Diamonds & Pearls

You may soon work this out, I love pearls. This series was inspired by my need to protect precious, glorious, lustrous, baroque and keshi pearls. I am on a steep learning curve with pearls, and have discovered that, as they are created by living organisms, they are much softer than other precious gemstones like diamonds, and can be damaged by abrasion, and contact with some chemicals like perfumes.

I decided to wrap these ones in gold and sprinkle them with diamonds.
Pendants, necklaces, brooches and earrings are not usually subjected to much wear and tear, however,I have had a few inquiries about Pearl Engagement Rings. I am happy to make an engagement ring, and a pearl ring, because pearl rings should generally be worn for special occasions. A pearl ring has magical properties: it is a "get out of doing the housework" ring!
 There is a reason that 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend', they can better withstand  everyday wear. However, some girls must have pearl rings, (believe me, I understand the allure) so there are a few ways to make a pearl ring more practical. Of all the different kinds of pearls, Freshwater pearls are amongst the hardest wearing, as they are nacre all the way through. As bead nucleated pearls (like an Akoya or Mikimoto etc) wear down over the years, eventually, the bead nucleus will show through. With a freshwater pearl, there is only more nacre inside, instead of a big round bead. Another idea is to design the setting so that the pearl is easily replaced. I think these are a whimsical answer to the pearl ring dilema.

My favorite soft white silver

My shop is a mini United Nations, with jewellery made locally (very close by, at my bench in the middle of the shop) and many other exotic locations. I discovered my favorite soft white silver over a year ago, and I have fallen in love with the gentle, moonlit glow. They come from Turkey, and the designs are so extraordinary, they are 'Zahir', which I believe translates as something quite like Sublime, so maybe that's why I was drawn to them. These pieces are quite tactile, they have a 'nap' which feels surprisingly like fur, when you stroke them.

Holidays

A change is as good as a holiday, so they say...I had a short break away from my bench over the Festive season, and ended up, guess where.... back at my sewing machine. More felt, and some bleachy, disheveled denim. I made some scarves like stepping stones. I made one with white stitching for my cousin, and then thought about adding the denim & coloured threads. I have already cut out some more shapes for the next one (quite laborious, so I will have to pace myself) which I think I will stitch with pale blue thread.

Here goes...

I thought it was about time I gave this Blogging thing a try, so you can get an idea about what I'm doing here. I would like to post new pieces as they arrive, and works in progress, as they leap off the paper, head under the torch, and appear, dream-like and wearable, in my cabinets, and out my door, upon somebody else who loves them too.