News

Looking at the prices and availability of precious metal at the moment is like looking at an erratic yo-yo. The jewellery trade is awash with webinars, Zoom meetings and speculation about trying to predict the way that gold and other precious metal prices are going to go and how this will affect our products when... Read more »

How welcome is  the sight of a crystal clear blue sky after the stormy and dull weather we’ve had a recently? Or the vibrant changing hue of unspoilt sea against sunny clifs and shore line. It lifts our spirits, brightens the day both literally and emotionally. For me, anyway, it makes my day take on... Read more »

Leonardo De’ Caprio has been spotted wearing a buddhist one, Tamara Ecclestone had a diamond one stolen and Wonder Woman has a magnificent oversized golden pair…bangles and bracelets have so many different variations it’s hard to know where to start.  The first bangles fashioned were probably the ‘Torc’ style – examples are known to date... Read more »

My mother pulled out a small dark blue pendant box with a golden hinge. ‘I’ve kept the first pieces of jewellery you ever made!’, she said, as she handed me the box.  I was 17 and had just enthusiastically announced my intended career path of training as a jeweller. I opened the box excitedly, not... Read more »

Running a jewellery workshop and shop at this time of year is…well… full-on! From September onwards, the jewellery trade hurtles at an ever-quickening pace to get work created, displayed, altered and distributed in time for the big day. To add to the stress there’s the inevitable postal strike, winter illness, bad weather, bad temper and... Read more »

Erica has recently been shortlisted as a finalist for the National Association of Jeweller’s ‘Designer of the Year’ Awards. The NAJ team were looking for evidence of innovation, achievement, teamwork, leadership and contribution to wider society. Simon Forrester, Chief Executive of The National Association of Jewellers, described the entries as “competitive” across the board, and... Read more »

Throughout history, gems have been coveted and fashioned to maximise their natural beauty and attractiveness. Every type of gemstone has different physical properties, and this leads to their individual qualities. Some gems rely almost entirely on a wondrous colour. Green jade, for example, bright-blue lapis lazuli and sky-blue turquoise are opaque gems that are simply... Read more »

These words from the poem ‘Maple and Sumach’ by C Day Lewis inspired me to make a autumnal necklace of ruby, rich 22 ct gold and deep pink spinel. As a child I used to be fascinated by the sumach tree we had in our garden. The colours of its leaves in the autumn were... Read more »

The subject of ethical practices involved in mining precious metals and gemstones and making jewellery is a complex one, but it’s a ‘nettle that has to be grasped’, if we are to change and improve the way that we are treating the planet and each other. Fortunately, the raw materials used in precious jewellery are... Read more »