Jewellery Maker goody bag

You may remember back in June that we managed to win a competition on Jewellery Maker for a strand of jewellery (lucky us!) as if this wasn’t exciting enough take a look at what actually arrived on our doorstep:

 

Yes a wonderful goodie bag, when the package was opened, not only did it contain the fabulous strand of amethyst mentioned in our blog post:

 

 

 

 

but a whole host of goodies!  Having promised to make something with this I immediately had an inspiration for a fabulous necklace so got a sketch down (inspired by Tiffany…not that I am over ambitious or anything…) ready to show my co-blogger and chief jewellery maker to see how realistic I was being.  More on this another time however, I would hate to spoil the surprise!

In our goodie bag was a host of goodies, tipping it out was a great experience even for a making novice like me.

 

 

 

The amount of material was staggering – we had lots and lots of threading materials ranging from nylon threads, wire and cord.  I wanted to give you the links to everything, but when I went to check out the Jewellery Maker website for threading materials there were just far too many!  I started getting carried away (…do I really need Sari yarn…?  I want it but have no idea what to do with it…if you use it do get in touch and show us what you make)

 

 

 

 

 

 

There wasn’t just enough additional items to make one or two items, there was enough to make LOADS!  What we haven’t included in the pictures are all the findings also included which are a bit daunting I must admit so as well as listening to pearls of wisdom from my co-blogger I intend to check out the Jewellery Maker YouTube channel for some tips.

We were particularly impressed with the beautiful blue dyed pearls and the aluminium chain (I have literally no idea how this would work but Deborah assures me with the right tools it can be used) and another fab two strands we are hunting down the name of.

Wood you consider non-metal jewellery…?

 

Traditionally we’re used to our jewellery being made out of one of the precious metals, but just looking through the high street wares jewellery now can be made out of pretty much anything.

Personally I’m a fan of wood, I love wood, it’s all over my home and I can’t resist a bit of wooden jewellery.  My favourite piece is this wooden bracelet, I bought it in Prague I think from memory and wore it continually for ages.

On the other hand I’ve had more of an issue with wooden earrings, I have 2 pairs but I can’t help thinking that they look a bit clunky when I wear them…perhaps I just don’t have the right look for them rather than the other way round…

Plastic beads are also always a pretty safe bet…although my baby does like to chew them (top tip try www.gumigem.co.uk if you also struggle with this).  It has the benefits of being relatively durable and cheap as well as fabulously versatile in terms of shape and colour.

Glass has been used for many years to imitate gems in jewellery and is great in terms of different colours and effects, just check out Working Glass Jewellery to see the stunning designs that can be achieved, some of their pieces are so beautiful I could actually eat them…but I won’t.

But there are also more modern approaches to jewellery, 3D printing has become useful in jewellery making and is allowing more unusual materials to be used in jewellery, for example the stunning Phase collection from Lynne MacLachlan where large statement items of nylon jewellery are surprisingly lightweight.

So while many of us may dabble with alternatives to precious metals, will they ever become our ‘go to’ material?  Whilst cost of the alternative is generally lower, particularly on the high street, high-end pieces can easily reach the same prices as gold and silver pieces.  Check out this amazing twister bracelet from Carolina Bucci, or Bex Roz Gina twisted bracelet.

In short I doubt that anything will ever completely remove our love of shiny metals, and the durability of these in contrast to many of the alternatives is clear.  But I think that the metals and non metals work at their best when they work together giving that stunning contrast.   I’ve failed to mention that fallback for jewellery makers of leather, the contrast with metal can be amazing and Givenchy certainly knows how to make the most of this with simple clean lines and minimalist look.  There’s something so beautiful about a worn piece of wood or soft leather which is so tactile and appealing and the contrast with other materials can be really striking even when on a smaller item of jewellery.

 

 

 

That said when my metal jewellery gets scratched or dull I can find it frustrating, it sometimes adds character but sometimes completely detracts from the item of jewellery.  We certainly “wood” consider alternatives and love the innovative ways jewellery is being made out of all sorts!

 

Gorgeous fabric can really add an unusual look