Something in September

September has arrived and I am not even sure where the summer went. Life in my Studio has reached a legal of calm and normality with me opening for appointments on a Monday, Thursday and Saturday morning. This allows me to carry out workshops but also be at home to work on my commissions as much as I can.

Speaking of workshops, I have a great deal of choice available through my website and I have been delving into more and more art workshops. I have some drawing and illustration workshops coming up and an abstract painting workshop too. These have proved very popular and are such fun and a real delight. I have my Craft & Chatter group that is now meeting every Monday evening in September. If that goes well we will continue that trend. I am also running another group for artists, Art & Articulate, which I hope will be a really supportive and inspiring group for the working artist who can feel very isolated and alone.

I continue to run my usual ring making, pendant, earrings, bangles stacking rings and spinner workshops too and they are bootable months in advance.

Commissions continue to come in, I’m always chasing my tail trying to fit everything in but I am trying to cut the time it takes to get commissions completed but when you have nobody to help and you are administrator, coffee girl, designer, maker, studio boss, workshop manager and lots more it is very difficult to get it all right. I would love to have more time to design too but I do slot the odd new design in And I would love to work in a collection. Watch this space.

Lost Gemstone: a Reminder of Loss & Love

A Preventable Disaster

When I got engaged, many moons ago, I chose my gold ring with a centre sapphire and absolutely loved it at the time. It had so much obvious significance and was the first ring I had ever had that had any value.I cherished it.Then some years later I lost the sapphire and have never worn it again.I was devastated at the time and spent many hours searching the house and garden. An engagement ring is such an important symbol of love, your future together and the promises you will make with the one you love.Losing that stone meant I could no longer wear my special ring and it was placed in my jewellery box where it spent the next 23 years never being worn

Missing Gemstone

Oh The Irony

My sadness abated but I never forgot the ring and it’s significance. I didn’t know at that time, the importance of having the claws checked by a professional Jeweller every year and I had no clue as to how to keep it clean. I also didn’t know anyone that had the skills to replace the stone and make it wearable for me.

How ironic that I ended up changing my career and becoming that person who could finally resolve this dilemma. Another irony is that, although I could now sort it, I haven’t! I’m much too busy repairing other peoples jewellery and creating new jewellery that the ring is still sitting there at the bottom of the jewellery box, discarded and alone.

A New Beginning

Writing this blog has given me the incentive to bring that ring out into the open and I’m now going to melt it down and create a whole new contemporary design with the original diamonds and a brand new centre stone.would you like to see what happens next and see the results for yourself?I will let you know when it’s all finished.

How Can You Benefit?

If you have a gemstone missing, or you have a special piece of jewellery that is broken or out of date or needing some attention, consider whether you want to create something new out of the old for you!!if you want to find out more have a chat with me or your local Jewellery Designer and find out what’s possible. I would love to hear your storiesabout lost gemstones or broken jewellery. Get in touch in the way that suits you

Studio at No.10

I have a new Studio!

Its located in Coleford in The Innovation Spaces Hub at No. 10. I have been looking for a new studio for a while now and really wanted somewhere to be able to put on lots of workshops, chat to customers, share my work and also work myself. I can’t wait to share this space with you.

Since moving in on the 1st April (I do hope that’s not significant 😂) I have been working hard to make it look lovely and inviting for you all. I want you to be able to come and have a chat over a cuppa, see and feel my work which I’ve never been able to do. I will be running courses, workshops of all types, open days, and this will be the first year that I will be taking part in the Faropen Trail which is taking place from the 1st-9thJuly 2023.

During Faropen, on the days that I am open you will be able to come along and interact and play with materials, enjoy some refreshments and really engage with my work.

Already I have a lot of new workshops listed on my website, a Beginners Jewellery Techniques course and I am going to be putting on a very special Retreat in June so watch out for that date, I would love to hear from you if you have any ideas for workshops you would like to attend or times or days that are more suitable for you. I really want this to be an interactive experience where you are happy with what I’m offering. Do come and see me and say Hello, I’m not at the studio every day but will be posting a schedule on my website and Facebook page so that you can see what days I’m there.

My studio will also be available for hire so if you want to put on your own workshop or have a meeting or a private event just get in touch. Details will be published soon but I am happy to chat with you about what you want. Can’t wait to see you soon!!