Garnet Gems and Hammered Silver Circles Earrings

I do enjoy making jewellery gifts for people I know. Matching colours and styles and preferences to the individual are some of the best joys of hand-crafting and when the choices you make as a designer work out well then that's a fantastic feeling.

These earrings were made for someone who only wears drop styles and whilst I looked at a few different colours of gemstone, I came back again and again to garnet. These small faceted ones are a deep but bright red and very rich in tone. When I saw them being worn I knew I'd made the right decision. The garnets were set with Wraptite settings, like I used on this necklace recently also.

The hammered circles were from a patch of time a while back when I made a lot of shapes and played around with textures and finishes on them. They looked just right in these earrings and the tiny silver beads, set on wire, finished things off nicely. The recipient seemed genuinely pleased with these - she's worn them nearly constantly since receiving them - so I feel content in feeling content...

Circles in Square Wire Pendant

Made for a March birthday, this pendant also served to remind me how square wire is so effective, and also exceedingly nice to work with. Round wire is used more often in jewellery making, probably partly because it's easily available in so many thicknesses. It's easy to forget about square wire but I find it delivers a certain satisfaction during the making process, and also looks sleek and subtle in the finished piece.



I set the tiny aquamarine gemstone using a sterling silver Wraptite setting. This wasn't quite as easy to work with as the video I watched had led me to believe (mainly due to the 'fiddliness' of such a small gem (4mm) and a nearly equally small setting), but looked good in the end, and also provided what feels like a strong and secure setting for a faceted gemstone.

Aquamarine is one of the most popular gemstones for March and the stone I bought was really quite beautiful, full of vibrancy that bounced light around. It reminded me how well colour works with sterling silver.

An amber & silver pendant, plus a theory of gifts

The amber cabochon, set in silver, held up to the light

It's easy to be so caught up in the minutia of life that birthdays sneak up on us and the best gift we can find at hideously short notice is whatever comes to hand in the right price range at (gulp) the supermarket. It's not good, is it.

I'm very aware that, since I've been making jewellery, I've made a lot of it as gifts. And, as the years have passed, I've wondered how many recipients are smiling through gritted teeth rather than really liking what I've made for them. Most women will appreciate jewellery as a gift but jewellery is also very personal and, even if you know someone well, what you think their style is may not be what they really like. I think I would be suspicious that they were trying too hard if someone wore what I'd made them every time we met, but when I never see them wear anything I've made it does lead me to wonder if they ever do...

So, a combination of this apprehension and trying not to overwhelm with sheer quantity of jewellery has led me to be circumspect when I decide to make a friend or relative a piece of jewellery for their special day. But another combination of a special birthday, a hankering to set a stone (something I've not done in ages), and a bit of a tip-off came together to prompt me to make this pendant for a relative. And I planned it long enough in advance that, barring major soldering disasters, I could avoid any fear of a last minute supermarket dash.



I've not set amber before but I have used amber beads and so knew it was quite a soft substance - just 2 - 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is extraordinary for something that has survived for many millions of year. In deference to this, I bought myself more than one gemstone, just in case... plus, as I was buying online I figured I should then have at least one good-looking piece to set if I had a few to chose from.

The whole project was quite a process of remembering how to do things, and finding ways to make techniques fit the finished-item-image that I had in my mind (and doodled on a piece of paper). My favourite part was when I, finally, set the amber into the setting. Whether that was pleasure at being near the end, or just the sheer satisfaction of carefully pushing the silver round the stone, I'm not entirely sure. Despite giving myself enough time to finish the pendant, I was always aware that something could go wrong as any moment and I'd have to start over - not that I'm always a pessimist but working with small pieces of silver with a soldering torch and hammer carries obvious risks.

While I made a host of notes of things to do differently, and better, when I next set a stone, the amber survived unscratched and, perhaps even better, the finished necklace was liked and - wait for it - worn...

Christmas was saved...

Gifts are not always fun to make. They can be a challenge, trying to match your skills and tastes to that of someone you know well, and, as with any gift, it's always a balance between something you know you like, and something you hope they'll love...

I think I hit the mark with these earrings that I made for a loved one this past Christmas. They were an elaboration of this design, adding a little more of a Celtic twist I thought. It took a few soldering disasters before I eventually created two that resembled each other enough (always an issue with earrings...) or hadn't melted under the torch.

I plan to make some more of these, with the caveat that if they don't match then I'll turn them into pendants or bracelet charms, and if they start to melt too much then I may just stop...

Anything you've made lately where you've only just grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat - and with a looming deadline too?!

Copper wire brooches

As often happens, a birthday crept up on me at short notice (how do they do that?) and I wanted something quick to make and give, that looked good, and was practical.

I called upon my stash of copper wire, much of it still only half-stripped after being pulled from the house during rewiring, and did some hunting in books and much searching on the net for inspiration (as well as some gazing out of the window aimlessly).

I came across the idea of creating a brooch from one piece of wire, no soldering, just some planishing, some filing, and lots of bending. Yippee.

I was not overwhelmed by my first attempt -

But preferred the second brooch I made, finding the catch more organically a part of the design, and the curves more pleasing to the eye.

I got quite a kick out of creating something that, it turns out, is going to be worn on a winter jacket for the next few months, something bold and striking, that took some planning and a bit of strength (wire is always less bendy than you think, especially if you go the wrong way and need to re-bend...), and which made someone smile when they tore off the wrapping paper.

I'm even starting to look forward to winter evenings now, curving that wire and creating bright jewellery.