My gorgeous client Rosie asked if I could make her a lapis lazuli ring. We discussed her vision, and I came up with a design she liked.
I most often just let the stone do the talking, but the addition of some tiny organic pieces of gold which follow the lines of the gold flecks in the lapis just seemed to fit!
Photography is not my forte, and these pictures don’t really do the ring justice. I’m sure you get the general idea though!
My lovely and ever stylish client Rosie chose these two titanium coated drusy stones to be made into rings to add to her collection of Silver Forge pieces. Fabulous!
Valentine was a third century Roman priest who got caught marrying Christian couples. Assisting Christians was a crime at the time, so they arrested and imprisoned him. The Emperor Claudius took a liking to his prisoner, until Valentine tried to convert him to Christianity. Claudius subsequently condemned the priest to death. A beating with clubs and stones failed to kill him, so they beheaded him. He was later martyred for his troubles. Poor old St Valentine!
It wasn’t until the fourteenth century that Valentine’s Day as we know it was born. The famous poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the poem ‘The Parliament of Foules’. This included the popular notion that birds paired off to mate on 14 February each year. Also referred to in this poem were some Valentine’s Day traditions such as sending anonymous love letters. Exchanging token gifts with your lover was also mentioned – my vote is for jewellery of course!
As well as love, young people and happy marriages, Valentine is also known as the patron saint of beekeeping and epilepsy.
I like to think that Valentine’s Day is now a celebration of not just romantic love, but love of any kind – including loving yourself. Love makes the world go round, so Happy Valentine’s Day!
My gorgeous client Charmaine has a huge malachite ring I made for her, and she wanted some earrings to match. These malachite gemstones are in my gemstone collection, so I created this pair of earrings to give her.
This was the first time I attempted this particular style of bezel setting, and I’m pretty pleased with the way they turned out!
This cuff bracelet was a one-off remodelling job I did for a lovely client using an old cuff which was precious to her but unfortunately broken. It’s a good reminder to be careful when putting on your cuff bangles not to squeeze or stretch them and over-stress the metal!
The existing stones were (probably) turquoise, and the addition of chrysocolla adds interest and texture to the piece.
It was great working with Juliet, and we discovered quite a few uncanny coincidences that made the experience even more special! Thanks!
The Condamine Campdraft Assocation commissioned me to create a custom Condamine bell pendant for their Ladies Draft winner. These bells were traditionally made out of old worn-out sawblades and were worn by cattle. You can read a little more more about them here.
My lovely client Natasha saw these charoite gemstones in my gemstone collection, and asked me to create a pair of stud earrings to match a ring I made her previously for her mum.
Small and sweet, and a little bit matching. I love them.
A client came to me with two old bracelets made from old threepenny bits. They ranged in date from 1897 to 1940. The bracelets had seen better days, and my client asked if I could take two of the 1917 coins off and create cuff links as a gift for her husband.
It was slightly daunting to be working with 100 year old coins, but the cuff links turned out ok!