Below are some of the latest jewellery pieces I’ve made, they’re all available in my shop. As you can see I like using more unusual gemstones or gems from locations you don’t really see in the mainstream. All of them have been completely made by hand, and the gemstones are all natural (I polished them myself from their raw state – they were even on the original host rock they came from)
Above: A while ago I sourced in some beautiful rocks from Norway, and found that they had traces of ruby running through them (the Kleggåsen Quarry it came from is well known for having tiny amounts of ruby in the stone there). I’m in the process of cutting and polishing them into different shapes and sizes, and this is a small little cabochon from that rock, which I’ve placed into a hand woven sterling silver pendant – the Celtic pattern style design inspired by the roots of plants and trees in the stunning craggy landscape of this part part of Norway that the rock came from.
Above: This gorgeous neutral beige stone is a type of rhyolite igneous rock that unusually has some topaz gemstone mixed in with it. This fascinating stone was sourced from Utah in the USA, where topaz (along with other types of gemstone) are sometimes found growing in cavities in the rhyolite rock that’s abundant in the area. Again, the inspiration for this pendant was one of roots, and how things are intertwined and woven together to create a unique new story – very apt in this case as the topaz and rhyolite are ‘woven together’ in a sense, by what would have been powerful geological forces many years ago, to create this fascinating blended stone.
Above, strangely under appreciated for many years, kyanite is increasingly common to find set into jewellery, and this orange kyanite was a real find!. Like most kyanite it’s quite included, though I think it’s these inclusions that give the stone it’s personality and add interest, especially when those inclusions catch the light and glow! The inspiration for this handmade silver pendant was one of roots, and how things are intertwined and woven together to create a unique new story – very apt in this case most kyanite is normally blue in colour; orange kyanite is generally only found in Tanzania, and takes on this gorgeous shade when traces of manganese are ‘woven together’ in a sense, into the gemstone, by what would have been powerful geological forces many years ago.
Above: the thousands of years of history and folklore behind Whitby jet probably deserve a blog post of it’s own – there’s far more to this dramatic gemstone than Victorian period jewellery. As a gem cutter I have to specially prepare my workspace when I get Whitby jet gemstone in, as while it’s gorgeous and shiny after it’s finished, the actual process to cut, grind and polish it is incredibly dirty and brown sludge can go everywhere! The inspiration for this handmade silver pendant was one of roots, and how things are intertwined and woven together to create a unique new story – very apt in this case as Whitby jet was originally a type of ancient driftwood which became saturated with bitumen or ‘woven together’ in a sense, by what would have been powerful geological forces many years ago, to create this fascinating and dramatic stone.
Above: While most people know about Baltic amber, there are actually many others types of amber from around the world, each having their own distinct properties. I made this silver tree pendant using Indonesian amber from the island of Sumatra, and amber known for its rich cognac colours but also its notoriously brittle nature – it’s very difficult to cut and this stone in the pendant was originally 3x the size of what you see now to begin with. I created this sterling silver tree motif pendant around the amber as it represents amber’s origins as ancient resin which spilled from a tree as a protective measure if it got damaged or cut (a nod to this is found on the chain the pendant comes on as well, which has two curious little sterling silver swirls which mimic the swirling dripping of amber resin).
Above: apatite is one of the most beautiful gemstones around and comes in a myriad of stunning colours. Unfortunately it’s also incredibly brittle – I’ve occasionally had apatite crumble in my hands whilst grinding it, and this is from a someone who uses traditional hand gem cutting (which is the gentlest form of gem cutting there is). It’s this brittleness which has probably caused apatite’s uncommonness in the jewellery world, it’s definitely a stone for special occasion wear only. I love it though, and when I was able to source in some lovely natural pale green apatite from Madagascar I jumped at the chance. The inspiration for this handmade silver pendant was one of roots, and how things are intertwined and woven together to create a unique new story – very apt in this case, as while apatite can form in all rocks types (as long as they are rich in calcium and phosphate) it’s most famously formed in sedimentary rocks which were created by the ancient accumulation and compression of calcium/ phosphate rich organic matter, such as bones, shells and teeth; to me that signifies the ability of new life and beauty to grow out of old life and decay. Apatite weaves this together in a sense, helped by what would have been powerful geological forces many years ago, to create what I feel is a this fascinating almost rebirth-like stone.
The Jewellery Muse Blog 