Edinburgh jeweller

Sapphire and fine silver ring made by me! Many jewellery makers haven’t heard of silver clay. It is a moldable material made from silver particles, an organic binder and a bit of water. Once the clay is dry it can be fired with a torch or in a kiln to burn away the binder to leave silver. It is a flexible way of working with silver and I’m often asked if stones can be pressed into the clay and fired. Sadly it’s not as simple as that! Some stones can be fired in place, others are damaged by the heat of the kiln/torch and these stones need to be set in a more traditional way familiar to silversmiths e.g. using a bezel setting. However, there are some stones that can be set and fired in the clay and here is some advice about using these. Cubic zirconia Cubic zirconia are manmade stones that come in different shapes, sizes and colours. They are a very flexible stone for silver clay as they can be fired in place, both with a torch or in a kiln. Hints You do need to be w...

Examples of beading by beginners I invite you to join my Beautiful Beading class at the Mary Ward Centre , Holborn, London on Mondays 3-5.30pm. During the class, which is suitable for beginners and improvers, you will learn how to make earrings, including shaping your own earring wires bracelets - using different materials and multi-stranded bracelets necklaces lariats We will also look at design and inspiration and you will have the opportunity to work on your own projects with my support. The Mary Ward Centre is a lovely place to learn and classes are very affordable for those on a budget. The course fee includes tuition and findings (wire, stringing materials, use of tools etc). It also includes beads for the first few weeks of class. You will then be advised about the projects and be able to purchase your own beads in your own choice of colours. The class started this week with an induction but you can join on Monday 28th September and you won't have mis...

This blog post was first published for the London Jewellery School blog . I have made a few slight changes here. I met my first serious boyfriend at university when I did my undergraduate degree. Among other things he called me a ‘paper chaser’, someone who loves the validation of a certificate. We split up years ago when I had one degree. I do now have five so maybe he had a point. As a tutor at the London Jewellery School , teaching beginners and intermediate classes, I am rather obsessed with continual betterment (I suspect you didn’t need to live with me for six years to work that one out). I am one of ten people in the world (so far) to achieve the higher diploma in metal clay at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery. I also have qualifications in both of the main metal clay brands, Art Clay and PMC. While it’s true that I do like a certificate, it’s mostly because it is proof of attainment of a certain level of skill. More important to me than the piece of paper is to ...

 Last week I attended the  London Jewellery School   diploma  student exhibition. I teach on the jewellery diploma and will be taking on a tutor role for the course next year which is exciting. The course can be taken in one year or in a seven week intensive class. The students learn a wide variety of techniques from traditional silversmithing to resin and perspex jewellery. At the end the students exhibit the best of their work. This time the exhibition was at  Craft Central  which was a fantastic venue just right for the job. I really enjoyed celebrating with all the students. Their work was so diverse.