Halloween in the Adams Family household was never a small Thing, my personal style may have gone from Cousin Itt to Pugsley in the last 25 years but my enthusiasm for this dubious holiday has not wavered. So in the spirit of celebration of the unknown and creepy, we can also embrace the magical and […]

If you are born in October you are peace loving characters who wish to be surrounded by beauty. So it’s fitting that your birthstones are the ones with magical rainbow shades, Opal and Tourmaline. Tourmaline is best known for its green and pink shades but it is the gemstone found in the greatest range of […]

Hello! So back in June I wrote a little ditty to big up Creativity and Wellbeing week, but life sometimes smacks you in the face and makes you not want to tell everyone that you have struggled and are now looking back smugly from the other side. Winston Churchill spoke of his black dog of […]

Fancy giving to a good cause with a chance to win fabulous Jewellery making prizes? Well yes, obviously, me too. Here at the Jewellery School we are running an exciting online raffle from now until Sunday 22nd October 2017, for just a pound a ticket to raise money for the victims of Grenfell Tower fire. […]

You are cordially invited to the Diploma in Creative Jewellery Exhibition, but no need to RSVP, just come along for free! It’s a great opportunity to visit the school if you are thinking of taking a class with the added incentive of checking out what our most recent students have been making. Drinks and nibbles […]

Today is the day to get to the beach and get your tidy on. A depressing 4 to 12 million metric tonnes of plastic were washed out to sea in 2010 and that was set to increase to double in 10 years, so we may be almost at that sad target now. Scientists still don’t […]

Like many people I know I feel a bit unprotected, or just a bit wrong, if I forget to put on my metal of a morning. I prefer to assume people are staring at my earrings on the tube rather than the bit of avocado on my face from breakfast. If I could go full […]

Sapphire is the birthstone for September and is famous for its deep blue colour, caused by the presence of iron and titanium. But these stones can be found in almost every colour and when non-blueness occurs they are termed ‘fancy’. A nice compliment, although it makes the gemstones less valuable. It’s tough to write about […]

It’s hard to believe now but when I went to university there was no such thing as tuition fees. I *whispers it* actually got a full grant! A grant, for those who are too young to have heard of the concept, was an annual payment from the government to attend university. It wasn’t enough to […]

By definition the flower power of the late sixties and seventies was about non-violent protest and the use of flowers in this way became a symbol of a peaceful approach. Flowers are often seen in a whimsical light, not implying strength. However their omnipresence in fashion indicates that these natural beauties are a force to […]

Well, August child, not much to live up to here, but you are the best person anyone will ever know! Your birthstones are Peridot, Sardonyx, Spinel, so you are spoilt in this area as well as having a splendid personality. Peridot will protect you from evil with its greeny magic and bring you good fortune. […]

It is National Beading Week so we have been taking a look at how beads have been used in contemporary jewellery designs A bead can be anything threadable. The first pieces of jewellery were beads made from shells, while the trading of beads was one of the first forms of currency leading to the development […]

So the summer is here and if you are thinking about taking the product of your jewellery making out and about to spread their joys to the punters at markets you had better get organised about it. Assuming that you have the nitty gritty sorted I have a top tip for a hands-free fun time […]

Today is ‘Embrace your Geekness Day’, and we love when jewellery and technology meet in a beautiful way so we are encouraging you to get involved by harking on about your passion. Anyway, if you are reading this you are probably into jewellery, so let’s nerd it up and see what the technological enthusiasts are up […]

  This week on the blog we will be featuring some of the graduates of our Diploma in Silver Jewellery as we have a free exhibition of their work this Friday, 7th July 2017, 6.30-8pm, at our London studios. You are invited to attend! Today we feature jeweller Guida Cusso Where do you live? I have […]

This week on the blog we will be featuring some of the graduates of our Diploma in Silver Jewellery as we have a free exhibition of their work this Friday, 7th July 2017, 6.30-8pm, at our London studios. You are invited to attend! Today we feature jeweller Leonie Marks   Where do you live? I live […]

This week on the blog we will be featuring some of the graduates of our Diploma in Silver Jewellery as we have a free exhibition of their work this Friday, 7th July 2017, 6.30-8pm, at our London studios. You are invited! Today we feature jeweller Sandra McArdle Where do you live? I live in a village […]

July folk are said to be fun-loving, cheerful and independent. Ruby is their stone and it’s said to bring good fortune to those that wear it (though whether those in possession of a ruby need more good fortune is debatable) for, much like their clear relative the diamond, rubies can be incredibly valuable. Often used […]

Following the recent success of the new incarnation of Wonder Woman I have taken a moment to appreciate the Amazonian princess’ excellent accessories. Although I feel I could probably do with a headband as ruggedly cool as hers while I grow out my fringe, the bullet deflecting wrist cuffs have a more practical appeal. So […]

How jewellery will save the planet! What a relief. I was wondering who would do it. (All my hopes were on Leonardo Di Caprio) Although jewellery is often inspired by the natural world there is often little opportunity to give back to mother earth. Last year Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde invented a way of creating […]