Tag Archives: Ruthie Gray

Happy First Anniversary to The Silver Forge!

Who can believe a whole year has gone by since I opened my little shop? Not me! I’ve been having such a great time – it is blissful to create silver jewellery; and to bring joy to others with my creations is an absolutely wonderful thing, and is the icing on this delicious cake.

As well as creating pieces for my lovely bespoke customers, and to stock my online shop, (and making the occasional piece for myself!) I am proud to have supported a number of worthy causes this year. I believe that helping the world in whatever small way we can is just plain good karma. Do you have a cause that is special to you? I’d love to know about it! Let me know in the comments below.

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20% OFF SALE

To say a big “THANK YOU!” to all you lovely people for your ongoing support, I am offering 20% off everything in The Silver Forge Shop until 27 May. Do have a little browse, won’t you!

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EARRING GIVEAWAY!

As part of the celebrations, I am also giving away two pairs of earrings to two lucky winners. If you have a browse through the earring section of my shop, come back here and make a comment letting me know which are your favourite pair to the value of $30, you’ll be entered in the draw at the end of the week. If you’ve liked my Facebook Page as well, you’ll get a second entry!

A great big thank you for all of your kind words, Blog comments, Etsy treasuries, Facebook likes, re-Tweets, Newsletter clicks, Pinterest repins, purchases, worthy cause donations, and all the other forms of love and support you’ve shown over the last year! Happy days to you all. xx

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UPDATE:

A huge thank you to everyone who entered the earring giveaway. Thank you all so much for your good wishes, and your good taste! The winners were announced here.

Blacksmithing

When I first started silversmithing, I hadn’t made the connection, but I came to realise that I had become part of a family tradition of shaping metal with hammers and fire. There have been smiths in my family since the 1830s. My great-grandfather, great-great-uncle, and great-great-great-grandfather were all village blacksmiths in tiny villages in Kent and Sussex, England.

Great-Great-Uncle Bill Horton working in the forge c 1900 – Brede, Sussex, England

My grandmother, who is now 97, remembers her dad working at his forge first in Guestling Thorne, then in Icklesham, Sussex, making horseshoes and farming implements. He made the gates for Rambledown House in West Chiltington, West Sussex, where my Great-Auntie worked, which I believe may still be there.

Trivet made by Great-Granddad Robert Horton

Great-Granddad also made this gorgeous trivet (I presume for my Great-Granny), a horseshoe with little boots as the legs, which is one of my most treasured possessions.

Hook made by me

A few years ago, I did a weekend blacksmithing workshop at the railway yards in Ipswich. The first thing I smithed was this hook, and I am very proud of it. Building the forge fire using coke, maintaining it, heating the straight iron rod to red hot, and hammering it with a big hammer on a huge anvil was very exciting. I had to adjust to the idea that the metal had to be glowing red, as if you heat silver to that state, it means it’s melting! Although I got covered in black coke dust, and was pretty worn out by the end of the weekend, it was immensely satisfying and something that I mean to do again some day.

I wonder what my great-great-great-grandfather would have thought of my endeavours? I hope he would have been pleased!

Gataker’s Artspace – New Pieces

Some new Silver Forge earrings have arrived at Gataker’s Artspace in Maryborough. Gataker’s is a community artspace which displays the work of local and regional artists and craftspeople – they also have musical performances in their courtyard, and every month they open one Saturday night for music, wood-fired pizza, coffee, art and artisans. If you’re up around Hervey Bay way, stop in to 311 Kent Street, Maryborough!

Twin Butterfly Pendants in Sterling Silver

Keith contacted me via my website as there are two very special girls who have a birthday coming up – soon to be one year old twins. Keith wanted two butterfly pendants made for them.

Keith plans to have their names engraved on one of the butterfly wings.

What a lovely idea for a present!

Thanks Keith!

Tool of the Month – Jeweller’s Saw

There are many pieces of equipment that are essential to the creative silversmithing process, and one that gets used in practically every piece is the jeweller’s saw. From cutting through fine chain links, to carving out an entire pendant, the saw is a very useful piece of equipment!

One of the first things I learned when I started smithing was how to saw – first straight lines, then curves, then around corners. There is an art to sawing! Jeweller’s saw blades come in many sizes, the tooth count varying depending on the job you need to do.

Saw blades are replaced when they become blunt or more often when they break – which happens all the time. Inserting the blade correctly, holding the saw upright, not applying pressure and letting the blade do the work will all help. “Doh! Another one!” is still a frequent cry around the workshop though!

Saws can also be used for piercing. First a small hole is drilled, the saw blade is fed through the hole, and then tightened into the saw.

I have two saws, my old faithful that I’ve had from day one and my newer Green Lion Studios saw, which has a deeper frame and can be used for larger cuts. I have different sizes of sawblades in each one, and they are both some of my favourite tools!

Twilight Market – Fundraising for Hear and Say

(photo credit: Cathy Savels)

Don’t forget, if you’re in Brisbane on Friday 3 May (today or tomorrow, depending on when you’re reading this!!), head over between 4.00 and 7.00pm to the Twilight Market being held by the Creche & Kindergarten Northside Family Day Care Educators Association at ‘The Community Place’ on Teevan Street, Stafford. As there are three children in our Northside Family Day Care community who are hearing impared, the market is being held to raise funds for Hear and Say. One of these children goes to Carmen’s Family Day Care with my son, so this is close to our hearts!

The aim of Hear and Say is to help deaf children to hear, listen and speak so they can attend a regular school, have wider career choices and can more fully participate in the hearing community. Hear and Say interfaces state-of-the-art hearing technology (digital hearing aids and implantable technology such as cochlear implants) with the Auditory-Verbal Therapy approach.

I am setting up a Silver Forge stall at the twilight market, and will be donating 10% of all sales made during the market to this very worthy cause. There will be food stalls, art and craft, a playground, face painting and much more. Come and have sausage sizzle for dinner, let the kids race around, and be home in time for bedtime and a nice cup of tea! Make sure you stop by the stall and say hello – I’d love to see you there!

Electric Blue Drusy Agate and Sterling Silver Pendant

A lovely customer contacted me from Florida recently. She was about to purchase a pendant from The Silver Forge shop, and wanted to make sure she was getting the right one. I was happy to help!

Agate was apparently one of the stones in the breastplate of decision constructed at the God of Israel’s instruction for the priest to wear (Exodus 28:15 – the Holy Bible). It is felt that the agate in the breastplate was likely a sky blue variety.

My customer said of an agate pendant she already has “I wear the pendant to remind me of being grounded in my faith in my Lord and as a symbol of Him as my rock. It is my symbol of a shield guarding my heart.”

I offered some options which I felt might be right for her, and she decided to go with this lovely electric blue stone, which I custom made into this pendant. I was glad to be able to give my support in her quest for spiritual strength and peace!

Gemstone of the Month – Shattuckite

I was so happy when I first discovered shattuckite! It is the most amazing gemstone, which comes in all manner of combinations of blue.

{Shattuckite and Quartz – Image Rob Lavinsky}

Shattuckite is a mix of azurite, chrysocolla, malachite, and sometimes copper (cuperite) in quartz. It was first discovered in 1915 in the copper mines of Bisbee, Arizona, specifically the Shattuck Mine (hence the name).

{Botryoidal Shattuckite – Image Rob Lavinsky}

It is a psuedomorph, meaning that it forms as the result of an atom by atom change to a crystal structure, in this case of Malachite.

Shattuckite and Malachite (photo Rob Lavinsky)

{Shattuckite and Malachite – Image Rob Lavinsky}

Shattuckite is reputed to assist with reconciliation and renewal. Shattuckite is also used to channel information. It is said to calm the mind and create harmony.

{Shattuckite Sphere – Image Rob Lavinsky}

Shattuckite is believed to be helpful in healing diabetes, assisting with calcium absorption problems, thyroid issues, mites and other infestations, and tonsillitis.

You can have a little piece of this fabulous stone to wear for your very own!

{Shattuckite cabochon from The Silver Forge Gemstone Collection}

I have some shattuckite in my gemstone collection. If you find a stone that appeals to you and you’d like to have it set in a ring or a pendant, let me know.

Cherry Creek Jasper and Sterling Silver Ring

I came across this divine piece of Cherry Creek Jasper a while ago, and just finished making it into a ring for myself.

The design was partly inspired by my dear friend and classmate, Jane. She makes beautiful rings, and her shanks are often very squared off at the ends.

I love the very organic nature of the stone. Jasper is so hugely versatile!

Blue Creatures

I love how Mother Nature occasionally throws something unexpected into her mix – like these gorgeous creatures with a touch of blue!

Blue Footed Booby

Amazon Milk Frog

Glaucus Atlanticus

Blue Lobster

Blue is such a lovely colour. I do have a little range of blue pieces which you can check out using my new ‘shop by colour’ feature here!

the silver forge

jewellery handcrafted by ruthie gray