The spectacular spiderweb jasper gemstone cabochon shown here is 32mm diameter, and is available to be handcrafted into a custom made ring or pendant for you.
Jasper is believed to encourage personal bravery and help people gain independence. It is thought to help cure gynecological problems and to strengthen the stomach. Some believe it can help bring rain, and it has been used as a protection against evil spirits and snake and spider bites.
The gorgeous chrysocolla gemstone cabochon shown here is 35mm long.
Like malachite, chrysocolla has a high copper content, which is what gives it that fabulous blue/green colouring. The name comes from the Greek chrysos, (gold), and kolla, (glue).
It is believed to have a calming influence, and also to attract love. It is supposed to help heal burns, fever, and detoxify the liver.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
The beautiful, earthy mookaite gemstone cabochon shown here is 32mm long, and is available to be handcrafted into a custom made ring or pendant for you. It even has a little picture of a fish in it!
Mookaite is silicified porcelanite, which forms in silt-stone from the lower Cretaceous period that is found over much of the Carnarvon Basin in Western Australia. The name Mookaite is derived from Mooka Creek, where the rock is mined. According to locals, the Aboriginal word “mooka” means “running waters”.
Mookaite is believed to be a healing stone that bestows strength. It is said to shield the wearer from difficult situations and to connect us to loved ones who have passed away. It is thought to assist with assessing problems and making decisions. Mookaite is used to treat glandular or stomach disorders, hernias, ruptures and water retention.
My best friend Morgan’s sister has a birthday today (happy birthday, Dyl!) and Morgan wanted me to create the perfect piece for her. We had lots of ideas, and in the end this square domed ring was the fav.
I think Dylan may have suggested the domed square – at first I didn’t think it could be done. After I gave it more thought, I realised of course it could!
I love this ring, I think it’s really effective and stunning. It may inspire a new collection!
Red Phone (photo credit Jake Cecil)
The Red Cross. Celebrating 100 years of helping people here in Australia in 2014, they’re a household name and a bit of an icon!
Red Cross Australia help people nationally and globally. They provide assistance in many diverse areas. We’ve all had some experience with them, whether they’ve helped in a time of need, or you’ve seen their humanitarian work on TV. As well as providing timely assistance in times of disaster, the little daily services provided are just as laudable. Someone very close to me, due to her age, receives a daily phone call from a Red Cross volunteer just to check that she is ok.
Red Cross Australia began as a branch of the British Red Cross Society on 13 August 1914 at Government House, Melbourne, nine days after the outbreak of World War I. Throughout the decades, The Red Cross have focused on social welfare, national emergencies, natural disasters, building the blood bank and first aid programs. Today one million Red Cross members, volunteers, donors, staff, blood donors, recipients and supporters make a positive difference to the lives of people in need every day.
From responding to large scale disasters to tackling disadvantage and helping vulnerable children and supporting families facing personal crisis, The Red Cross are there for everyone in need. Their watchwords are humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. To me, all of these traits are most admirable in a charitable organisation!
I urge you to consider The Red Cross as a great organisation to donate to. It doesn’t have to be monetary – giving blood is a great way to help out. I went just the other day, and it really isn’t a big deal – plenty of TLC and snacks provided, too!
This month, 10% of all The Silver Forge sales will be donated to Red Cross Australia. If you’d like to treat yourself to a little something, and help a very worthy cause, head over to The Silver Forge shop now!
Yippee! The Silver Forge will be at the Young Designers Market in Little Stanley Street, at South Bank, Brisbane, between 10am and 4pm on Sunday April 6th (that’s this weekend!).
Gorgeous handmade things to be picked up, and a wonderful walk around Southbank is always lovely. Make sure you stop at my stall for a chat, won’t you!
Autumn is on its way, and Pantone have released the next round of the latest colour trends! I’ve raved about Pantone colour in some previous blog posts here, here and here. And as you can see, I’m still loving the concept. I’m not sure how many of these colours I’ll be wearing this autumn, but you never know!
I’ve browsed my gemstone collection and matched these autumn colours – if any of these gemstones appeal to you, let me know and I can create you something beautiful to go with your latest Autumn fashion choices. And you can always go with Phosphosiderite for that Radiant Orchid splash!
Because Autumn brings the need for more cups of tea, I found these mugs which are Pantone inspired:
(available from Suck UK)
Hehehe – mine’s somewhere between Classic British and Builder’s Brew, thanks! 🙂
The lovely Jelaine from Little Alligator asked if I would be able to create a replacement wedding ring for her husband.
His first one is apparently in their garden somewhere – maybe cemented into their paving!
Jelaine creates gorgeous drawstring bags at Little Alligator – I own two, and they really are divine and so well made.
You should check them out!
One of my lovely customers, Trish, previously ordered these clip-on earrings from me, and liked them so much she wanted another pair!
These Czech glass leaves are sweet, and look great as a dangle earring.
Thanks, Trish, and I hope you enjoy them as much as your first ones!
The process of creating is sometimes more intricate than you might think when looking at the final object, so I thought we’d take a look at how chain is handmade.
To start, I use some lengths of wire (which is made by rolling a block of silver repeatedly in the same direction through a rolling mill, until it is thin enough to draw through a draw-plate down to the right dimension).
After annealing the wire (a process where the wire is heated to a dark red to line the molecules up, making the silver malleable), I pickle it, by placing the metal in an acid solution to remove any oxidisation, dirt, or flux.
I then wrap it around a steel post of a suitable diameter (this tool is called a jump ring maker, and comes with steel posts of varying widths).
Once the wire is wrapped into shape, I remove it from the steel rod.
I saw each link with a jeweller’s saw.
Each link is individually created.
After a tidy up of the links if required, I join them together, in this case in a specific mathematical combination. (I love how science, maths and creativity collide!)
Once all the links are joined, I make sure the chain is the correct length.
Then I solder each link closed. Yes, each and every link! In this case, that means around two hundred and eighty links to be made, joined and soldered individually.
Once that is complete, the final links are added which join the chain together in a specific way to create the spiral effect. Then it’s back in the pickle for another bath, followed by some time in the tumbler, to polish and harden the chain. (I’ll post about my tumbler another day, I promise!)
The finished product is quite spectacular, IMHO. You can see more pics of this twisted spiral chain technique being used here and here. I love what I do!