A Legacy to Be Proud of Since 1909
I feel that we are fortunate to have a goldsmith working in our on-site workshop as it is very much part of our business heritage that goes back over 115 years. This month I thought I would take a look at one of the many things we do in the workshop, which we call ‘Melt and Make’. This is when we recycle old gold, often using unwanted family jewellery that has been kept for years and re work this into something new. I cannot help but admire the expertise this needs and the best way to show this skill is through some pictures of a recent project we have undertaken. We were asked by one of our lovely clients to melt down two gold rings and re use her gold to make a three stone pendant adding in some of her diamonds to give it some sparkle! With this as a starting point, we set about exploring designs that she liked and focused on key elements that were important to her.
This month I am taking inspiration from rainbows with their beautiful displays of jewelled colours in the sky which can also be found in the spectrum of tantalizingly different gemstones. Red is the first arc of the rainbow and it’s a colour that grabs attention. One of the most popular red gemstones is the glorious ruby which features in both antique and contemporary jewellery. Colours vary from red to pink, but the most prized is the Burmese ruby which has a rich crimson hue. It’s wonderful velvety softness known as silk gives a hazy shimmer on the surface.
A couple of months ago I went to learn a thing or two from the gardener Adam Frost. His talk was motivating and he spoke of his garden as a journey down memory lane saying ‘every bed is a little piece of art, which all together add up to a collection with lots of links running through them.’ I came home totally inspired and thought about my own garden in a different light. My small garden has little pockets of memories which relate to me, for example my grandma’s sweet peas, an Aunt’s penny farthing stepping stone and an old water pump from my first house.
