Lil Adams is our Sunday studios manager and is a silversmith who loves wax carving. She decided to try one of our metal clay classes to see what she thought! I’m usually one who likes to bash away at silver or cast a random object. But I I couldn’t resist the evening taster course in […]

Here we look at the many ways that jewellery can be made architectural as a celebration of World Architecture Day. Architects love putting on different creative hats within the design world. The humble chair is often the focus of their attentions, but they are equally inclined (rather than reclined) to turn their hands to the […]

On your finger, in your hair, cat jewellery everywhere! Happy International Cat Day, well they say every dog has his day so we shall take this purrfect opportunity to celebrate all things feline. First we broach (brooch) the subject with Lea Stein. She is to cats what Cartier is to ducks and is one of […]

We all get by with a little help from our friends. Sometimes more than others. But there’s never a bad time to tell a friend you think they’re golden so we’re loving the reminder of International Friendship day today. Erica Weiner’s range helpfully takes us from historic pieces to modern twists in the quest to […]

The buzz on the street is that bees are pretty important to this little rock we call home.  The bee population in some countries has halved over the last decade and their pollination discos affect far more than just honey production . Our busy worker mates are essential to a healthy environment and the diversity […]

This week I have been taking a look at jeweller and collector Anna Tabakhova’s book ‘Clasps: 4000 years of fasteners in Jewellery’ which details a fascination with the fastener throughout the ages and I’ve already changed my attitude towards the clasp as just a means to an end. From Egyptian times the oldest removable clasp followed […]

On Donald Duck day (honestly, it is a thing) how better to celebrate that watch all of his great moments of exasperation on screen or peruse the jewels made in the image of his ducky mates. They are certainly all they are quacked up to be! Happy encrusted duck ring by Chopard The King of Jewellers […]

The birthstone for May is the mighty Emerald, a stone considered to be a symbol for re-birth and love. Being born in this month will mean you are dependable and quick-witted, not a bad start in life. Emerald is a stone whose colour reminds us of fictional cities and namesake to a whole isle. The […]

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do I am 52 years old and I work freelance mainly on nightclub and corporate event dressing. At the moment I am making a padded leather wall and a fabric and hanging crystal ceiling for Cafe de Paris. Every job is different which I like […]

Today we celebrate everyone’s favourite Aquatic flightless bird on World Penguin Day. Uniquely adapted to their living environment with flippers instead of wings for swimming and the ability to ‘toboggan’ across ice in this way energy saving and gaining speed. The inspiration for one of the most reliable chocolate snacks around and their distinctive form […]

At the heart of this year’s Earth Day is a campaign to end plastic pollution. Single use plastic has become an issue that large companies like Pret are starting to attempt to tackle. The pollution of our planet and global warming will never not be a burning issue. Conceptual artist and jeweller Katrin Spranger has […]

Tell me about it. As anyone that has ever asked about my jewellery making knows, every piece tells a tale, even the plainest looking ring. Jewellery goes on adventures with you, reminds you of a person, holiday or the mistake you made that made it look so cool. Pieces often have their own lives that […]

Lucky babies born in April get a diamond as their birthstone. Characteristics of determination are comparable to the origins the name Diamond, from the Greek ‘adamas’ meaning ‘unbreakable’. They really are the hardest of them all, measuring a mighty 10 on the Mohs scale. Many wear diamonds every day in engagement rings which is great for showing […]

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do I am Helen Naylor. I have a degree in English Literature and Philosophy and a PGCE in English. I have been an English teacher for the last 8 years and began learning how to make jewellery 5 years ago. I live in Manchester and […]

It’s pencil day! So let’s break out the lead to celebrate these sharp designs by jewellers inspired by this humble and useful staple of the stationery family. After all, they have been decorating the under-adorned top-of-ear spaces since their creation, even if we have been pretending this was just for on body storage purposes. To ‘pencil in’ may be […]

We are LOVING wax carved jewellery at the moment but what can you make when you’ve mastered the technique? Here is some inspiration from our talented tutors and students to get you thinking. (And here is a blog post from our own Lil Adams on what wax carving is and how casting works in case […]

Often in life it’s the genuine article, the purest and most natural, which we value most. All gemstones have a special month to shine, see ‘Birthstones’. So it’s worth exploring the joys of the unreal, underappreciated or synthetic of the jewellery world on Jewel day.   Let’s first take a look at the useful, synthetic, […]

Never judge a book by its cover they say and certainly not on World Book Day. And especially when investigating the work of Jeremy May. Here, beneath what is bound,  a ring, a bangle or a necklace could be found. May uses a top-secret lamination technique to create bespoke pieces from a bookkeeping the original binding as […]

Said to communicate originality and visionary thinking towards the future, Ultra-Violet makes a welcome entrance to kick start 2018- a bit of forward thinking is just what we need. Take a look at how these jewellers have also taken to this shade to inspire your own creations this year. Jewellers have many a purple shade […]