Edinburgh jeweller

We're getting married in September! And that means I am making our wedding rings. It's not something I've done before but I have decided to wax carve them and get them cast. My engagement ring is in white gold, I don't wear yellow metals, so I am getting it cast in white gold too. I was considering silver for cost reasons but I think a wedding band should really be gold. My husband-to-be wears a yellow gold ring that his Mum gave him so his will be cast in yellow gold. The rings are at the casters now and I'm excited to see how they turn out. These are the first pieces I've made in gold (although I have gold plated silver pieces in the past) and I have wax carved and cast in silver before. What I'm really happy about is that I can get it hallmarked with my initials and makers mark. I think it's so great that these important pieces of jewellery will have that background.  I'll share photos of the rings on the blog when they are finished. Wax ...

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This time last week I was enjoying my lovely sister's wedding (I can't believe it's been a week already!).  As a wedding gift I made jewellery for the bridal party, which turned out to be 10 pieces of jewellery! 4 pairs of cufflinks and 6 pendants. I made them all out of Art Clay Silver . The style of the cufflinks, for the groom and his three best men, was chosen by my brother in law. He wanted initials on them but also wanted them to be a little different so we decided to make the edges of the cufflinks raw, which I did with a metal file before firing. The lettering was professionally engraved. My sister asked me to put YNWA on her husband-to-be's cufflinks as a surprise. He's a big Liverpool fan and it stands for You'll Never Walk Alone. Awwww. Fine silver cufflinks by Campbell Hall Designs I made the bridesmaids these bee pendants with their initials on the back. I also made some smaller round bee pendants for my sister's new nieces (not pict...

Demonstrating using silver clay paste to make a leaf pendant As I mentioned previously on the blog, I'm part of the Metal Clay Makers group. I was really pleased that I was able to attend the Metal Clay Ltd summer social last week. I live quite far away from Metal Clay but luckily I was visiting family close by so I decided to drop in and I'm glad I did! It was the first time I'd visited the new premises and I enjoyed a browse around the showroom and a look at some of the products available including a new range of bronze clay that I am looking forward to trying out. I also had another look at the amazing jooltool polisher that I am coveting!   As part of the evening a couple of demonstrations had been organised. Petra demonstrated how to use silver clay paste to make a leaf pendant. Even though I have done this before I still learnt some great tips including about embedding wire into the piece to create a bail and using Plasticine to press the leaf into in or...

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Apparently summer is here. Apparently. When summer comes we optimistically think we might be able to spend an extended period of time outside. Some years we’re right. Sometimes, well, summer is a bit more intermittent! Are you going to any festivals this summer? When I think of festivals I usually think of music festivals like Glastonbury or the Isle of Wight (I know it’s called Bestival now but I can’t quite get used to that!). However, there are now many more local festivals, literary festivals, arts festivals etc - as well as the more traditional open air music events; meaning whatever your age and interests there is probably a festival out there for you. As long as there’s glamping. And real bathrooms. Or at least a camper van. (How do you find your tent again in a sea of identical tents from Millets in the dark? Especially if you’ve enjoyed a glass of Pimms or two?). According to Glamour magazine , the festival fashion essentials for the UK are a warm jacket, slouchy ju...

A few months ago I applied to be a Metal Clay Maker and am excited to announce that I was one of six people chosen! Who are the Metal Clay Makers? The Metal Clay Makers are a small group of designers who choose to use Metal Clay Ltd products in their work because they believe in their quality and reliability. Metal Clay Ltd support the MC Makers with materials and tools, provide lots of inspiration and advice, send them new products to test and critique, and enjoy regular chat sessions. What does the programme entail? It is a sixth month programme, beginning in July, to try, test and review products from Metal Clay Ltd. Why did I apply? I decided to apply because I use and recommend Metal Clay Ltd products all the time, they are one of the main suppliers for the London Jewellery School pop up shop (where I work). Additionally, I loved the idea of the challenge element of it, to use materials and tools I might not otherwise try and see what comes out of that ...

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I'm really excited to be able to share some new jewellery classes that I will be teaching over the next few months in London. I will also be teaching some existing classes, have a look at my teaching calendar to see when and where! Here is a brief overview of the new classes I have planned for the next couple of months. For more information and to book a place, click on the links Silver clay and wire jewellery 19th and 20th July, 10-5 Mary Ward Centre 2 day class taught with wire tutor Kerry Bloom, you will learn to make wire and silver clay connections for your own bespoke chain necklace Wedding jewellery 22nd July, 10-5 Mary Ward Centre Learn techniques to use wire and bead to make tiaras, beaded combs and more. In the morning you will learn a variety of techniques, in the afternoon you will work on your own project with my support Activate summer course for jewellers 4 week jewellery design and making course - Mondays 1, 8, 15, 22 August, ...