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.
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.
My lovely client from Paris, Helena, emailed me because the rhodochrosite and silver pendant I made for her mother a while back had gone missing, so she wondered if I could build her another one.
Hunting around for another piece of rhodochrosite that would be as beautiful as the first was fun. After I provided Helena with a few options, she and her dad settled on this gorgeous teardrop shaped cabochon for the new rhodochrosite and silver pendant.
Rhodochrosite is such a beautiful gemstone. You can read more about it here. I love the way the cross section of this stone looks as though it was cut from a stalagtite. I was so glad to be able to make this lovely piece for a lovely person!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 beautiful variscite gemstone cabochon shown here is 30mm long, and is available to be handcrafted into a custom made ring or pendant for you.
Variscite is a hydrated aluminium phosphate and the rare, bluish-green mineral can be found in aluminium-rich rocks. It is named after Variscia, the old name for Vogtland in Germany.
Variscite is believed to bring peace and harmony to your heart and to help with stress or anxiety. It is thought to be beneficial for anyone who is an invalid or who is caring for someone who has been sick for a long time, especially if they are feeling despair about their illness.
The lovely red moss agate gemstone cabochon shown here is 39mm long. It is available to be handcrafted into a custom made ring or pendant for you.
Moss agate is not banded, and therefore not strictly an Agate in scientific terms; but is included in the agate family. Agate is a variety of chalcedony, a mineral of the quartz family. It is clear to milky white, and is dendritic, meaning it has tree or fern-like inclusions (from the Greek dendron, meaning tree). The inclusions in this piece are probably iron.
Moss agate is known as the agate of warriors, and of gardeners and agriculture. Moss agate helps balance emotional energy. It helps the user to let go of anger and bitterness. It is believed to enhance concentration, persistence, endurance and success in one’s endeavors. It is thought to assist with sensitivities to weather and pollution. Midwives use it to assist in successful birthing.
