Silver Forge shop, but was keen to have one made specifically in her size. She chose the gorgeous piece of blue chalcedony from the gemstone selection I have available.

I do have some more chalcedony in my gemstone collection, so if you would like your own blue chalcedony and silver ring, get in touch. It’s so nice to have a bespoke piece made for yourself!

You can read more about blue chalcedony in the blog post I wrote. There’s also some great information to be found here.

tassel earrings with silver earwires

The rage right now is tassel earrings, and I love pairing them with handmade silver earwires! Fashion doesn’t usually drive me, but I’ve been in love with the tassel lately. I worked out how to make some using high quality cotton (and sterling silver of course), and I’m pretty pleased with the result. To give the earrings a fresh and fabulous look, I used silver for the earwire, the hanging part at the top, and the wrap around of the tassel.

I made these particular lovelies as gifts for two of my dearest besties in the whole world. I find a constant source of joy in being able to create beautiful things for amazing people!

You can find some tassel earrings with silver earwires in my online shop. Although these earrings have nearly sold out at present, I am getting ready to match another fabulous batch of these in a gorgeous array of colours. I’d also be very happy to make you a pair in any colour you dream of! You have a rainbow of choices available. Let me know what colour tassels your earrings should have by getting in touch with me here; and of course, sterling silver is hypo-allergenic so is perfect for everyone!

History

Tassels have been around for thousands of years. Tassel creators use a wide variety of materials. Throughout history, they’ve appeared as decoration, for religious purposes, and in ceremonial wear. So varied and highly prized were they that in 16th century France an apprenticeship of seven years was required to become a master in the guild of ‘passementiers’. If you’re interested, you can read more a bit more about their history here on Wikipedia. You can also read about them here on Martha Stewart’s website.

Meanwhile, tassels add a great pop of colour to any outfit! They can be a bit of fun for a day at the office, or sleek and beautiful for a night at a party – you get to choose and enjoy them any way you like!

haematite men’s wedding ring – custom sterling silver ring

I recently created this custom made haematite men’s wedding ring. It came about because I previously custom made a set of rings for my lovely clients Greg and Lyn.

Unfortunately the previous haematite and silver men’s wedding ring that I had custom made for Greg went off on a journey of its own. Greg and Lyn last saw it at a roadside stop somewhere between Noosa, Queensland and Newcastle, New South Wales. Lyn contacted me to see if I could build Greg another ring! (If you happen to come across this ring, I’d love to hear about it. I always wonder where pieces I’ve made that have been lost end up! I hope someone nice found it and is getting joy out of wearing it. That would be the best outcome!)

I didn’t have another large oval haematite cabochon in my gemstone collection, however I did have a round one the same as Lyn’s, so I made a manly version of her wedding ring which matched hers nicely. Hopefully happy days ensue, and this one does not meet a similar fate!

If you’re interested to learn more about haematite, here is a fascinating article from the CSIRO. It really is a most gorgeous stone. If you would like to know more about such things as the metaphysical properties of the stone, check out my blog post here.

If you’d like your own haematite men’s wedding ring made, do check out the array of gemstones I have available for you. You can find more haematite here. And feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions! I’m always happy to help, and I do love to create beautiful things for lovely people!

A big thank you to Greg and Lyn for choosing me to create for them.

treble clef earrings – Beethoven’s own handwriting

One of my clients, Jake, asked if I could create a pair of treble clef earrings, using Ludwig van Beethoven‘s own handwriting for a template.

What a joyous and fabulous idea! Jake sent me the snippet of handwriting via email. I was able to reference the handwriting while I bent the silver to the same shape.

I was very pleased to oblige, and also to honour Beethoven in this way.

charoite and silver ring – handmade in brisbane

I made this charoite and silver ring as my lovely client Emma needed a purple ring. I sourced this beautiful piece of charoite for her.

Emma came to collect it along with a couple of her other Silver Forge rings which I gave some TLC to for her. She was very happy with it!

I do have some more charoite in my gemstone collection in case you’re in love with this and would like your own ring. So rich and gorgeous! You can find out more about this lovely gemstone here.

silver fox pendant – bespoke handcrafted necklace

My client Mark contacted me and commissioned to make a silver fox pendant for a 50th present.

Mark emailed me some ideas. Between us we worked out the design he was picturing, which I then drew up. I spent some time with my jeweller’s saw and my soldering torch, and this is the silver fox pendant I made for him. So sweet!

I think it turned out pretty well, Aren’t foxes beautiful? You can read up on them here.

the silver forge

jewellery handcrafted by ruthie gray