Here are two quite different pieces I have made recently. One was a flight of fancy and is for sale at a smidgen under four figures! It is a pendant that measures 53mm from top to bottom and I made it in yellow and white gold and set it with a stunning rainbow moonstone and…
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The first step is to draw the designs; if it is for a production piece the inspiration can come out of my head from some idea or shape that has occurred to me. That inspiration might be a cat sitting on the sofa in a particular position or a flower from the garden or simply…
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Here are some recently completed pieces. The napkin rings are set with amethyst and were a present, they are now the other side of the world. These are a little larger in scale to my usual work and were an interesting challenge to make! The Bluebells were a birthday present as was the Golden Eagle…
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Now comes the first tricky bit, translating a few lines on a page into a 3D piece of jewellery. I use fine piercing saws to cut out shapes from sheet, and use various methods to change the shape of the sheet, sometimes bending with fingers or with pliers, sometimes using doming tools, sometimes files of…
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The next step is to solder the pieces together using a gas blowtorch – or two at the same time if it’s a big job – to melt the solder. A lot of heat is needed to melt precious metal solder. Not far below the melting temperature of the metal itrself. To ensure that they…
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Now that my piece of jewellery is made, before it is set with the stones and polished it has to be sent to the Edinburgh Assay Office for testing and hallmarking. Every piece is tested for purity and will not be hallmarked if it fails. For instance if I were to use 9ct gold and…
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Once the piece has been tested, passed and fully hallmarked then I can set the stones. No glue used here! It is vital that when I have made the settings I have been really accurate. Too big and the setting can look uneven and cover too much of the stone, too small and it simply…
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The final process is polishing. Most pieces are barrelled first for a few hours to get into the backs and parts that are hard to reach with polishing mops. Going into the polishing shed requires some covering up and wearing a face mask. It’s a filthy business! Not the least bit romantic but it is…
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