This quick blog post is not jewellery related at all; I just wanted to share our news with you all...
we are very pleased to announce that we are expecting a baby in June!

Please bear with me if my blog posts go a little adrift (in terms of timings and topics) as I seem to be full of baby-brain and morning sickness...
Our little one, so far, seems healthy and is due on 14th June 2013.
No doubt, some of my future blog posts will revolve more around this than anything else, but I will try to keep the focus on jewellery - and a great way to link this topic... ETERNITY RINGS and/or PUSH PRESENTS!
I am now starting to think about what I might like, so why not get your thinking caps on too! Get in touch with any ideas you have for your very own bespoke jewellery design to commemorate a momentous occasion in your life.

All the best,
Kathleen AND BUMP.

To give you a quick insight into the unusual techniques used to create my "skin" collections, I thought I'd do a very speedy blog...
(feel free to ask questions if you want to know more. Some pieces from this collection are available for sale, as are copies of the limited edition prints; also there are possibilities of bespoke gelatine pieces being created just for you).

Each piece in this collection is a recreation of a real item of jewellery; to start the process, I first need to create a mould:

Once the mold has been created, and prepared with a release agent, it is time to melt to prosthetic gelatin - pouring it into the mold before it sets (but without getting it too hot as then it will be full of air bubbles).
When you remove the pieces, they need to have a slight edge to them (ut very delicate), as this helps with the blending.
Below are some examples of pieces unattached:

Once the pieces have been attached to the skin using "skin adhesive", and the edges of the piece have been softened and discguised using "prosthetic gelatin blender":

It is then time to paint the final details:

... and voila ...

As you never really know what the weather is going to do at the moment, why not use jewellery to your advantage? use bold colours to cheer you up on a gloomy day, or to accessorize a summery outfit when we do get the odd glimmer of sunshine...
Jewellery is there, whatever the weather. 

'Tis the season of all things WEDDING!
If you are looking for any bespoke wedding jewellery, be it wedding rings, cuff links, bridal pieces, hair decorations, gifts for bridesmaids / groomsmen, favours, etc then do get in touch.
Currently discussing several wedding ring commissions and plenty of space for more.
Any questions do get in touch for a no obligation design consultation.
Hope to hear from you all soon.
:)

As the wedding season is creeping up on us, I thought I would talk about the bridal pieces I create. As you can see on the Bridal page of my website, the jewellery I make for weddings can be quite unusual... It is formed from sections of lace and embroidery which are then adhered to the body using special skin adhesive. (although traditional jewellery is always on offer too). 

My wedding jewellery is tailored to suit the needs of each individual bride, whether it is something delicate and floral or a bold colourful statement. The bespoke composition of each piece and the numerous variations of style, colour, and added details, mean that the piece of bridal jewellery designed for you will be one of a kind, never to be exactly repeated. 

Extra elements can also be added if required - such as pearls, flat backed gemstones, pressed flowers, etc.

The design of the piece can be drawn from many sources of inspiration, be it the colour theme of the wedding, a detail from the wedding dress, a way of covering up/enhancing a tattoo, etc. The options are endless... 

An initial meeting is imperative to discuss all your needs; during this meeting swatches and samples will be shown and sampled, discussions will take place to cover the colours, materials and scale desired,  and also to come up with the initial design. You can expect this meeting to last anything from one to three hours.

This bride in the images below wanted an unusual piece of wedding jewellery which was not too sparkley as she had quite a lot of detail on her dress. She wanted something relatively subtle at the front, but for there to be something a bit more dramatic at the back as a surprise to everyone as she walked down the aisle. The piece also had to fit in with her "cherry blossom" tattoo on her neck. Initially she discussed trying to hide it, but after a few design ideas, we decided to go with the option of working with it. The design is very floral and is constructed in an asymmetric pattern that fits around the tattoo and then cascades down her upper back. To add extra detail without any sparkle, we used pearls (both on the skin and on the lace sections) - she also commissioned some sterling silver and pearl earrings and hair pieces.

Another customer wanted her lace adornment to be a surprise for her new husband on her wedding night; so it was fully concealed under her dress. 
This design crept up from her underwear (an extra section was stitched to her underwear to look as though it were attached - although it was seperate so she could get undressed)across her hips and stomach, she had extra sections of embroidery in place of her bra, and a couple of little details to go next to her garter. 
Below are quick snaps of the early stages of creation, when we were working on the general composition of the pieces.

I also create more traditional wedding jewellery, like hair pieces, earrings, bracelets and necklaces; such as these:

Hair swirls. Made of silver, lace and pearls, these twist into the hair after it has been styled to create subtle details.

Earrings. Simple, pretty, stud earrings hand made from silver into a flower shape, and each holding a cultured pearl at the centre. Both sets of earrings were made for one customer, the bride wore the pair with the 3mm pearls, and she gave the 2mm version to her sister - the maid of honour.

If you see anything you like, or if you want to discuss your own ideas, please do contact me via email or the form provided on the contact page of my website. 

Turquoise is the birthstone for December, and although I love the colour it is another delicate stone that you need to be aware of. I don't often use turquoise (the gemstone) in my collections, as it can be very soft - although a lovely tough gemstone which lends itself well to carving, it isn't very strong and can often chip or break when knocked - I tend to stick to using enamels in shades of turquoise to add the vivid colour without having to worry about the durability.
Every now and then, I just can't resist and you will see small turquoise stones make an appearance in my collections (and in several commissions).
Turquoise is an interesting gemstone, particularly when using it in bead form, as the larger stones can vary a bit more in their colour and tend to have brown and/or black veins running through them.
Turquoise is said to bring strength, protection from harm, psychic sensitivity and connect you to the spirit world...

Opals are the traditional birth stone for October, and so, this month I thought it fitting to write a quick blog about them.
As you can see from my collections, I do not often choose to work with opals, but have used them in commissions etc when they have been asked for - this has nothing to do with their aesthetics (as they are very intriguing and beautiful stones), it is all to do with their durability's.
Opals are very fragile and sensitive stones, they measure only 5.5-6.5 on the Mohs Scale (a guide of how soft/hard a gemstone is); they are very easy to break in the setting process, and also quite easy to damage through wear... so be careful!
To improve their wearability, opals are often sandwiched with layers of resin, etc, to create a "doublet" or "triplet", meaning there is another material to help support and protect the fragile slice of opal itself.
Opals can vary hugely in cost, as well as in appearance... opals are predominantly white or black, but have vivid colourful flecks and sheen which seem to have a life of their own.
Every opal is unique, choose your stone carefully after seeing what colours / patterns appeal to you!