Making silver Jewellery

Have you ever wanted to have a go at making your own silver jewellery?

Well, if you are in the Wokingham area or close by then now is your chance.

The very talented Janet Richardson, who has many years experience of making jewellery and teaching is running some new classes.

This is what I made during my first set of lessons with Jan. Not bad for a first timer!

Jan has taught at Norden Farm in Maidenhead, Brakenhale school in Bracknell and been artist in residence at South Hill Park, Bracknell to name just a few places.

There has been such a demand for her classes she is now teaching at the Arts Bar on Wellington road, Wokingham near the train station.

The classes will run in 5 week blocks.

Mondays 20th Sept - 18th Oct

1pm-3pm or 6pm-8pm

Mondays 1st Nov - 29th Nov

1pm-3pm or 6pm - 8pm

Cost £57 per 5 weeks

Suitable for beginners and those with some experience

For more information check out Jan's Website

If you do book let me know how you get on, I would love to know.

Wedding jewellery cont.....

Nearly 45 years ago my mother and father in law got married. At their wedding were their respective mums Ruby and Ivy.
As readers of my blog will know on the last Saturday of July my sister in law got married. Unfortunately neither Ruby or Ivy are still with us so were not there to see her married. However these ladies were very special to her and she wanted them somehow included in her wedding even if it was in small way.

One day whilst having a tiara discussion, my SIL mentioned this to me and muggins here who cannot keep her mouth shut, ever, said "Well you could make Ivy leaves from silver clay".
Now please don't get me wrong PMC is a fab product and there are some very talented people out there who get fab results from it. I, however, am not overly comfortable using it.
I had a lesson a while back with the very talented Janet Richardson and made a few pieces but I am never quite happy with my efforts, this was my first and only PMC experience. I find it hard to make my PMC efforts look handmade rather than homemade in my mind if you get what I mean. Maybe it is because I am used to working with silver and filing silver is a little different than filing unfired clay. Unfired clay just seems potentially really brittle. or maybe it is because I have a slight perfectionist streak. Anyway the short of it is, that it is not my medium of choice.

Despite of all that about 5 weeks ago I found myself making oodles of silver clay ivy leaves. One for the bride as a keepsake (she wore a pearl necklace I wore at my wedding which my mum in law gave me - old, borrowed and blue (it has a blue clasp) all in one). Three for the bridesmaids and one each for my SIL's mum and mum in law to be as keepsakes.
Then I remembered that a year or so ago I bought some rough cut rubies and had never used them, they were just sitting in my bead stash. Well, it must of been fate. I thought these would look fantastic dangling charm like from the jump ring (which btw I soldered as I have a big dislike for open jump ring) of and I added a freshwater pearl to tie in with the rest of the wedding jewellery, the brides dress and to add a nice contrast to the rubies.

So, here is the final product. Fine silver ivy leaf pendants with handwired charms of two roughcut rubies and a pearl. I am rather pleased with the end result even if I say so myself.

Oh and because I had clay left and I thought it would make a nice set I also made my sister in law some ivy leaf earrings.

So, Ivy and Ruby may not of been physically at the wedding, but they were part of it for my sister in law and were remembered on the day.

Delphinium

I bought this stunning set of beads from Isabelle Anderson ages ago and made them into this set ages ago too.

However, as of yet I have never listed them on Folksy.

But, by the end of today they will all be uploaded and available to buy. Perfect for a summer wedding....if the sun comes out again that is ;)

And the reason I named these beads Delphinium...check out those gorgeous colours.Picture taken from http://gstuff.co.nz/shop/garden/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=210&zenid=31954b8c5ecf9c62baf1a878e2519e70

the wedding continued...

So, to go with the tiara's my sister in law wanted some hair pins for in her hair.

As her hair is blond we decided on half in creamy white and half in the burgundy of the bridesmaid dresses to make them stand out.

Oh and then there were earrings - bridesmaids ones featuring Swarovski crystals and one for the bride using the same swarovski peals as the tiaras and hairclips.

There is one more lot of rather special jewellery to show you which I made for the wedding but that will wait for another day.
In the meantime I have been loading some gorgeous lampwork goodies in my Folksy shop. Why not check out my new lsitings ?

Tiara time

So, brother in law to be finally asked my sister in law to marry him.
Being the lovely person I am I offered to make her some wedding jewellery. Well, I do running a jewellery business how hard can it be to make wedding jewellery?

Now, anyone who knows me will know I am very good either offering to do something or saying yes before really thinking it through. The old talk before the brain clicks in syndrome.
This is how I found myself saying I would make my sister in law her tiara's as well as her jewellery. That is four tiara's in total.....and where do you start designing a tiara? Well, we trawled the internet for some ideas, worked out what the bride did and didn't like and then made something......totally different which thankfully, she loved :)

a tiara for the bride herself

And three for the bridesmaids....

Here is a picture of them both together.

I am so so pleased with how they turned out and amazed at my first and only effort. Wedding jewellery makers do not worry I am not adding tiara's to my repetoire. I loved making these but never again, I think I prefer a quicker result from my makes. Each one took me an hour, 25 Swarovski crystal twisted pearls, about 70 Swarovski bicones and oodles of wire.
Having said that I am very very pleased with the result as was the bride and the bridesmaids - what more can you ask for?

Wedding Jewellery

Well, THE wedding was on Saturday. That is THE wedding that I made tiara's, necklaces, earrings and headpins for.
Whilst I edit some photos of the jewellery. Here is a sneak peak to keep you going.


One of the bridesmaids tiaras all boxed and ready to go.
More pics on their way .......