When looking at white gold jewellery in a high street jewellers, the sales assistants will often talk about having it ‘dipped’. Another term sometimes used is ‘rhodium flashing’. Both of these terms conjure images of simple and almost magical processes involving either vats of liquid metal or zapping the piece of jewellery with a special rhodium gun! I don’t blame the sales … Read More
Ampthill’s New Mayor’s Consort Chain – Celebrating the Town’s Rich History.
As a local business, I am pleased and very proud to have recently designed Ampthill’s new Mayor’s Consort chain celebrating the town’s rich history. When Ampthill Town Council needed to replace the Mayor’s Consort chain, they approached me to commission a new design. Ampthill has a rich and varied history, from its notable association with Henry VIII and the ill-fated … Read More
Rhodium Plating Yellow Gold
Although yellow and rose gold have seen a real resurgence in recent years, I am still finding that majority of the clients I work with are looking for white metal in their commissioned pieces. When it comes to inheriting jewellery, a lot of classic designs were made in yellow gold (perhaps with Platinum settings or design details) which sometimes does … Read More
Ryan and Caity’s Rose and White Gold Wedding Rings
Ryan came to me to design Caity’s bespoke engagement ring last year. As he’s based in Canada, we did all the designing via email and Skype. He had a good idea of what she liked so was confident to design it as a surprise. The end result was this stunning platinum, and 18ct rose gold ring with a diamond cluster … Read More
Caity’s Mixed Metal Engagement ring
Our dear friend Ryan gave me the huge honour of designing and making Caity’s engagement ring. She had shared images of engagement rings she liked with him in the hope he’d get the hint. These were very useful as a starting point for Ryan and I to work on a unique design made especially for her. It was clear from … Read More
Totally Unique Yoga Frog Earrings
Navin got in touch because he wanted to have a special and very unique set of earrings designed and made for his wife for Christmas. They’d had a tough year while she underwent treatment for cancer, so he wanted to treat her to something special. The initial message outlining his idea really intrigued me – he wanted dangly earrings in … Read More
Tanzanite Pendant Case Study
Have you ever considered buying a gemstone while traveling as a memento of your trip? That is exactly what Stuart did on his trip to Africa last year when he climbed Kilimanjaro. Stuart wanted to do something special for his wife’s birthday and decided to commission a bespoke piece of jewellery for her using a stunning tanzanite sourced during this … Read More
What does Carat or Karat mean?
Carat in jewellery can either refer to the weight of a gemstone, or the fineness of gold. Confusingly, in the UK, we use the same spelling for both. In the US, K (or K, Karat) is more commonly used when describing gold fineness and ct (carat) is used when discussing the weight of a gemstone. Why carat? Both in gemstone … Read More
Recycled Diamond Engagement Ring
It is becoming increasingly common for couples to look more closely into the ethical credentials of their jewellery. Going the bespoke route can make people feel more comfortable about the provenience of their jewellery as there is often a strong relationship between an independent jeweller and their suppliers of metal and gemstones. One ethical route that some of the customers … Read More
Bespoke Horse Charm
It’s always exciting when I get asked to make something a little out of the ordinary, and David set me a fantastic challenge to design and make a custom charm for his wife Cathy’s charm bracelet. Cathy has a bucket list of experiences she is working through and top of the list was to ride a horse along the water’s … Read More