Spring Time Commissions
I’ve been keeping busy in my Glasgow workshop with so many lovely bespoke jewellery commissions since January. I continue to be in awe of the beautiful ideas customers come to me with, so I’m excited to share a couple with you today. This blog focusses on a few lovely commissions I've had so far this Spring.
I love designing custom jewellery more than anything else. It pushes me to develop my silversmithing practice whilst allowing me to create original designs - this is the kind of jewellery that pushes me to experiment and be as creative as possible.
If you have an idea you’d love to turn into a piece of handmade jewellery I’d love to hear from you here.
Molten Silver Ring Set
First up is a matching set of five bespoke rings, handmade from recycled sterling silver. My lovely customer Aimie asked me to create a set of rings that she could wear together and on each finger, so I decided to cast the rings in a charcoal block with scrap sterling silver which were then cast into five identical rings.
I love the fluid molten surface of these rings, with the beautiful dimpled details from the charcoal visible on each ring. It was a challenge to work out how to make a charcoal-cast form into a wearable ring, but with some experimentation myself and Aimie found a design we both loved. I really like the fact that they are irregular in shape, meaning which ever way you wear them they will always look different.
Handmade Chunky Chain
This is a big moment for me - my first ever chain! Organic and free in shape, this necklace reflects how experimentation leads my making-process.
Each recycled sterling silver pebble was coaxed into their shape during the heating process, but allowed to create its form without too much intervention from me - I really love seeing what silver will do when left to its own devices. So I was left with irregular shapes, each one completely unique.
Every pebble link was fused (no solder used) and connected by an individually made rectangular link. I decided to naturally oxidise this piece with boiled egg, a natural alternative in order to avoid using chemicals. It was incredible to see the sulphur from the egg rapidly blacken the surface of the silver.
This piece is by no means perfect, but an experimentation as well as a learning curve for me.
Isle of Skye Sea Glass Necklaces
This final highlight is a wee bit different.
The beautiful independent shop Òr Skye commissioned me to make sea glass and pottery necklaces with materials they picked themselves on the Isle of Skye Harbour, Portree. These pieces of glass and pottery are so incredibly vibrant and organic in shape, and it is such a treat for me to make them into handmade jewellery.
This month I created a massive forty pendants for their two lovely shops, where they also stock so many other talented makers (check them out when you’re on Skye next).
I love working with sea glass so much, as not only are their colours and forms always unique but they are a material that would otherwise be wasted. I strive for my jewellery to be handmade with found materials as much as possible, informed and inspired by the natural world that exists around us.
