Friday 18 May 2012

More Jewellery please...


Having recently been made redundant from a large plc (Johnston Press), I have reassessed my priorities; I do not want to be a small number on a large balance sheet any more. I want to count and be noticed and most of all, do something which I love!

More jewellery to design please :)

Thursday 17 May 2012

And The Beat Goes On..

Great news....Wij and Beth are expecting their first child any moment now! I'm so pleased for them. This is what is so lovely about this vocation, you get to hear about (and play a tiny little part in) the best times in peoples lives.
I remember when Wij came to me to design a silver an sapphire pendant for his girl friend.... and look where they are now. Ahh, good luck with the baby guys x

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Get Sparkling!

Remember... your jewellery always looks its best when it it sparkling. So next time you have a spare 10mins, get your jewels out and give them a spring clean.
This is also a good chance to check that your stones are secure in their settings. If you have any questions on how best to clean your jewellery please just ask.

If you have pearls please don't submerge them in any chemical cleaning products unless it is specificity made for pearls. Pearls are porous and can be damaged by some cleaning chemicals, you are best off just giving them a gentle wipe with a damp soft cloth.
Avoid spraying your pearls with perfume always put them on afterwards!

Wednesday 9 May 2012

In the mean time..


Time to make a concerted effort to keep this page up to date. Just because it's been quiet here doesn't mean nothing has been happening on the jewellery front!
I have been making loads of stuff and will upload the picture for you to see...

Thursday 15 April 2010

Etsy Shop www.etsy.com/shop/jewellerydesigner

I have opened an Etsy shop - there's only a few items in it at the moment. Please check it out. (theres a link on the left hand side of the page). It is a great place to buy handmade and vintage things. Very good for wasting your time on your lunch break!

Wednesday 7 April 2010

Aprils Birthstone - Diamond.

All you lucky people who have Diamonds for your birthstones! 


Every diamond is immensely old. The youngest diamond is 900 million years old, and the oldest is 3.2 billion years old. Diamonds were first mined in India more than 2800 years ago.
Diamond is a mineral composed of pure carbon. It is difficult to accept that chemically this brilliant gemstone is the same as black opaque graphite and even ordinary soot. Diamond is the hardest natural substance so it can be cut or polished only by another diamond. The very word “diamond” comes from the Greek term “adamas” meaning unconquerable or invincible. Despite its extreme hardness, however, diamond is brittle and at 4,289 degrees centigrade, a diamond will completely burn up leaving nothing behind.
Diamonds are the most popular gemstone of all time. Diamonds used for jewellery are graded on the basis of colour—they are usually colorless, however, brown, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, red, gray, and black variations are also found depending on the impurities present. Grading is also done on the basis of purity, which varies from perfectly clear, extremely pure stones to those with many impurities and flaws. Every diamond is unique; no two are alike.
The word “carat” comes from the carob tree whose seed was used as the standard of weighing precious stones. Less than 5% of all the diamonds made into jewellery are larger than one carat. Each stone loses, on average, more than half its original weight during cutting and polishing.
Diamonds should be stored separately. They can scratch other jewelry as well as each other.Diamond is the official birthstone for April. It may also be given as a gem on the 30th and 60th wedding anniversary.
This picture shows the Hope Diamond, which is the largest (45.5 carats) blue diamond in the world.

Tuesday 23 March 2010

African Sapphires for Roz

This ring is full of the nicest sentiments. The gold is from her husbands wedding ring and the Sapphires are from Africa where much of Rozs family resides and she herself comes from. Roz chose the stones herself and I drew a set of designs for her to choose from. You can clearly see the  different colour zones of white and blue in the centre stone.
Happy anniversary to you both x

Friday 12 March 2010

Emma and Stephens Ring - Congratulations!


Here it is - one lovely platinum and diamond engagement ring. Thank you to Steve and Emma for giving me the chance to work with such a beautiful diamond (and a lovely couple too - no I wont say anything bad about you Emma!).
Emma informed me that she had a slightly slower day at work on Monday due to being distracted by her new ring. I totally understand - goodness knows how I get anything done!
Congratulations to you both on your engagement - ask Winnie to supply you with some champers x
Posted by Picasa

Thursday 11 February 2010

Being a Busy bee

I've had a busy couple of days. Yesterday I spent most of the day carving an engagement ring out of wax. This wax will be sent to the casters to be cast in platinum once I have the go-ahead from my customers. The carving wax is very brittle an can be very easily broken so alot of care has to be taken when carving detailed pieces.
Carving an item in wax and then casting it can save alot of wastage of metal and therefore keeps the cost down for the customer. Platinums price has gone up be approx 30% in the last year so I must be as efficient as possible.
Today I have been working on some designs - my customer has their own stone and wants a dress ring designed. I like doing dress rings as they don't have to be as practical as and engagement ring as they are usually only worn when going out, or for special occaisions.