Isn't nature amazing!

It's no wonder I get so inspired by flowers and plants and they seem to feature frequently in my jewellery designs. Look at this amazing plant that has been growing in my garden all summer.

I'm not sure what it's called but my mum gave it to me in the spring and it has been sitting in a pot on my patio. I was outside this morning photographing some jewellery and decided to take some photos of it using the macro setting on my camera. I love the way the centre spirals around and the bright green contrasts dramatically against the muted red.

Coiled Jewel Bangle - The First

Following on from my Coiled Jewel Pendants and Coiled Jewel Earrings, I have been working on this Coiled Jewel Bangle. I am calling it 'The First' as I feel it is the first of many...


The design needs a little modification to make the front part of the bangle more sturdy - I think the circle needs to be complete or smaller or I might try thicker wire. Maybe now is the time for some lessons in soldering - I always knew that my journey would lead me there one day but am I ready?


My head is buzzing at the moment with new ideas for different shaped bangles. I love the problem solving process I have to go through to turn my ideas into reality. It is so satisfying when you create something from your own design and it works!

Trial and error... and then success! Spiral Loop Chandelier Earwires

Following my Spiral Loop Earwires, I decided I wanted to develop that design further. Here are my Spiral Loop Chandelier Earwires just waiting for some gemstone dangles. I will post pictures later when I have added some beads.


These earwires were the product of many attempts made out of silver plated wire. I am so glad I tried the design out on the cheaper wire first because, as you can see from the picture below, it took quite a while to get the design just right!


Throughout my trials and errors, I realised that tools marks are a real issue with this design as shown on my little chandelier pendant below. This will need more work with my sanding pads and back in the tumbler again.

I love spirals

I am loving spirals at the moment and can't get enough of them! Back in February I posted pictures of some earrings that I had made with sterling silver spirals over gemstone beads - both of those sold really quickly, so I made some more.






Then I got thinking about gemstones over spirals and came up with my 'Wonky Spiral' design (some more wonky than others!).

The aquamarine spiral earrings here were my first attempt and, although I hammered the wire for strength, they are still a little delicate. I've kept these for myself.









My second attempt with ametrine included some wire wrapping at the top. I found this gave the earrings much more stability. However, in finalising the design, the spiral shape became quite wonky, hence the name. I've kept these for myself as well!








And here is the third attempt with sparkling faceted amethyst rondelles secured in the centre of the spirals. These are definitely not so wonky and I am happy how they turned out.

They are up for sale in my Folksy shop.

Joining the 21st century

I thought it was about time I joined the 21st century a little bit more and started my own blog. I'm a bit hesitant as I probably spend too much time at my computer anyway and this will just be another excuse to sit here for longer to avoid the housework! I suppose the real reason for starting a blog is I want to document my journey in jewellery design.

I began making jewellery in the autumn of 2007 when I was browsing on eBay and came across a seller who sold a 'bracelet making kit'. It was very basic - a silver plated large ringed bracelet, a few silver plated headpins, some glass beads and simple instructions. I thought I'd give it a go. I borrowed some of my husband's tools and hey presto! I had made a charm bracelet. I was so proud of it and wore it immediately, showing it off to friends and family. However, it wasn't long before the silver plating discoloured and some of the charms didn't look so secure!

By this time, I had moved on to making earrings with beads, headpins and earwires. The tools I was using were not really good enough for jewellery making and my loops were more triangular than circular. Therefore, the next stage was to invest in some decent tools (round nose pliers, wire cutters and some chain nose pliers). Next I bought some instruction books and my journey had begun...

A few months on and I had presented lots of my friends and family with their own pieces of my handmade jewellery and had even persuaded my local post office to have a display stand in their window. I made little display cards from black card and hand wrote the details and price in silver pen. I even sold a few pieces!

I look back to all that now and see how far I have progressed with my journey already. Each step required more investment in time (new techniques to practise) and money (more tools and better quality materials). It was a big step to move on to sterling silver wire and findings - I hate waste and was worried about making mistakes and having to throw away valuable metal. It was another big step to move from glass bead to gemstones. My latest step is experimenting with Art Clay Silver - an amazing material that when you fire it, it becomes 99.9% pure silver.


Along the way I have realised the importance of finding your own style. I was selling at a Christmas fair the other week and a customer commented that she really preferred chunkier jewellery. I found myself apologising that my jewellery tended to be fairly delicate. Later on, I thought 'Why was I apologising? I make what I would wear myself and that is my style. It doesn't suit everyone and wouldn't it be boring if everyone liked the same things!'