I still have a ton of stuff in storage, a remnant from all my traveling days. Last time I rummaged through hunting for various much loved items of clothing, I came across some photos of my old degree show work. This was THE first lot of proper work that sold and I remember I was so excited it took all of me to keep a straight face and not jump up and down.
Intertwined Gold mobius ring for lovers.
Prize winning Yellow Gold and White Gold bangle. Took an age to solder all the pieces together.
The below brooches and bangles were from a body of work entitled ‘she wrapped a white light around me.‘
Yup, my work was and still is very much about the protection provided by love.
Hand forged oxidised Silver brooch with fluttering fine Silver hand tied with Gold wire.
Mother of pearl shell with Sterling Silver rivets.
Hand made brooch pins were riveted into place behind the shell.
Hand forged Silver brooch with oxidised fluttering copper pieces hand tied with fine Silver wire.
Seven interconnected Silver bangles with little Silver houses that I altered chemically to turn a green colour.
Mixed with pieces of Jade to bring in my upbringing in Asia and belief in the magic of semi-precious stones.
About to watch Rambert, my all time favourite dance company.
Looking out the following day, during a three hour long Rambert dance workshop.
And finally a night of old school glamor. Love it. Big fan. Plus I finally got to wear the mask I bought in Venice last year, the vintage fur cape bought from Portobello and the most gorgeous green/gold dress given to me by a friend.
I’m still getting twisted with this collection. I’m spending some time this week design consulting with Brazen, view their site here. Always interesting to leave your own work for a wee while..
Working with gold is like an whole other experience to using silver. Gold just responds beautifully, almost like butter - ok, not quite but you get the idea. So it’s so sad to see that gold just keeps on rising, like doubling in price.
Running a small business with such an escalating material is tough and more than a little bit daunting.
My gorgeous friend and studio sharer Rebecca Little (view her work here) has begun teaching on the side. So she was in our studio today, teaching two girls how to make silver rings. She said afterwards that the girls hadn’t realised how much thought, time and talent went into even the simplist pieces of jewellery. And that they left having a better appreciation of our craft. Which made me happy that they had enjoyed their day, but also a little sad that sometimes people aren’t aware of the amount of time, research and development that goes into every piece. Some pieces of mine can take months, until I’m totally happy.
I then read Wendy Brandes funny and very insightful piece into manufacturing and the costs involved. Read it here.
Sometimes you get just the loveliest customers who make my day
“Thanks for all your help. It really is a pleasure to buy things from people that genuinely seem to care about the person buying their items. I’ve not experienced customer service like this in a very long time, and think it’s always good to tell people when they have exceeded expectations. Thanks and I am sure our friend will love this for her birthday present!“
