Here you will find interesting photographs of how some jewellery on this website started before you received it. I hope you enjoy looking through this gallery as much as I enjoyed making them
The work bench This is where I spend most of my time. It has changed many times already in a short space of time, and it continues to change and develop as my skills do
(new photos to be uploaded showing the work bench shortly)
The materials This is what all the jewellery looks like when I buy it in from the suppliers. Silver sheet, gold sheet, silver wire & gold casting grains
The tools This kit was bought in Jan 2011 after I'd spent a couple of years learning jewellery making through component work The soldering mats are now all black with craters in, the borax cone is down to a wee black stump, I still have that tiny torch and have added another 3 to the collection all ranging in sizes. I've burnt through 3 slow cookers for pickle cleaning the metal and acquired quite a few more scars. It's not just a job, it's a life style! This is just a tiny fraction of the tools I actually use, but this is the starting point for any small scale metal worker
Not all tools I use are bought. Some I've made myself; giant brass tweezers for removing items from the pickle pot, brass pickle spoon with drainage holes, multiple flush setting tools, large brass blunt needle for threading cord through my fabric storage bags and more recently, some tool storage with a burr holder
The process The making process is a long and slow one. Everything has to go through the stages of design, piercing, filing, shaping, soldering, pickle cleaning, more shaping, more filing, multi stage polishing. Some designs can take weeks to complete; and that's even before the item photography, website editing, packaging and everything else involved. It's hard to really appreciate how much work goes into every piece just through photos
Blue John celtic ring
Custom made butterfly locket with emerald cabochon
Custom made necklace
Summer flower necklace with amethyst and 9ct gold details
Copper oak leaf incense burner
Copper keepsake necklace
Motorbike tiebar with citrine
An old gold wedding ring made into a new gold wedding ring
Tiebar
Ivy leaf ring with moss agate
Adjustable ring
Random activity on and off the bench
The results The rewards of a hard days work – a collection of shinys, dirty hands and several new hand injuries