Edinburgh jeweller

Samples from my taster class in silver clay, suitable for beginners I regularly see questions in the facebook metal clay groups about which metal clay to try as a newbie. Firstly, if you are a newbie to metal clay - welcome! Metal clay is a fantastic material to use to make jewellery. It is flexible and easier on the hands than sheet metal and can be used at home with minimal tools. Of course there are lots of tools you COULD buy - but that's for another post! BUT if you start out with the wrong clay you can quickly become disheartened and decide it's not for you and that would be a shame. Choosing the right metal clay to start with may feel a little daunting as there are a few different brands and many different metals available including fine silver, sterling silver, bronze, copper, gold, brass and steel. As a newcomer to metal clay you might look at the prices of these clays and think, well copper and bronze are cheapest so I'll start with them. I think this is a ...

October is a very busy month for me! After teaching my first residential course last week I was teaching at The Big Bead Show in Sandown Park, Esher this week for the London Jewellery School ! For some reason I've never been before. It is a bit of a walk from the station with all my kit but soon I was there and jumping the queue that had already formed outside, waiting to get in! My workshop space was at the other end of the large exhibition area so I was able to see everyone setting up their stalls with all their sparkly wares! I went up to the workshop space to set up. It had a very expansive view of the racecourse. I was able to set up quickly, chat with Alison Tarry, the tutor teaching the workshop next door to me and even managed to get a cup of tea before we got started! These were Alison's gorgeous class samples and I was jealous not to get a chance to pop in and see her teaching! The super talented Alison Tarry's work (not mine!) I had 12 students in th...

I will be back in London next week and there are still a few places left on my Build your website in a weekend course on Saturday 30th September and Sunday 1st October 2017 Who is this course for? Would you like to build a website for your business or project? This intensive course has been designed to help you build your website in a weekend with guidance from me! This course is suitable for small business owners artists/photographers/musicians etc who would like to create a portfolio website coaches, counsellors etc What does this course cover? During this intensive course you will learn how to build a website using weebly By the end of the course students will be able to Build their own website Make changes and updates to the website Buy and add their own web domain Edit and add images to the site Link your social media to your site You will learn both the theory and the practical 'how to' as this class will be taught in a computer  ...

I love the Saul Bell Design Award , an annual prize for jewellery design. All of the finalist's work is jaw-dropping so it's well worth a look. As part of the the awards there are nine categories including metal clay . The winner this year in the metal clay category is Cindy Miller for her necklace called Cultivated Woodland. It is made from bronze clay and pearls. You can find an interview of her here where she talks more about how she made the piece and what inspired her. Cindy Miller - Cultivated woodland necklace In second place was this gorgeous piece by Liz Sabol . Liz has shared some of her process in this interview with Creative Fire . Liz Sabol - Cheshire Cat The runners up were Iwona Tamborska Helen Sang Wendy Wallin Mallnow The big news for 2018 is that they are no longer going to have a specific metal clay category. I think this is a shame as I have always looked forward to seeing the fantastic work on show. However, the orga...

I'm teaching a couple of business workshops this month at the Mary Ward Centre , London during their summer school and I hope you can join me. I've been teaching pr, social media and blogging for a few years and I am currently working as the Marketing Coordinator (part time) for the London Jewellery School where my role is to promote courses online, create effective facebook adverts, work with magazines and plan and manage internal and external events.  Blogging masterclass 26th July 2017 10-5pm Course code: 50SS Photo credit: ImpactBND I love blogging  and have had my own blog since 2010, been a paid blogger since 2014 and I am a blogger for the Huffington Post. Would you like to promote your business through your blog? Get paid to write blog posts for others? Learn how to monetise your blog with advertising? Who is this course for? Would you like to promote your business through your blog? Get paid to write blog posts for other...

Flat band silver ring Despite now living in Edinburgh I am still teaching some classes in London ! I will be teaching this one day workshop in silver clay ring making at the Mary Ward Centre . It is a subsidised course so is really inexpensive, £48 full fee, £24 concession fee (this includes 10g of clay. You may need to purchase extra clay depending on your ring size. This will be available from your tutor on the day and will be charged at cost price) Silver clay ring making Tuesday 25th July, 10-5pm Course code: 42SS Who is this course for? This course is designed for those with some experience of using silver clay, either a beginners course or your own practice at home. Flat band embellished silver rings What does this course cover? Silver clay is a relatively new product to the market. It can be worked like clay and is made of fine silver particles, a binder and water. When it is fired (which can be done with an inexpensive butane torch at home)...

Firstly, sorry for my extended absence on the blog. It's been a really busy few months as we have packed up everything and moved from London to Edinburgh! More on that in future blog posts! Last week I delivered my silver jewellery bee range to the Things British store in Kings Cross St Pancras station, London. Things British sell handcrafted items made in the UK. They work on a rent a shelf basis, are open 7 days a week and the artist gets 100% of the sale price (excluding card fees). I previously sold my jewellery in their other shop in Greenwich, London a couple of years ago and I thought I would give this store a try to see how it goes. Preparing the stock takes time! I decided to focus on my bestselling range which is the bee range and so I have only taken that design. I made the range in different shapes, sizes and jewellery type including cufflinks. Soldering the cufflinks and stud backs, getting and adding the chain to the necklaces, writing out the price lab...