Edinburgh jeweller

Whether to rent a jewellery studio or work from home was an issue that has been at the forefront of my mind this year as followers of the blog will know. I was wanting to further develop my jewellery business and teaching and it was one option to consider. I looked at whether there were studios available locally as I knew it was unlikely I’d want the cost and time of travelling too far. I hadn’t found anything that I thought would work for me. Luckily, serendipity happened to help me out! I was working one evening at the London Jewellery School alongside tutor Penny Akester and it transpired that she was looking for someone to share a studio with at Craft Central ! It was great timing and a good opportunity to share the costs as well as to have someone to work alongside. The studio when we took it over! I got my keys at the beginning of May and Penny and I spent a day building flat packed furniture to furnish our studio (here we are in action!) We had a deadline t...

As I have previously blogged about, I am now sharing a jewellery studio in central London with a fellow jeweller. This week all the flat packed furniture arrived and Penny and I spent some time building a table, drawers, shelving and a chair! Penny had already built two jewellers benches. There was a lot of cardboard, and many allen keys! But we got there very efficiently! I think we work well together! It's definitely all coming together. We are now getting the workshop ready for the Made in Clerkenwell open studios next week. I'm getting some stock together to display and sell. You can get a free ticket by registering here (it'll be £5 on the day).

I now have the keys for my shared jewellery studio at Craft Central ! At the moment, as you can see, it is looking a little empty and bereft as the previous occupant has moved out! But this week Penny and I have the furniture and equipment coming in ready for the Made in Clerkenwell open studios event so there will be lots of building of furniture happening this week. I will be posting the after photos soon!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am renting a jewellery studio at Craft Central as of today! I am really excited about it and I'll be sharing my progress on the blog over the coming year. I am fortunate that I will be in the studio on time for the next open studios event, Made in Clerk enwell . I'd love to see you there. Here is what it is and (most importantly!) how to get free tickets! What? Made in Clerkenwell ' is a bi-annual celebration of Craft Central resident designer-makers and Network members. Held across two Victorian buildings, this is an opportunity for the public to 'behind the scenes' and explore the studios of our renowned design community. You'll find jewellery, fashion, interior products, ceramics, accessories and traditional crafts by over 100 UK designer makers. Choose a gift, commission a unique piece, find a bespoke design service or just browse ... this shopping treat is topped off by meeting the maker.' I will be i...

Elaine Cox - love all of her work I was happy to get the opportunity to go to the Craft Central open studios this week in London. I love nosing about peoples studios and seeing what they have been making! I particularly loved work by these artists Mandana Oskoui Rhiannon Palmer - handmade concrete jewellery

I popped along to Made in Clerkenwell  at Craft Central  on Friday. I went along in May of this year and blogged about it here  so I was looking forward to going along again. It was their christmas handmade show. I love poking around in people's studios and reminding myself that there are some people designing and crafting for a living! So what follows are a few of the things that I really liked There is so much going on in this print by illustrator  Ulrike Bygge , I was captivated by it. The more you look at it the more you see. I was really impressed by the work of Sonia Cheadle and her students. She has a jewellery school that I am very interested in learning more about. I loved Sarah Hallowes use of coloured thread in her silver pieces. Nice to talk to her as we are both from the same county! I absolutely love the style of Birita a Myrini . These rings are so fabulous

Sarah Herriott designs Thanks to Handmade by Emily , I found out about Made in Clerkenwell , an event being run at Craft Central . As it is located so close to my work I decided to go along on Friday after work. I'm very glad I did. Craft Central 'provides secure and professional workspace in a unique central London location from which makers can base their business.' They had two buildings open to the public and I really enjoyed climbing the stairs and wandering into the studio spaces. You didn't know quite what you'd find - jewellery, photography, scarves, toys, ceramics - all sorts of beautiful handmade things. I really enjoyed speaking to the designers and asking them about their experiences. It was inspiring for me, just starting out in my jewellery designing career,  and everyone was very warm and positive. Kate Jones beautiful knitwear            In the 'Made in Clerkenwell' corner shop I found Made in the Highlands showcasing the w...