New Vintage

Here are a few of the mosaic rings that I've been working on lately. Mosaic is a wonderful medium to work with, though admittedly rather fiddly. But combine that with old vintage pieces of jewellery, and what do we have? Hours of fun! Well, weeks actually, but who's counting. 

I'm delighted with how they turned out. Unusual, elegant and romantic, with a rich, burnished patina and shine . . .

If you are interested in making your own mosaic rings, I've found these You Tube video tutorials for you: 

This first one demonstrates a fairly quick and simple method: Mosaic Ring Tutorial 1

Whilst this second one shows a much more intricate method:  Mosaic Ring Tutorial 2  

And if you'd like to read a little more about the history of mosaic jewellery please visit this page of my website here. 

My own techniques for making mosaic jewellery differ from the methods shown in the above tutorials. Not so traditional, perhaps. But I've found my own way of working, over the years, that suits my style and gives me the effects that I am looking for. I used to make jewellery boxes - that's how it all started, in fact. It took me years to refine my technique so that I could work on a small enough scale to create jewellery. These rings here are fairly simple in construction compared to, for example, my Dragonfly Ring, which requires much patience and exceptional eyesight! 

Here's a closer look at some of these vintage rings from my new Autumn 2012 collection . . .

You can find all of the above rings, and more, in my Etsy Jewellery Shop. There will be more to come as I continue to work on the Autumn collection. 

Wishing you a wonderful day, today, and everyday :)

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Colour Palette : summer meadow

I love colour, big time. I could play around with colour forever. And I could talk for hours about the slightest nuance of tone and interplay. But you wouldn't want to read that now would you?! So I thought I could share my love of colour with you in a slightly more pleasing, visual, way. 

And so this is the first (of no doubt many more) 'Colour Palette' posts. Now I can create endless colour stories in little circles. Yippee! 

So here we have a quintessential English meadow . . .

Now I don't know about you, but I'm just not ready to let go of Summer yet, so I've indulged myself with a little summer colour in an attempt to keep it alive for a while longer yet. The colours I've picked and the names I've chosen will, I hope, take you away to a summer meadow on a warm, hazy, lazy, sunny day - lying in a meadow full of fragrant wild flowers that sway, oh so gently, in a whisper of a breeze. Butterflies are busy all around, and you are lying on the soft grass, looking up into an endless expanse of clear blue sky. You can hear chirruping bird song and the sound of the ocean is just beyond. The sun is warm and you are sleepy, peaceful and relaxed. And very, very, happy . . .

Colour can take us anywhere because it sparks our imagination. And our imagination is, after all, boundless. There's nothing wrong with a visual daydream - it can be what sustains and nurtures us from within.

I'm already wondering where I'll go with my next colour palette. Into the woods perhaps, or maybe exploring the colours of a flower petal. Hmm . . . thank goodness for the magic of the imagination, a place where we can visualise worlds full of wonders.

Wishing you a wonderful day, today, and everyday :)

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