9th January 2021… I kind of missed the New Year’s resolution boat… but I’m making another attempt at resurrecting my old passion for jewellery craft. Looking at my last post date, it’s been about 3 years since I thought I was going to restart my blog again. I have no excuses… time got away from …
It sounds so obvious… But this week, I realised the importance of having the right tools. I have been making jump rings for my necklace, by hand, out of silver wire. And not doing too badly I might add, but terribly slow!
Now my hands are raw and painful from making 120 of these little rings! I realised now, more than ever, what a good pair of pliers would mean. A softer handle, better fitting in my hand would probably mean I could hold them for longer without my hand going red. And a less stiff spring or any kind of spring probably means I don’t have to hold the pliers quite so tight.
Well at least I worked it out after 100 or so jump rings. I think it might be time to shop for some new pliers… Off to the shops with me!
Well… it’s the first day that I’ve been home since the Christmas holidays. I’m feeling very excited and raring to go! I’ve spent some time designing a 12 piece collection and pricing up the items, mainly out of curiosity. I’m not sure whether I’m capable of making all the pieces, as I let my imagination …
Woo! My hubby gave me an early Christmas present, on the grounds that I can use it over Christmas! I readied my “I’m really surprised face”, unwrapped my present and found: …one, very cool, Tatty Devine jewellery tool roll bag! I didn’t even need to prepare my “surprised” face, because I was completely blown away. …
I’ve been meaning to learn how to make jump rings for quite a while. The turquoise pendant I made sometime ago, is in need of a chain. Do you remember this one? What I’ve learnt this week is that there is much skill, patience and practice needed in the art of hand-making jump rings. Getting …
I finally started to make my husband’s Christmas present. He’s my biggest fan (aah!), but he’s also a big Tottenham Hotspurs fan! So it seems only fitting that I make some Spurs-inspired cufflinks! Come On You Spurs! I’ve planned to use the Spurs logo, setting copper onto a sterling silver backing. Luckily, I have an …
Ah, Christmas… the most wonderful time of the year, and definitely one of my favourite times of year! I love the colours, the food and spending time with my family. Oh and presents! Both giving and receiving! Every year, my family has a tradition of asking each other what they’d like as a gift, and …
Feels like I haven’t made any jewellery for a really long time (when in reality it has only been 1 weekend)! But I’m really excited to be making a ring for my sister’s birthday present. I still have the lapis lazuli cabochons I bought a few weeks ago. So my plan is to make a …
Today, I’m starting a special project. My Father-in-Law has asked me to make two birthday pendants for his nieces’ 21st birthday present – they’re twins (in case, you’re wondering). First thing’s first, I need to choose the best design! My Father-in-Law is a massive Leonard Cohen fan. So he asked me to make two pendants …
I decided to have a go at setting a stone into a piece (probably not one of my better ideas, since I can barely control my soldering, but try I did!). So, here’s an overview of my first time setting stones in a bezel setting! I got a lovely 12x16mm oval turquoise cabochon from Bellore. …
