Half a moon and a whole Pearl

The moon often seems a little bigger in the winter months... when it's not obscured by clouds or fog, that is. I suspect this has much to do with leafless trees and the coldness that descends on clear, dark nights. It's inspired me. The big moon, either full or waxing or waning, and my sooper dooper ever-increasing mandrel selection, got me thinking and experimenting, and this is one of the items that I came up with...

The pearl is such a lunar colour, and it also reminds me of those evenings when the moon has just risen and so has Venus, small but bright on the horizon. It can look a little like the moon also has its own satellite and so is a little less lonely in the massive evening sky...

This necklace is now, with a little regret, in my Folksy shop.

Jewelled Web - March 2015 - Link Love

Oh, February does seem to have been a long month this year; despite noticing the days getting longer and the nights shorter, the days have insisted on being mostly sunless and the nights heavy, if you know what I mean. I'm looking forward to March and the promise of spring starting to kick in, the green shoots becoming flowers and the sun burning the cloud away... hopefully.

And hopefully too, you'll enjoy the links I've rounded up for the coming month. Do let me know!



~jewellery links~

A great selection of ideas from Kernocraft for when you're stumped as to what to do next. Includes inspiration for bead, metal and clay.

From the same site, a handy and simple list of the different gauges of wire that are suited to different pieces of jewellery.

Measuring for bracelets made easy.

Nice and simple recipe for pickling copper after soldering - I also like the idea of just putting the pickle in the microwave, rather than the old slow cooker pot I use. Which is massive. And slow.

Bezels for square or rectangular stones.

The basics of using stamp on metal. A simple idea for getting the stamping straight.

I have been thinking about clouds a lot lately... none quite as elaborate as this one though.

Ever get complaints about how much noise you make when hammering? Or do you even put off doing it for the sake of other people? This blog post comes up with ideas to minimise the noise.

Wooden jewellery is just so beautiful.

Spare zips? Spare hours? One amazing necklace.



~non-jewellery links~

You may have heard about #thisdress lately... I love this page of Amazon reviews for whatever the colour it is (I saw very pale blue and gold).

The most amazing bird house, made from copper.

I love this blog, nearly as much as I love the Moomin mug.

How to credit images on your blog - a simple guide to doing it right.

Amazing photographers - squirrels playing in the snow and just seeing the world through different, and magical, eyes.

'Easy' ways to start decluttering. Hmm...

Perhaps the miserable weather and the long nights have helped, but I've been reading more this last month, an indulgence that feels like it has a lot of value as well. My own personal 'book of the month' has been David Mitchell's The Bone Clocks which was engrossing, sweeping and a wonderful combination of make-you-think and just-enjoy-the-ride. I read it on Kindle, but read it on whatever - it's worth it.

Speaking of books I have never read - a huge pile, it has to be said, I found this great page of quotes from Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (of course, I'm not suggesting it's better/easier/more helpful to read quotes pages rather than read the book itself ;) but it is interesting to give you an insight into the book as a whole. Given the quotes run to 20 pages on the Good Reads site it might be quicker to just read the book anyway...).

Yes, I do love books/reading and yes, I can identify with many things in this post...


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 Enjoy the links and have a good month :)



(Please note - this post contains an affiliate link - which means if you click on it and then buy something Amazon will give me three pence or something. It might be four pence. They can afford it ;) For more info about me and affiliate links, please click here, and scroll to the bottom of the page.)

Jewelled Web - February 2015 - Link Love

January has been a cold month and February has started just as cold. I've not had much snow in my part of the world but this last weekend the skies opened and were full with it, for an hour anyway. Photographic proof above.

The sun may be out now, as I type this, but I'm still having to resist the urge to retreat into hibernation and emerge again when the daffs do. Or sometime after that, just to be sure.

Here's some of what I've been reading lately, and some things I've found and bookmarked to read later this month.



~jewellery links~

Such beautiful and romantic colours and designs, for this month especially, from Samantha Braund ...

Not many insects to be found outside right now, but for a colourful fix take a look at this page of jewelled delights.

Ancient jewellery techniques on video.

If you've ever wondered how to make your own jewellery stamps, this this post is very helpful.

Those exquisite curved triangular stones are officially called a trillion cut and this shows you how to create a setting for them.

Confused about the difference between rolled gold and gold vermeil? Check this out for some guidance.

Slightly tongue in cheek, but it's always handy to know your soldering torch has a multitude of uses ;)



~non-jewellery links~

The Design Seeds website is full of beautiful images and colours - this is one of my (latest) favourites, but to be honest, I can't find many I don't like...

Everyone must have some kind of morning routine - this site allows you to look at how other people wake and get going each day.

How not to lose things in your computer. Wise words. Just need to follow them now...

Underwater photography as you've never seen it before.

A fascinating review of one of the books in the School of Life series - how to be alone.

I adore seeing how creative people work so this series of studio tours is a wonderful indulgence.

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Keep warm and keep looking for signs of spring!

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?!

Jewellery, History, and all that Silver

As a bit of a history buff, I've always found the connection between jewellery and the past to be fascinating.

Many of the techniques jewellers use today are the same methods that someone would have used hundreds of years ago to gain the same result.

It intrigues me when I'm using a hammer to add texture to silver, or a saw to pierce out a design, that the tools work on the same principles now as they did in the past. 

And I'm very aware of how much easier it is now to use those tools when I'm soldering with a flame that comes from a simple gas-fed torch, rather than having to control the heat output by using a mouth blowpipe, as shown in some of the images in this article.

Creating jewellery provides a living connection to the past, and it always increases my respect for the makers of ancient pieces of jewellery, dug out of fields (and here) or from underneath car parks.

Browsing through images of jewellery, from all eras of history, provides ideas for things I can (attempt to) create myself. It also means I can easily justify watching costume dramas on film and TV, like Wolf Hall, on the basis they're useful for inspiration and not just self-indulgent escapism for a history-junkie...

So this infographic, create by Lois Jewellery, caught my eye and imagination. It handily summarises the main eras of Western history and the jewellery that was created in them. Hope you enjoy reading it!

Throughout human history, jewellery has existed as a form of expression, wealth and social status. Take a look at this visual and take a trip through the history of Jewellery, starting with the evolution of jewellery in the ancient world, all the way through to modern day jewellery tof today.

Credit to Lois Jewellery for creating this visual.