The best Festive gift ever!

Trying to think of the ideal Festive gift? 

There is still time, just about, to commission a piece of jewellery from me - so long as the design isn't too complicated!

OR 

You could do a last minute dash to my studio in Grange over Sands for a whisky and mince pie and to see what I have left on my bench. 

OR - ta dah dah dah!

What about a gift that keeps on giving - the present of a day learning how to make silver jewellery in my studio? 





A nice glossy postcard-sized studio voucher in a silver envelope

Many people now enjoy receiving the gift of a new experience, and learning a new skill in a day is very satisfying in itself. It can also lead to a lifelong interest, with the possibility of regularly making their own silver jewellery 

and special gifts for friends and family. 

All from your one original Christmas present. 

A day in my studio involves learning about the different tools and working with precious metals during the step-by-step process of making a ring, pendant, bangle, bracelet or earrings. It's grubby, physical, mentally challenging, good fun, and the end result is always better than expected. 
(See "Tuition" page for more info).

Prices for the day per person are: 

£90 (incl silver to make a ring, pendant, slim bangle or earrings) 


Thank you

Wishing you and everyone you know 
a fabulous Festive Season.

Amanda

Findings

Findings

I love the sound of the jewellery term "Findings". It sounds a bit mysterious, like something we might accidentally come across on an unexpected jewellers' adventure. But you might be surprised to know that it is the trade term used for the components of a piece of jewellery - the parts like the clasp, ear wires, cuff link backs, brooch pins, jump rings and spacers that are often overlooked, but make the finished item wearable. 

So where can we find Findings?

They can be bought from a wide range of manufacturers and vary in quality and price in the same way as everything else in life. However, it is also possible to make your own findings to suit the piece of jewellery you are making. To me, as someone who both makes jewellery and buys from other designers, a test for the quality of the piece depends on the findings as much as the jewellery. It makes sense to me that if I have gone to the trouble of making a piece of jewellery from scratch that the final part of the finished piece should blend in with it or even add a different, unique element to the design. 

There's also the matter of security - a handcrafted piece of jewellery in precious metal is, at least, a special gift or treat and quite often also an investment. Therefore, a secure means of fixing the piece onto the body is essential and if you make your own you know exactly how safe and workable it is. 

Many jewellery makers don't make their own findings. The arguments against it are that it is too time consuming, adds to the cost, and that precious metals are soft and a handmade finding can never be as hard and secure as a machine made one. But mass produced findings can be tricky to attach as they are often made of very thin metal, they can devalue a piece of jewellery if the same findings are recognisable from cheaper high street pieces and, while it isn't possible to make a finding that is as hard and springy as one that has been molded and repeatedly bashed by a machine, it is possible to create findings that are designed in such a way that they don't have to be and they still function perfectly well, and look good too.  

Making your own findings is also a creative challenge in its own right, as you consider which style of 'fixing' will work best with what you have created. Sometimes you can end up creating a new type of finding in response to a problem - as I did with ear wires for people who don't have pierced ears! Often the traditional mechanisms of fastenings work best, like the toggle clasp, but they can also be improved upon to better suit their function. In the photo above I created a magnetic and slide catch combo for a cherished bracelet when the clasp would usually just have one or the other. 

So, making your own findings is worth a try if you want your jewellery to stand out even from that of other makers. Something as simple as a stud ear wire made to the most usable length of 12mm, and well smoothed at the end, will be noticeably different to the short, rougher ones you just buy and solder on. And heating metal always softens it anyway, so the resulting finding will only be as robust as the hands of the person who finished it!

Happy Finding!