To give myself a bit more structure, I’ve decided to start building a jewellery collection, using geometry for inspiration. I’ve actually been working on it for a little while – I travel a lot for work, so it’s the perfect time to get the sketchbook out and put some ideas on paper. Some are completely …
My sister asked me to make her a new ring – very simple silver ring band. One solder join, no complications. Sounds like a nice easy way to get back into making jewellery, after my last disheartening disaster into mokume gane! I guess I should have learned to walk before trying to run! And it …
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 …
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 …
I recently bought a Groupon voucher for a jewellery class at Claire Aristides Jewellery School – it was for a half-day beginners class, based in Covent Garden. I arrived bright and early as the class starts at 10.30am. There were around 30 other girls (and one dad!) in the room. The class was led by 4 …
My mum’s birthday is coming up and even though she doesn’t wear jewellery, I don’t want her to feel left out. So I’ve decided to make her a special silver brooch. I’ve opted for a fairly simple design, featuring a small round turquoise cabochon (ordered from Bellore) in a shamrock. I would have made a …
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 …
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. …
I now have a total of six rings under my belt, so I thought I’d take a look back at my handmade rings. I probably need at least another 20 more to iron out all the kinks! That said, it’s been an invaluable experience and I thought I’d share what I learnt each time… 1. …
Making a Filigree Ring – Alone! After my first class and having all purchased my tools, I started my first solo ring project. I spent some time on the internet (there are a lot of really cool step-by-step projects out there!), and managed to find a set of PDF instructions about how to make a …
