Makers and Friends workshop: saying it in wire

I’ve been told a lot by friends and family how impressed they are that I make my own garments (see here) or made my own jewellery (here). I’ve mentioned to various interested individuals that it’s a skill that’s easily picked up once you know the basics, but I still get quite a few disbelieving looks. Luckily, I was recently contacted by Makers & Friends about attending a wire workshop that shows you just how simple some jewellery and craft projects can be.

Appreciating The Silversmith’s Art: Made in Britain Today

The art of silversmithing has never been truly appreciated by the general public. Unless you go behind the scenes and understand the process designers and silversmiths go through to create their unique pieces of art in their own studios, most look at a precious metal piece of art or jewellery and frown upon the price tag. Having attended silver jewellery making classes, I can understand how much time and effort goes into hammering, sawing, filing, etching, or any other silversmithing method, a wire or sheet to get to the end result. The Silversmith’s Art: Made in Britain Today exhibition does exactly that: give the general public an insight into The Goldsmiths’ Company’s collection of commissioned items over the last 15 years.

A diamond in the ruff: In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion

I had come across the ad for the exhibition, In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion, advertised on the side of a bus stop and was intrigued. I like going back into the past and thinking about what life was like in the past with the aristocracy and enjoyed looking at the clothes that were worn back then.

The exhibition was held in The Queen’s Gallery at Palace of Holyrood House and on the second last day, my friend and fellow blogger, Heather, of yankeedoodles, decided to attend the exhibition where London-based fashion designer Gareth Pugh talks to exhibition curator and author Anna Reynolds of the book by the same title, In fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion.

‘Handmade by Machines’ at The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture, is a visitor centre, exhibition space and events venue situated in the heart of Glasgow, just off the Style Mile. The Lighthouse acts as a beacon for the creative industries in Scotland and promotes design and architecture through a vibrant programme of exhibitions and events.

– About Us, The Lighthouse

I first came across the exhibition, Handmade by Machines, when I received my newsletter from Eventbrite Edinburgh. A symposium was held on Thursday 19th June at The Lighthouse in Glasgow to introduce how technology is used with traditional jewellery making techniques in contemporary jewellery design. The exhibition at the Long Gallery on the 5th floor was then open to the public from 20th June to 13th July.

My finished ring project

My completed labradorite ring in a rub over setting

I’ve experienced frustration with a simple project not going as planned and I know I should heed my own advice: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Sometimes you experience draw backs to your projects, but when the etched filigree cuff went so well, I think I started gaining such confidence in my own abilities that I thought the ring with my set labradorite project would go just as smoothly. I have to remind myself that soldering is a tricky job, especially when you’re heating 3 separate joins before you even join the ring and setting together.

Read all about your creative side

I saw this article about how individuals with a creative mind think differently and in some respects it really spoke to me. I’d like to think I’ve got a creative side, whether it involved playing the piano for about 7 years of my life, to my dressmaking and jewellery projects, from my personal interest in photography, understanding about the body and mind, baking and keeping up to date with my own personal blog.

New Year’s Resolutions: recap 3 months into 2014

I decided this year that I was going to set myself goals that I felt were achievable as my 2014 New Year’s Resolutions. Some of them were going to require hard work and determination, but I know that in the end, it would benefit me, body and mind. So just a recap to see how I’m doing so far.

Slowly, but surely: my labradorite ring

It was only a week ago that I started on my ring having been shown how to make a rub over stone setting. I thought once the bezel setting was done, everything else would fall into place. If only it were that easy!

My first attempt at the rub over stone setting

I thought that although it was a new experience for me,t hat I would get the bezel or rub over stone setting part of class done with, easy peasy, in half a class, get the ring shank soldered and everything put together in one class. Not likely! I am more than aware from my various dressmaking projects that you get quicker with experience, but making sure your setting fits your stone perfectly and that your base is big enough does take some fiddling about with. Not only fiddling, but constantly checking (like you do with sewing and dressmaking) that it fits right.

The piece of metal I got for the base part of my bezel setting was 0.5mm thick and the measurements for width and length were according to the measurements of the oval labradorite gemstone that I was keen on setting, but what I didn’t realise was instead of having the setting go around the outside of the base, it needs to sit on top of your base piece. My base piece was therefore too small, so I ended up having to use a bit of the instructor’s and measuring it as closely as possible so as not to waste any precious silver.

Progress on the silver projects

Ever since I got my tool and soldering kits for Christmas, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to bring home unfinished projects from class to work on at home. I’ve still got a few bits and pieces here and there that I need to get (like the soldering block and doing more researching on how I can set up my own pickle and etching tanks) before I can really fully do everything I want in the comfort of my own home.

I was still working on various projects and was at different stages with each: the ring and charms I managed to get etched and oxidised, but I still needed to get them polished. I had etched the pendants for the matching friendship/family necklace set, but I had to clean them and I still need to get them through the oxidising process.