For some of my new necklaces various chain lengths are available as each woman has a unique physique and her own preferences. In this short Blog post I will explain and show how each length differs so that you are able to make the right choice.

For all other one-off or limited edition necklaces, please see the individual item page which usually includes a model photograph to illustrate the length.

Available Chain lengths:

The photograph below shows the following available lengths (which include the clasp):

• 16’’ (40 cm) – this is a short necklace for slender necks, which sits just above the collarbone

• 18’’ (45 cm) – this necklace sits a little lower, just dangling over the neckline of a normal T-shirt

• 20’’ (50 cm) – this length comfortably dangles over a T-shirt.

I think many people agree that the end of the year is always a time to reflect on the past months and to make plans for the coming year. As a mother, teacher and independent business life is always busy, it never stops and it is easy to forget or only focus on the things that were difficult or didn’t go to plan.

So, as part of this review I wanted to use this last Blog of the year to go over the things that I am particularly proud of having achieved this year!

And of course, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support this year - for reading my blogs, liking my posts and for purchasing my pieces! I wish you all well for the coming year: happiness, health and peace!

Blog

My monthly Blog was one of my biggest projects this year and one I am immensely proud of – proud because I actually did them! It wasn’t always easy to stick to my deadlines but I really enjoyed the research, writing and the opportunity to learn.

I wrote on a variety of subjects: some blogs were connected to my collection (e.g. Blogs 2 & 6), whilst others were more technical (e.g. Blogs 7-11). The technical blogs were definitely the more challenging and were written so as to expand my own knowledge on these subjects and of course to deepen my understanding on the environmental aspects. This often involved a sharp learning curve (thank you internet!), especially on anything related to chemistry – definitely not one of my favourite subjects at school.

I like to continue the blogs and look forward to seeing how they will evolve.

ACJ Meanings and Messages

The Association for Contemporary Jewellery (ACJ) celebrated its 25th anniversary this year and as part of these celebrations it had planned a touring exhibition with the title Meanings and Messages. The Association invited members to submit entries – brooches – with this title in mind. I was very fortunate that my entry, Elpis Brooch, was one those selected. When visiting the private view at its first venue I was overwhelmed by the imagination and breadth of interpretation of all the entries. I wrote a separate Blog about this exhibition which you can read here.

This show is still ongoing and will travel next to the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London where it will be shown from 9th January – 24th February 2023. The last venue will be at New Brewery Arts – 4 April – 18 June 2023.

Current Collection Interrupted Patterns

The above brooch was the starting point for my current collection, Interrupted Patterns, which I launched at the Craft Festival at Bovey Tracey in June, where it was very well received. The collection had started with reading Greek mythology, a visit to the ancient Greek collection at the British Museum and focussing on the use of patterns on these artefacts. Writing about it in my Blogs helped immensely to focus my thinking and I loved being able to share the background and design process of these pieces.

Craft Festival Bovey Tracey

The Craft Festival at Bovey Tracey is a well-established craft fair and it was my first time exhibiting my work there in June this year. Following the pandemic, it was also my first in-person show again and it was wonderful being able to re-connect directly with customers and fellow makers. I was really impressed with the organisation and quality of the show and look forward to being there again next year!

Teaching

During 2022 I have continued to teach a variety of classes at the jewellery school of Rachel Jeffrey in Wheathampstead. In my regular day-time classes I ran a term-long project on Found Materials and Cold Connections. This was a wonderful opportunity for my students (new and more experienced ones) to look at their various old - and often broken - pieces of jewellery and to re-design them or re-use some of their elements. In doing so, we looked at the many ways different materials can be joined without using heat.

In another term we focussed on learning various techniques of making chain – again, a very interesting course and very much enriched by the input of all the students. I also taught a number of one-day taster courses, as well as some weekend-long intensive courses, such as my Keum-Boo course.

Being a teacher challenges my conceptions of what I know and my aim is always to make students feel comfortable and enable them to further their knowledge. If you would like to take part in any of my classes, please get in touch with myself or with Rachel Jeffrey.

Commissions

During the latter part of the year it was lovely to receive a number of interesting commissions and it was wonderful being able to closely involve the clients in the design process.

If you would like to commission a piece, please do get in touch. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas and how we could explore them further together.

ACJ magazine Findings

In early December I was happily surprised to receive my copy of the ACJ magazine Findings and to find that some of my Kumihimo work was featured there. Kumihimo is an ancient Japanese silk braiding technique, originally used to make traditional Obi (belts) for Japanese kimono. I used this technique to create patterned silk braids and used them in various necklaces and brooches. Click here to find out more about this technique.

The focus of the Findings magazine was on textile techniques used by a variety of jewellery makers in their work. Thank you ACJ for including me!

Find a Maker and Made by Hand Online

Earlier in the year I applied to be included in these two online craft platforms and was very pleased to have been accepted. Both platforms represent and further the interests of selected makers. You can click to see me pages by clicking these links: Find a Maker and MadeByHandOnline

Next Year: 2023

Plans for next year are already well underway and I have accepted show offers on three exhibitions. The first two will be the Craft Festival at Cheltenham Town Hall from 10-12 March 2023 and the Craft Festival at Bovey Tracey, Devon from 9-11 June 2023. The Craft Festival in Cheltenham will be a new fair for me and I am looking forward to meeting new clients there.  As mentioned above, I greatly enjoyed the Craft Festival at Bovey Tracey earlier in the year and look forward to being there again next year.

As I have not done any fairs in London since March 2019, I am also extremely excited to be taking part again in a Central London Fair in November next year. I can’t share any details just yet, but they will follow in due course!

My second blog for August is on the Korean technique of Keum-Boo – the main subject I had intended to write about in July. As it was a busy month I didn’t quite manage to post it. Whilst writing it, I also realised that it had become too long, so I divided it into three: one on Hallmarking, the second one on Keum-Boo and the third (in September) on gold plating.

Origin

Keum-Boo is an ancient metal work technique which originated in Korea, though the exact beginnings are unclear. Keum-Boo (also spelt Kum-boo or Kum-Bu) literally means ‘attached gold’. This technique is about attaching pure, 24ct gold foil to silver.

So, why am I using this technique? I came across it when trying to find alternatives to gold plating. (Look out for my next blog in September!) In one of my past collections I had various pieces gold/rhodium plated but when I came aware of the environmental impact of gold-plating, I wanted to avoid using this technique and looked for other ways of adding gold patterns to my work.

I came across Keum-Boo online, when researching alternatives and was immediately intrigued and struck by the potential it offered for creating gold patterns (see my Blog 6 where I wrote about my fascination with patterns) and also the way it did not involve hazardous chemicals.

Keum-Boo

What attracted me further to this technique was its simplicity. I like learning new processes, but especially so when they do not involve the necessary purchase of expensive tools and equipment.

The things I needed for Keum-boo was pure, 24ct gold foil, one of my pieces of sterling silver jewellery, a hot plate, fine scissors, tweezers, baking soda and methylated spirit. The only new tools I needed to buy were two agate burnishers - beautiful objects in themselves (see below).

The gold foil I use for Keum-Boo is 13 microns thick = 0.013 mm. (The thickness is measured in micrometers, or short microns: 1 micron = 0.001 mm.)

Compared to the thicknesses of 0.5-5 microns for gold plating, this gold foil is quite substantial. In actual fact, when I cut my gold foil pieces I always feel I can sense the weight of the gold when it falls onto the table.

The gold foil I buy is recycled and comes from a Japanese company that recycles gold from the dental industry and from electronic scraps.

I have recently also invested in a digital micrometer so that I am able to recycle and roll down my own gold to the correct thickness.

Keum-Boo Process

Keum-Boo is usually the last thing I do on a piece – in other words, all other fabrication steps have been done before. The silver is then prepared to receive the gold. When using sterling silver (as it is an alloy containing copper) it has to be prepared so that a thin layer of fine, pure silver at the surface is created. This allows the fine gold molecules to bond with the silver. When using fine silver, this step is not necessary as the fine silver is pure and does not contain copper.

Once this has been done, the piece is cleaned with baking soda and methylated spirit. I then cut the relevant shape from the gold foil which requires patience and calmness. (Pet cats that jump onto the worktop with the gold foil laid out should be avoided here, as are open windows and sudden gusts of wind. ;)

During the design stage, I would have finalised the exact pattern I want to create and this will guide me when I am cutting the foil.

When all is prepared, the silver piece is placed on the hot plate and the gold is laid on top. Whilst holding the silver piece in place (and this is often the really tricky bit), the gold is burnished (pressed) onto and into the silver with the agate burnisher.

When I am sure all areas of the gold are properly attached, I remove the piece from the hot plate, allow it to cool and add the finishing touches.

Please note that working over a hot plate involves getting very hot! Therefore, it is most beneficial to do this when one is cold - crouching over a hot plate in the summer and doing a collection of 20 pieces in 30°C is challenging! It is paramount to wear gloves to protect the hands from the heat and ideally a face heat guard to protect the eyes from exposure to heat from the hot plate. The images below show the making process of a pair of square stripy ear studs which are available to buy from my shop.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Below are various pieces from different collections that I have made using this technique.

Book classes

If you are interested in learning this technique do get in touch by email and I will let you know when the next course is planned. I usually teach this technique over a whole weekend at Rachel Jeffrey Jewellery in the beautiful village of Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire. During the course I will explain the technique in great detail and there will be plenty of time to make a number of pieces. I will also teach the additional technique of riveting that can be used in combination with Keum-boo.