Holly Wilcox

Hello...

2012-01-20T10:34:00.001Z

... and welcome to my new-look website & blog! Scroll down for blog posts featuring my work, inspiration and ideas, or click the links to the right to see pieces from each collection, information, or to visit the online shop.

sup, 2012

2012-01-03T11:34:00.000Z

...and so long, 2011. We had fun.

There was the time I got to live in a hotel in Glasgow for a month... the time Joanna Bletcher and I organised our own exhibition... the time one of my pendants was auctioned to raise money for the Red Cross... the time I opened an Etsy shop... then swapped it for a Bigcartel one (I like it MUCH better) ... the time I went to see the Degree Shows and felt slightly sad that I was now OLD and no longer an exciting new graduate... the time I went to London and back in 12 hours to see New Designers... and the day I bought my very first diamond to make into a dainty ring. (That link is to a newer one, not my first one, but still! Also, I believe someone purchased it from one of my stockists as an engagement ring! Awww.)

So hiya, 2012, I'm looking forward to what you have to offer.

I'm going to take every opportunity that comes my way, develop a new collection, organise my website, send parcels of sparkly jewels to new galleries and enjoy it all with NO stressing. Because after all, what's the point in working for yourself if you don't love EVERY second of what you do?

holidays...

2011-12-29T14:00:00.001Z

We've had a great Christmas holiday here at the design HQ, visiting friends and family, eating (almost) non stop, and generally chilling out in front of the Christmas specials on TV. How have you spent yours?

Decorating my surroundings festively, seeing family, eating my entire weight in delicious food, (seriously, I've had trifle for breakfast for four days now. And there's still some left.) the abundance of lovely soaps and bubble bath (I smell AMAZING for the first three months of the year.) and swapping presents, chosen with care for each person, are some of the things I look forward to every year. Oh, and mince pies.

In the run up to the hols I was busy creating new, wear-every-day pieces for my stockists and craft fairs, like the pile of dainty pendants above. I'll be back in the new year with new designs, jewels and shop updates, but till then enjoy the holidays! I certainly will.

*goes to eat mince pie*

Christmas orders...

2011-12-13T11:42:00.000Z

There are only a few 'Ready to Ship' pieces left on my online shop - order now for Christmas delivery in the UK.

Granule studs, sterling silver, £38

For those of you in Glasgow, I will be at the Merchant Square Christmas Craft Fair on the 23rd of December from 12-7pm, with a sparkly pile of jewellery from my collections available for last minute Christmas presents! See you there.

online shop...

2011-11-30T23:26:00.001Z

Hello Internets. It's been a while. I've been busy. Stop looking at me like that... it was all for you... introducing... the new ONLINE SHOP! Just in time for Christmas! Most of the pieces for sale are ready to ship (Jewels will be posted the very next working day after payment has been received) as it's nearing Christmas quickly and I know I would like to receive something very soon after I've ordered it.

United Kingdom and Western Europe - to guarantee delivery for the big day, please place orders for ready to ship items by the 18th of December.

Eastern Europe, USA and Canada - please order ready to ship items by the 8th of December.

Rest of World - please place ready to ship orders by the 4th of December!

These are a guideline based on Royal Mail's last posting dates for Christmas.

More pieces are currently waiting to be photographed and will be online and available to purchase as soon as. Speaking of Christmas presents... I started shopping today! Anyone else being organised? What are your Christmassy plans for this year? I've just started to keep an eye out for some lovely wintery decorations for my livingroom. :)

I'm feeling all festive. Anyone else?

New Stockist...

2011-10-28T18:17:00.002+01:00

It's been a busy few months what with moving to a new flat (which is slowly becoming lovely, might share some pics next time..), moving to a new workshop/studio (which I am sharing with my talented friend, Elizabeth Humble) and producing a big pile of new work. Some of which, including the above bangle and ruby ring, were deliverd to my new stockist today, Dundee Contemporary Arts. Very excited to have my work shown in the lovely shop! If you're around Dundee this weekend pop in and have a look.

Current Stockists (Because it's nearly time to start Christmas shopping...)

Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee

Lorraine Law, Perth

Sarah Dallas Gallery, Edinburgh

Au Boutique, Glasgow

Alchemia, St. Andrews

Like my new photography prop? It's a bit of slate that my resourceful mum found for me! Hope nobody is missing a roof tile... ;)

bling...

2011-09-15T19:31:00.001+01:00

Diamond ring, sterling silver, 2011

Dangly bud earrings with labarodite stones, sterling silver, 2011

Recently I have been enjoying blingier jewellery... which resulted in bigger diamonds being purchased! The ring at the top features a (still dainty but more sparkly) 2mm diamond nestled inbetween the granules. Also having a thing for swingy earrings too, so you can expect to see more of these soon...

tonight...

2011-08-26T08:29:00.000+01:00

These are a few of the pieces you can see (and try on!) if you come along to the ACJ's exhibition at the Tayberry Gallery, tonight from 7.30. I will be displaying a mixture of jewellery from my usual collections, alongside some slightly more experimental, textured work. See you there!

out of focus...

2011-08-20T08:21:00.003+01:00

Just a wee sneaky peek of things to come whilst in the middle of moving and preparing for next week's ACJ exhibition...

I have teamed a gorgeous strand of labradoite with one of my long and skinny 'buds' pieces, you can just see it in the background...

And a very bright look at my new rings. Delicate yet still striking, I have been making most of these with tiny stones nestled inbetween the granules - blue and yellow sapphires, aquamarines and other lovely colours - can you spot the little diamond in this one?

You can find these two pieces along with other new ones (don't panic, they will be revealed soon too) at my newest stockist, Au Boutique in Glasgow - on Great Western Road. The interior is amazingly designed, I would make an effort to visit for that as well as the jewellery!

exhibition!

2011-08-17T11:00:00.000+01:00

Later on this month I will be taking part in an ACJ exhibition at the Tayberry Gallery, Perth. Sarah, the owner of the gallery, is holding a 'Jewellery Party' on the opening night where you can try on pieces of jewellery, chat to us jewellers and I believe there will even be drinks and canapes.. yay! RSPV to Sarah, if you can come. If you can't, I'll post pics of the night so you can see. Thoughtful, me ;)

Anyways, I will be back VERY SOON with lots of news. New work, new stockists, new workshop... hopefully, I kind of don't have one right now. (Or a home. This is why I haven't posted for a while! Working on it.) new everything! Check back soon y'all.

new work...

2011-07-03T21:42:00.000+01:00

A few quick snapshots (yes, yes, next time there will be actual professional photography..these were just to document them!) of pieces from the 'Connections' exhibition - and a sneak peek of things to come! Working on layers of wire, both textured and smooth, encrusted with granulation... and I have a few tiny, tiny stones (diamonds and sapphires!) all ready to be nestled into place to complete the jewels.

My current favourite sparkly stones in blues, clears and greys to feature... as well as a range of wedding inspired pearly pieces coming soon too! Lots to be getting on with :)

AIR connections exhibition

2011-06-10T19:25:00.002+01:00

So pictures of work up soon, but there's one day of the exhibition left so will save them till after we've taken everything down! If you're free tomorrow pop into Neo Design in Dundee and see us! In the meantime here's the set up, it was pretty stressful organising it all then setting it up in such a short space of time (the exhibition went from empty room to carefully considered layout in less than 10 hours - we have learnt that organisation is key!) but we are very proud of the outcome and had a great time at the opening night last night :)

our little blocks for shelves and hanging necklaces very kindly made by my dad!

the room before...

sorting the layout

one wall finished...

attaching the names on the wall...

and finally hanging work!

Duncan of Jordanstone Degree Show 2011

2011-05-26T16:01:00.000+01:00

The other day I went for a more thorough look at the Jeweller's Degree Show, at Duncan of Jordanstone. (I had been on the opening night too, but was slightly distracted by seeing people I hadn't seen for a year, the fantastic buffet that was in the jewellery space, and the free wine. Oh, there was lots of wine.)

I was really impressed by the layout of the space they had chosen (even though it was a trek to get there - totally worth it!) and the quality of the work presented. I was even slightly jealous as it looked so good, possibly even a little bit better than my degree show last year! Possibly. :)

Although I loved everybody's work, I thought I'd feature a few of my favourites here...

Merlin Planterose

Merlin's work is absolutely gorgeous, my favourite pieces being the two bowls shown above. They were formed by raising, using stones from the Highlands, where she's originally from. I love how the stones have transferred pieces of themselves onto the material, making them look so natural. My favourite feature has to be the flash of highly polished silver along the lip of the bowl - as if to remind you that they are made from a precious metal.

Iona Brown

Iona's work is delicate and fragile looking, just what I love in a piece of jewellery! She has used salt to create crystals forming over areas of threads combined with the more solid metal structures. The use of salt 'challenges the worth of material, and highlights the importance of salt in life cycles'.

Kerrianne Flett

I really enjoyed looking through Kerrianne's work, it was very interesting as one of the few conceptual bodies of work this year. Concerned with the process of designing, the pieces worked together to both define the length of time spent on the design, and the resulting sand piles from the timers were also used to create some beautiful silver objects.

Looking forward to seeing the next Degree Shows that come up in June. It's all very strange looking at the shows as a graduate - I think I've appreciated Dundee's more this year as there hasn't been an impending sense of 'ohmygod this will be my show in two years time..', and I'm really enjoying it! Yay. :D

CONNECTIONS

2011-05-17T12:30:00.000+01:00

You can find out more on our blog, here. (Please appreciate the blog, as that is the second version, after the first went missing when blogger was down for ever.)

Pieces are coming together for the exhibition, and we are getting very excited... :)

A day in the life of...

2011-05-09T22:43:00.000+01:00

This morning I discovered that my boyfriend believes that me being a 'self employed jewellery designer' actually means 'I sit about all day watching Jeremy Kyle'. (I wish. That would be GREAT.) So I decided to photograph my day. Firstly to prove that I do actually work, then I thought it might make a good blog post. This is my start to the day, finishing off a commission. 9.26, y'all.

Making granulation. I've gotten a lot faster at this over the last year, but it still takes a good while to chop up all the silver and ball it up without letting it ping away...

...and this is pretty much the tiny amount that comes off that whole block! If only you could buy the stuff. (can you?)

Actually forgot about the whole 'take photos to prove I do stuff' thing, so don't have one of me creating this structure till now! It's a long pointy cagey thing, and eventually it will have a nice rough stone sitting inside it, free to move inside but not to get out.

Handmaking a chain. I formed tons of different sized little loops, soldered them linked together and squeezed each one into a slightly different shape. Still another 20/30 inches to go!

The half finished chain and pendant. This is going to be one of my focus pieces in our June exhibition, handmade from start to finish. More about my work for the exhib later, next will be a few posts featuring the work of everyone taking part, and the idea and collaboration itself shall be revealed...

But for now, I'm away to watch some Jeremy Kyle re-runs. Seeing as I'm not at home during the day and all.

new... work in progress...

2011-05-04T19:06:00.000+01:00

Have been working on new designs... did have some little samples but they went horribly wrong so I'm not going to put pics up yet ;) As you know (and if you didn't, where were you?) we are having an exhibition in June (still not revealing many details yet) ... and I'm going to debut a new collection! The problem is... which style to go with? All of these drawings were originally for the same collection but I think that perhaps there's a distinct difference.

One idea is based on layers upon layers of thin wire and clusters of granulation in vague circular forms... the other is based on the idea of making those thin wires cagey forms encrusted with granulation, which could hold little rough diamonds (or some equally lovely non precious rough stones, depending on the bank balance nearer the time.) Anybody know where I could even get hold of some rough diamonds? Have struggled so far...

I love both of these ideas and have come up with designs for collections of each... should I pick one to make now and one to make later, or can I combine both to make an ultimate collection of fabulous jewellery?! The two different styles are sketched above... I'm leaning towards combining them. What do you think?

I should probably get a move on...

a mini-mini-break...

2011-05-04T18:33:00.001+01:00

The bridge leading into the picturesque village of Dunkeld, in Scotland. Had a fab relaxing weekend, went up to the Highlands for a day and night. (getting there wasn't relaxing, it turned out I was waiting at the wrong bus stop and missed my bus... then I couldn't get a coffee at the drive-thru mcdonalds because I was a walk-thru... then when I managed to get on a bus I was sat next to a very loudly snoring lady... but it was great when I eventually got there!) This pic was taken halfway home - meant to take loads of source pictures and draw tons of drawings while I was there, but the camera and sketchbook didn't even get out of my bag in the end... oops! Next time...

textures...

2011-04-27T09:24:00.000+01:00

oval pendant, sterling silver, £46

oval pendant with granulation, sterling silver, £50

Two new delicate and wearable pendants, designs developed from previous pieces. The top one is an oval of sterling silver, gently hammered to give an all over texture which glimmers when you move, and the bottom one features a cluster of handformed granulation wrapping round one side. Available now, here.

Currently working on completing new designs for an exhibition in June which Jo and I, as Artists in Residence at Dundee, are organising... don't want to say too much yet but there will be seven jewellery designers taking part, showcasing new designs... more soon!

a pile of rings...

2011-04-18T22:40:00.000+01:00

I have been busy designing and experimenting with new ideas for an upcoming exhibition... (more about that later on!) and in amongst that have been creating new pieces for my online shop... (and in amongst THAT there's been lots of accidental melting going on causing ruined pieces. Bah.)

Oxidized pods ring, sterling silver. £140

Two handformed pods perch on top of a cluster of granulation. The whole ring has then been oxidized to give it a distinctive and sophistocated look. You can just see it on your hand holding a glass of champagne, eh?!

Textured pods ring, sterling silver. £140

Two handformed pods sit on top of this highly textured ring. The texture has been achieved by a mixture of reticulation and satinization.. it's extremely comfortable to wear but gives the look of a rough, plucked-from-the-earth object...

Tiny pod ring, sterling silver. £110.

Some of you who have been around for a while might remember this ring... it was made for an exhibition last year but I haven't been able to part with it since! It has been kept safe waiting for the right owner to come along... now's your chance ;)

You can buy these rings here, in my shop.

A few of my favourite things...

2011-04-13T10:46:00.000+01:00

Check out this collection of my favourite pieces from etsy... all elegant, simple and silver, just what I'm loving right now.

my jewellery on etsy...

2011-04-11T18:55:00.000+01:00

Just a wee update of pieces you can buy from my etsy shop (:

'Halo' pendant, sterling silver. £54

Delicate double loop studs, sterling silver. £44

'Flow' ring, sterling silver. £90

New jewels being created this week...

Introducing the Ripple series... AND my new online shop!

2011-04-08T13:23:00.005+01:00

THE RIPPLE SERIES

Inspired by (you guessed it!) ripples in water, pieces of the Ripple series are all handmade, and feature circles of textured wire combined with granulation. Currently pieces come in a polished, or oxidized finish, but gold ones shall be coming soon.

Delicate double loop studs, sterling silver, oxidized. £40.

Ripple studs, sterling silver. £52

Double loop pendant, sterling silver. £60

So, after months of thinking about it, I have finally set up an online shop! You can now buy my jewellery from etsy, right here. Just now only my Ripple range is online, but there will be more to come soon! Have a look...what do you think?

Currently my 'Clusters' and 'Buds' collections are available exclusively through the shops and galleries that stock them, but you can always email me if you see something on this blog you like and can't get to a shop in Scotland - hollyjkwilcox [at] hotmail.co.uk - and I can arrange sending something to you.

Now I'm away to try and get used to etsy... loving it so far!

...my new business cards

2011-04-07T11:08:00.000+01:00

...to match my new logo-y bit! They turned out great! And there's a cute mini card too (:

COMING SOON...

2011-04-06T08:52:00.000+01:00

.... later this week! check back for news in a couple of days...

Lucky Charm. Making Good Fortune Happen...

2011-03-29T20:03:00.001+01:00

'Lucky Charm. Making Good Fortune Happen, is an online auction fundraiser coordinated by Melbourne based jeweler, Natalia Milosz-Piekarska to raise much needed funds in support of the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Rescue services.'

You can find out more about the auction HERE

My 'Frozen Ripple' long pendant is part of the auction - please bid on it HERE and help raise some much needed money for such an important cause.

You can see (and BID on!) many more gorgeous pieces of jewellery donated by jewellers all round the world here. Please take a look. xxx

sneak peek of things to come...

2011-03-18T10:40:00.000Z

So this is a prototype bangle... things to be added still and adjustments to be made. The new collection will look a lot like this... (although this particular bangle won't be in it so that's why I'm showing you, the rest will be a surprise released all at once!) keep an eye out for more soon..

sketches...

2011-03-09T22:52:00.001Z

a glimpse of ideas from my sketchbook, inspired from my Winter Collection... next stage will be samples based on my designs then refining to a final piece. I'm a bit of a failure at 3D drawings so I work in 2D sketches that make sense to me.. but the final jewel will look nothing like them! Keep an eye out for the next development...

Newly organised blog!

2011-02-23T18:48:00.001Z

I've recently discovered the 'pages' feature (which I'm sure has been around forever and I've only just noticed it..) and in order to tidy this blog up a bit I now have links to seperate pages featuring my CV, about me, and a page with all my favourite blogs and websites on it. You can find this on the sidebar to the left.

If you'd like to be linked to on my shiny new links page (and aren't there already!) please let me know so I can add your site to it. And you can link back to me in return, of course! ;)

And finally... The Rings...

2011-02-19T09:34:00.005Z

The Winter Moonlight Ring... the grey oxidized colour of this ring is to give the impression of seeing something at night - with silver peeking through as if the moonlight was shining on it. Granulation grows out of the textured, natural band, up and around the emerging pods at the top.

And the Flurry Ring... white silver granulation delicately placed around the whole ring like snow has fallen... this ring stands up on it's wee feet too which was a last minute decision but a very good one, even though it looks a bit like a rabbit standing up from some angles ;)

So that completes The Winter Collection... I had great fun living in the creative city of Glasgow making this, but now it's back to Dundee to continue with new work. More soon...

Frozen Ripples...

2011-02-18T09:27:00.002Z

Above is the Frozen Ripple Necklace. Textures created by hammering, granulation built up and growing from where the circles join.. a lovely chunky flattened trace chain completes this one.

And the Frozen Ripple Pendant. On a long belcher chain, this is the simpler version of the full necklace. Both feature handmade t-bar catches.

The Stalactite Earrings

2011-02-17T09:25:00.003Z

Like the stalactite pendant, these earrings are inspired by icicles, with some natural planty influences thrown in. They feature heavy reticulation - the surface of the granulation is all textured and bubbly. I wanted these to be long, pointy, and very texture-y... they turned out just how I thought they would and look great on! (:

ooh... 100th post!

INTRODUCING... The Winter Collection!

2011-02-16T18:27:00.001Z

The product of my fabulous month living in Glasgow, The Winter Collection is inspired by the cold weather, ice patterns in frozen puddles, and cold, frosty looking plants. I was experimenting with different textures, forms and techniques.

There are six pieces in total, and here's my favourite first...

The Stalactite Pendant

The stalactite pendant has been created from beaten, filed and shaped wires, fused together with granulation and gently reticulated. It is one of the more experimental pieces from the collection and definitely my fave.

Also features a handmade t-bar clasp - formed and hammered to mimic the wires in the pendant.

illustrations in fineliner...

2011-02-16T18:06:00.000Z

Two of my final drawings from my month in Glasgow. These have gone to be displayed in the Menzies Hotel. (:

reticulation...

2011-02-06T15:02:00.000Z

While in the middle of finishing off my little 'winter' collection of jewellery, I decided to take a break and play about with textures. The silver ring above was a plain band I'd made a while ago and not used, so I filed, hammered, and reticulated the surface till it was very textured and uneven, then soldered a few pieces of granulation around the band. I loved it so much, I made another out of a very thin bit of 18ct gold wire I had. (was planning on making some earrings, but never mind!)

I LOVE them. Have decided to keep these for myself (everyone needs to make themselves something every now and then, right?) but the possiblity of a big pile of textured stacking rings is now at the front of my mind...

Glasgow...

2011-01-23T22:06:00.001Z

For the last few weeks of January I have been taking part in a residency with the Six Foot Gallery, along with fellow jeweller Hannah Rose, in Glasgow, Scotland. I set myself a wee brief to follow for the month, and although I wasn't very well for half of it I'm pleased that my minature collection is slowly but surely coming together.

'THE WINTER COLLECTION'

... a small collection of uniqe, one off pieces, The Winter Collection is designed around the organic details of winter, evoking the harshness of winter elements and the fragility of tiny plants broken by the wind and snow. Each piece is handmade, and verges on the sculptural - although in a tiny form - so can stand alone as a work of art or be worn as a statement piece of jewellery.

Images coming as soon as my work is finished and my last week in Glasgow is over! Check back in a little over a week...

new...

2010-12-07T15:31:00.002Z

ring with iolite stone, sterling silver, 2010 (sold)

ring, sterling silver, 2010

bangle, sterling silver, 2010

These pieces can be found (and bought!) at Alchemia, in St Andrews. Each piece has been designed and individually handmade by myself, from start to finish. This Christmas give handmade jewellery as a gift - not only is it unique but you'll be supporting your local designer maker!

I think my new favourite stone might be iolite - it's such a beautiful violet colour! More jewellery with iolite gems coming soon..!

new stockist...

2010-12-06T20:00:00.000Z

'cluster' necklace detail, sterling silver, 2010

'cluster' necklace, sterling silver, 2010

'buds' pendant, sterling silver, 2010

Today I took a bundle of jewellery (a tangle of jewellery?) to Alchemia, in St Andrews, Fife. If you're over there any time soon check it out - you can find the pieces shown above as well as gorgeous work from many other jewellers.

..........18 days left to buy all your Christmas presents!

winter exhibition...

2010-12-02T10:19:00.001Z

Two of my rings are being exhibited (and available to purchase!) in the Meffan Gallery's 'Winter Exhibition' until the end of December. The one pictured above, and a bigger, more detailed one which I helpfully can't find my picture of! If you're in Forfar, take a look at the exhibition, a mixture of fine art and craft, at the Meffan on West High street.

snowed under...

2010-11-30T17:02:00.000Z

snowed out...

2010-11-30T17:00:00.000Z

Made it into the workshop this morning...only to find out the building was closing again! At least I managed to pick up my essential tools and create.....

... a tiny makeshift workshop! On the dining table. Complete with heatproof soldering blocks, (and ceramic plates to protect the table) home-made barrel polisher, tiny pickle pot AND...

a bookcase benchpeg. Everything you need made out of various household objects! Turned out to be quite a productive day..

Christmas shopping...

2010-11-29T14:13:00.002Z

Have you started Christmas shopping yet? If you're looking for the perfect gift this year, handmade jewellery is the way to go. Not only is it unique, but thought and care has gone into making each and every piece, making it something to be treasured forever.

My current stockists are Lorraine Law in Dundee, Lorraine Law in Perth, and Sarah Dallas in Edinburgh. A few pieces available there (if they haven't sold by now, of course!) are shown below - each one is designed, completely handmade and finished with care by myself.

For bespoke pieces, contact me on hollyjkwilcox@hotmail.co.uk.

bangle, sterling silver, available from Lorraine Law Dundee

Buds drop earrings, sterling silver, available from Lorraine Law Perth (sold)

ring with peridot, sterling silver, available from Sarah Dallas, Edinburgh.

Good luck getting through all the snow to the shops! Think I might have to finish my shopping online...

...just wondering, what do *you* like to buy as gifts at Christmas time? And what's better - online shopping or good old traditional wandering round in the cold shopping?

snowfall...

2010-11-29T13:18:00.000Z

It has been snowing constantly for a couple of days now... there was even some THUNDERSNOW! Since when was that even a thing?? As a result of inches and inches of snowfall, the workshop is shut and instead of finishing off some new pieces I'm having to spend a day doing paperwork and blogging... which isn't all bad as it needs done, but I'm feeling guilty for missing a day of making! Also managed to get started on some Christmas shopping... and it isn't even December yet! Organised ;)

Images of new pieces coming very very soon... as soon as the snow stops and I can fetch them to photograph!

losing leaves...

2010-11-06T13:26:00.000Z

Although I like to focus down to the detail when designing, I will still always love wintry, silhouette pictures like these... am working on designs for some bigger, statement pieces of jewellery but still trying to keep the depth of detail currently in my smaller pieces. It's proving harder than originally thought. Updates soon...

Sunflower seeds...

2010-11-06T13:25:00.000Z

At the Tate Modern in London until May next year, this instillation of more than 100 million handmade ceramic sunflower seeds was created by Ai Weiwei. At first people were encouraged to experience them by walking across the carpet of seeds, and pick them up, to discover that no two seeds were the same. However after only a couple of days, due to concerns about the amount of dust being created by people walking over them, it has been closed off and now you can only look at them.

To be fair, maybe the dust created would be harmful, and the original meaning of the instillation is still there, but it was meant to be interacted with and seems a shame that you can no longer do that. I was very tempted to travel to London to see this - but is there any point if you can't touch? Has anyone seen this close up yet? Would it still be worth it? Hmm...

Made in Scotland

2010-11-02T11:29:00.000Z

Exhibition opening tonight. You can see the work from 15 Scottish designers until the 13th of November. Made in Scotland website here!

Made in Scotland

2010-10-26T09:45:00.000+01:00

The Made in Scotland exhibition is taking place at Lorraine Law, Dundee, from November 3rd - 13th. (Closed Sunday + Monday) There are 15 designers taking part, including me, who are all based and make jewellery in various places throughout Scotland. Pop along if you're in Dundee, should be a great event.

Have spent the last week very, very slowly producing more pieces, being sick really takes it out of you! Didn't even get to go to London in the end, very sad. ): Picking up the pace now though, and even enjoyed making some earrings yesterday! Planning on producing a small collection of autumnal drawings this week... perhaps the inspiration for a new collection...

ring...

2010-10-18T11:26:00.002+01:00

Above is a ring I made for my best friend's birthday...hope she likes. (:

Currently feeling sorry for myself - got the worst cold ever! So thought I'd catch up on some blog posts (and go shopping crazy on ebay) while lying in bed with cups of honey and lemon tea. (cup of hot water with a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of honey - soothing!) Unfortunately I HAVE to go into the workshop soon to make some earrings so will rock up looking for sympathy and looking very sick. sad face.

More exciting news - I am going to London tomorrow night! Visiting Maria Maclennan who is in the middle of an internship with Tatty Devine. I'm only there for one full day really... so planning on making the most of it. Anyone know of any jewellery things happening in London on wed? I can only find this... (which I'm not too sure is jewellery but looks like it could be good) and this... felty exhibition. Any suggestions would be welcome!

Found...

2010-10-18T11:12:00.000+01:00

... the very first rings I ever made! Was tidying my room at home (slightly overdue as I haven't really lived there for four years..) and found these. Made about 6 or 7 years ago at a jewellery workshop in Kirkcaldy, loved working with silver so much I knew I wanted to take it further. And look, those solder joins really aren't that bad for my first ever attempt!!

It's definitely autumn now... can't wait for proper, cold, snowy winter! Lots of beautiful things to draw soon. Autumn always seems like a bit of an inbetween stage... if it's gonna be cold it may as well do it properly and snow!

fineliner...

2010-10-06T18:58:00.000+01:00

Love drawing on really thick textured paper. Will do more of these when winter kicks in and just the bare structures of the plants are left. Might look at the textures of decaying plants too. Winter inspired collection possibly coming soon!

Sarah Dallas exhibition opening...

2010-10-01T14:39:00.002+01:00

Above are images of the gorgeous displays Sarah of Sarah Dallas has created to house my jewellery. The cabinet on the wall has been made from a picture frame, the stand alone cabinet from an old school desk. I love the overall effect, especially how it looks as if the jewellery and cabinets were meant to be together! In the window there is also an old French mannequin (actully from France!) with a few pieces displayed on it. She made an amazing job of displaying everything, don't think I could have done it nicer myself!

The opening night was very busy, with loads of lovely people coming in the door. (I meant to take pictures of the fantastic paintings and prints in this exhibition too, but got a bit carried away taking photos of my own stuff and forgot! Suppose I haven't been to enough exhibition openings yet to stop being very excited..) You can see some of Claudia Petretti's work here, and I couldn't find a website for Laura Gressani, but you can see some of her work here on the Sarah Dallas website.

Next time you're in Edinburgh I suggest taking a trip to see the gallery, (also, get some chips on the way back - they're almost as good as Anstruther chips!) maybe you could buy something too...

drawings...

2010-10-01T13:50:00.000+01:00

Drawings of my source material, in pen and ink. These are displayed (and are for sale!) next to my jewellery in the Sarah Dallas gallery. Love that you can see the source and the jewellery designs developed from it shown together, something to think about for future displays perhaps..

ring...

2010-09-30T09:51:00.000+01:00

ring with peridot, sterling silver, 2010

Another piece on show at Sarah Dallas, in Edinburgh. Went through to deliver everything yesterday, and can't wait to see them displayed - she has made a couple of amazing cabinets to put them in! Launch tonight, 6-8pm, 63 Raeburn Place. See you there if you're in Edinburgh.. (:

Sarah Dallas gallery, Edinburgh

2010-09-28T22:04:00.000+01:00

bangle with tiny cluster detail, sterling silver, 2010

dainty buds ring, sterling silver, 2010

Above are two little previews of the jewellery collection going into the Sarah Dallas gallery in Edinburgh this week. The opening evening for the exhibition, featuring paintings by Claudia Petretti, mono-prints by Laura Gressani and my jewellery, is this Thursday from 6-8pm. The gallery, located in Raeburn Place, is 15/20 mins walk from Princes Street. More images to come... (:

earrings, exhibitions and projects to be revealed...

2010-09-20T23:59:00.001+01:00

Earrings available to buy from both Lorraine Law stores in Perth and Dundee. Completely handformed, from the ear wire to the tiny detail delicately placed on the end. :)

Currently working towards an exhibition in Edinburgh at the Sarah Dallas gallery, opening night on the 30th September, 6-8pm! Go here to see the details... hope to see you there!

Images of pieces for the gallery AND news of exciting new projects coming soon... very soon...

garnets...

2010-09-07T20:10:00.003+01:00

Glimpse of a necklace, made from sterling silver and garnet beads. Available from Lorraine Law, Dundee.

Due to immense rain in Dundee today, several areas were flooded including the bottom floor of the building the workshop is in... couldn't even go in to fetch my tools! So I'm making up for the lack of jewellery making by posting many, many things on the blog. More to come...! (:

edit: (ok, I lied... there were no more things to post that day)

Gold panning...

2010-09-07T20:09:00.001+01:00

This weekend I went gold panning with the Dundee branch of the ACJ, along with others from Edinburgh, Glasgow and as far away as Newcastle. Above is the river we sat in for hours, and although we didn't find too much gold it was still pretty fun. I did end up with a tube full of tiny garnets to use in something though! AND nobody fell in. score!

We stayed in the wee town of Helmsdale, not far from the gold panning site. Great views all round, plenty fresh air which was both good (for the health) and bad (for the hair). Both evenings were spent in the friendly Bannockburn inn where we had to live up to the reputation that had preceded us - the locals were fairly excited about 7 expert gold panners coming to stay - something must have been lost in translation! Overall a fantastic weekend with great people and can't wait to do it again. :)

Lorraine Law Dundee...

2010-09-07T08:50:00.000+01:00

'buds' ring with aqua, 2010. sterling silver, aqua stone

'buds' ring with diamond, 2010. sterling silver, diamond

'cluster' bangle, 2010. sterling silver

A few images of pieces I have been working on... you can see these three (and buy them of course!) at Lorraine Law in Dundee. There are other rings, necklaces and earrings in the same shop too.

Currently all rings are totally individual, although I stuck with a similar style for the two rings with stones (similar to the previous diamond ring too) they completely handmade and unique. The bangle again was a similar style to the last one, but with a smaller cluster of detail.

diamond...

2010-08-25T10:00:00.000+01:00

My very first diamond ring!! Setting it was the most stressful moment in my life! Nestled inbetween groups of clusters, the diamond set in the ring sparkles in the changing light when worn. Granulation around the main focus provides delicate detail making this my favourite ring ever... I wish I could have kept this ring, but sadly it was part of the collection currently for sale in Lorraine Law in Perth. Which means one of you lucky people could own it instead!

*jealous*

new work...

2010-08-22T14:22:00.000+01:00

'cluster' bangle, sterling silver, 2010.

'cluster' ring, sterling silver, 2010

'buds' pendant, sterling silver and garnet, 2010

These are just a few of the pieces that can now be seen (and bought!!) at Lorraine Law in Perth. My work is now divided into two collections - 'clusters' using big clusters of hand formed domes, and 'buds' - tightly packed groups of granulation. Still working on more...

New facebook page...

2010-08-20T10:37:00.000+01:00

...thought it was about time! Go here to see the page (:

beach finds...

2010-08-16T09:46:00.002+01:00

twitter...

2010-08-12T22:11:00.001+01:00

... I gave in. But am only going to use it for design purposes! Promise. If you're a jeweller/craftsperson/artist who uses twitter please leave your username in a comment so I can follow you! (:

away...

2010-08-11T14:58:00.001+01:00

Was away for the weekend in the highlands of Scotland... these are a few pics of the gorgeous beach we stayed near. Great mini-break! :)

opening...

2010-08-07T09:33:00.001+01:00

Last night was the opening night for 'the graduates' at Junction Art and Gifts, Aberdeen. Was dead pleased with how my jewellery was displayed (the very blurry last picture! hard to take a photo through glass!) and everybody's work looked amazing. A few of my favourites were Nicola Wyllie, also a jeweller from DoJ, Diane Allen, a textile designer from DoJ and Anne Murray's ceramics from RGU.

new...

2010-08-03T22:06:00.000+01:00

Here's a peek at two necklaces which can be seen in Junction in Aberdeen from the 6th... the first is similar to a degree show piece, with small repeated sections hung on a fairly long chain...it sits just right on. The second uses the same elements...but this time combined with delicate rice pearls.

I'm currently busy finishing off another lot of pieces... more soon...

rings...

2010-08-02T15:51:00.000+01:00

tiny pod ring, 2010, sterling silver

This ring is a more subtle version of a degree show piece. An every day wearable ring.

bloom ring, 2010, sterling silver

From the top the 'bloom' ring looks a bit like an open flower - a cluster of hand formed domes hide amongst the granulation.

encrusting ring, 2010, sterling silver

The 'encrusting' ring started out small, then got bigger...and bigger. Satisfyingly heavy, despite it's wide sides it's very comfortable to wear. It's one of those rings you're always aware of and just want to keep looking at!

These rings are three pieces of the collection available from Junction in Aberdeen.

new pieces...

2010-07-31T15:00:00.000+01:00

tiny cluster studs, 2010, sterling silver.

These cute tiny, tiny studs are handmade from sterling silver. A tiny dome and few pieces of granulation make these earrings a perfect subtle match to any of my larger pieces. Also comes with the inside of the dome oxidized...

tiny cluster studs, 2010, sterling silver oxidized

cluster drops, 2010, sterling silver

Slightly more obvious earrings... also handmade from sterling silver. Using the dome and granulated elements of other pieces.

falling leaves drops, 2010, sterling silver

falling leaves single strand necklace, 2010, sterling silver and steel wire

The last pair of earrings were made to match this necklace. Leaf shapes, hand pierced and textured, move freely on the delicate strand of steel... this piece is a more wearable version of one of my degree show necklaces.

These pieces can be seen at the Junction art and gifts gallery exhibition in Aberdeen until mid October. More coming soon...

exhibition...

2010-07-31T14:42:00.000+01:00

Took a trip to Aberdeen yesterday to hand in my pieces for this exhibition at the Junction art gallery and boutique. Includes a few degree show pieces, some very cute earrings and new ring designs... opening night fri 6th August from 6-8pm. It's a fantastic gallery with some lovely things in, I'm very pleased to be taking part in it! (:

New Designers - jewellers...

2010-07-25T13:29:00.001+01:00

Thought I'd share a few links to some of my favourite jewellers from New Designers...

Imogen Belfield (one year on) ...amazingly chunky blingy jewellery

Mabel Hasell (Middlesex university) ...unusual set clusters of stones

Leila Swift (London Met) ...delicate pieces, hidden features

Charlotte Kimber ...beautiful abstract shapes formed into wearable pieces

Lots more to come, some websites are still under construction so no point in linking to them if you can't see any images! Still working very, very hard on new pieces... images coming soon.. (:

New Designers...

2010-07-07T20:34:00.003+01:00

I am just back from exhibiting work at New Designers, which was held at the Business Design Center in Islington, London. It was a fantastic week, we saw so many amazing pieces of jewellery and met loads of interesting people. (including a couple of you from blogger, was great to meet you!) It was good to see all the participating colleges (there are only four art schools in Scotland) and the range of work produced.

We stayed in the most amazing appartment in Hoxton, only 15 mins away from the design center. (I got dead good at navigating the underground!) It was all open plan and furnished in a vintage style, actually amazing! Spent most of our evenings sitting beside the windows which opened all the way from floor to ceiling (third floor up...possibly a little dangerous..) with glasses of cider (..maybe even more dangerous..) and tasty dinners. We definitely needed a bit of relaxing after long days of standing up!

Links to my favourite jewellers from New Designers coming soon...

Got loads coming up this month so there may be a shortage of posts...but there will be lots to tell when I get back (:

My work in Glasgow...

2010-07-07T20:33:00.000+01:00

You can currently see a few of my pieces in the exhibition 'The Best of the Degree Shows' held by Casablanca Art at the Pentagon Center in Glasgow. (:

Edinburgh and Glasgow degree shows 2010

2010-06-17T21:39:00.002+01:00

The Edinburgh Jewellery and silversmithing degree show was in the same room as last year, in Evolution House. I liked the layout better this year - each student had tons more space. A few of my favourites...

Seonaid Rafferty (website here)

These pieces echo the fragility of old lace, appearing to move the same way as material does when worn. Her website shows the different ways the pieces can be worn, they look really good!

Kristen Sian O'Neill (website here)

Thin wire is a predominant feature in these pieces.. I love how the lines don't seem so angular when they're combined together, the pieces seem quite organic despite the straight wire. This was one of my favourite displays.

Maike Browning

I especially love the piece in the first photograph! Very organic and delicate, most pieces were connected by thread which added a softer edge to the metal. Also like the shape repetition and the shadows cast by the pieces in the display.

The other work was all good to see too, although these three were my definite favourites! The jewellery degree show in Glasgow was in the same room it usually is, in the same kind of layout. I didn't take any photographs as all the pieces were behind glass, which was pretty reflective anyway. There would have been more pictures of my reflection than the jewellery! Here are links to the websites of a couple of my favourite jewellers/silversmiths from Glasgow...

Alyson Gee

Katherine Agnew

I had other favourites but they don't have websites... you can see more here at the GSA website. Overall Dundee has been my favourite so far...but I have to say that ;)

New pieces...

2010-06-16T23:49:00.003+01:00

A few images of a couple of pieces I have been working on...

'Clustered bud' drop earrings, sterling silver

'open pods' ring, sterling silver

'cluster' stud earrings, sterling silver

I am currently working on producing a wider range of pieces, from everyday wearable earrings to more elaborate necklaces. Three are shown above, more on the way... If you're down in London at the start of July you can see my (almost) whole degree show collection plus extras at New Designers from the 1st-4th.

Visited both Glasgow and Edinburgh degree shows today, images and reviews coming soon... (:

Duncan of Jordanstone degree show 2010 jewellery and metal design

2010-06-11T09:00:00.002+01:00

Kim Mitchell

Kim is inspired by light and shadow. Her delicate pieces have been created using a variety of techniques including laser cutting, to create the intricate, floral pattern. Dainty shadows are cast through each piece onto either the background of where they are sitting, or on the person wearing them.
www.kimmitchelljewellery.co.uk

Lauren Leiper

Lauren's brooches capture a single moment, known to her but unknown to the wearer, who will attach their own meaning to the piece. She uses mainly sterling silver, combined with material such as thread or ribbon, giving a tactile element to the brooch. Seperate elements form the individual parts of the piece, a memory captured forever.

Kirsty Stevens

Inspired by her own experiences of M.S., Kirsty's pieces are created from unusual and innovative materials. Lasercut acrylic and corrugated cardboard represent the organic and toxic elements of her condition and treatment, and the use of electro luminescent sheet represents the central nervous system. Kirsty's work will engage others and give the general public an understanding of her experience with M.S.

And that is the end of the tour round Duncan of Jordanstone's jewellery degree show 2010! If you couldn't make it to the actual show, hopefully this will have given you a feel of the work that went on during the year. (You can also buy stuff if you want.. ;) Looking forward to next year's, and the soon coming Glasgow and Edinburgh degree shows...

June events...

2010-06-10T21:13:00.000+01:00

Glasgow school of art degree show 12-19 June

Edinburgh college of art degree show 12-20 June

Aberdeen Grays school of art degree show 19-26 June

Going to try and make every single one this year!!

Duncan of Jordanstone degree show 2010 jewellery and metal design

2010-06-10T09:00:00.002+01:00

Lucy Politowski

(images of Lucy's work by Joanne Macfadyen)

Lucy's collection is very narrative, each piece is a medal with conceptual meanings behind it. Her medals are a personal response to contemporary issues, however they can also hold significant meanings for others affected by those issues.

www.lucypolitowski.com

Joanne MacFadyen

Joanne's work is inspired by the intricate, colourful images produced by a kaleidoscope. The opulence of these images had been carried over to the pieces, each one looking delicate and beautiful. She uses an innovative technique with porcelain and precious metal clay to create focus points for these pieces.
www.joannemacfadyen.com

Lisa Murphy

Lisa's work is a collaboration between rapid prototyping and casting. Using digital media to create designs, she combines the RP with handmade elements to produce strong yet graceful pieces.
www.lisajmurphy.co.uk

Duncan of Jordanstone degree show 2010 jewellery and metal design

2010-06-09T09:00:00.001+01:00

Joanna Bletcher

Joanna is inspired by the urban landscape, and this can be seen clearly in every piece. Using techniques such as etching, she creates pieces with a mixture of precious and non precious metals. Decay is of significance, and using a process based approach, she conveys this through rusting and different finishes.

Leah Mackay

Leah's work combines hand and machine processes to create delicate, wearable jewellery. Laser cut repeated patterns are combined with hand dyed acetate to create pieces with high colour contrasting with white silver. She creates the intricate patterns used first by hand drawing, then manipulating and transforming them.

Nicola Wyllie

Nicola's work is based on memories and connections. She uses materials such as bone, and thread alonside precious metal. The use of thread emphasises the fragility of connections, both between people and the jewellery itself. Each piece is a snapshot into a memory, immortalised and never to be forgotten.
www.nicolawyllie.co.uk

Duncan of Jordanstone degree show 2010 jewellery and metal design

2010-06-08T00:47:00.001+01:00

Nicola Reed

Nicola's work is based around the idea of 'vanity'. She has created a collection of beautiful, humerous pieces, with underlying messages. She questions and investigates the concept of 'jewellery'. One piece leaves a powder mark wherever it is placed - the powder mark left being the jewellery rather than the piece that left it.

Kellie Leighton

Kellie's pieces are inspired by map contour lines. Each piece is carefully hand pierced from a single sheet of silver, then raised and formed to transform it into a delicate 3d form. The use of silver and delicate structure evokes the sense of preciousness.
www.kellieleighton.com

Rhiannon MacGillivray

Rhiannon looks closely at the everyday objects we take for granted and transforms them into pieces of wearable art. Her degree show collection was based around the household clothes peg. Taking apart and reassembling the pegs allowed her to create a totally new form, and made the common pegs into individual artistic pieces.

Duncan of Jordanstone degree show 2010 jewellery and metal design

2010-06-07T10:01:00.003+01:00

Maria Maclennan

Maria takes inspiration from vintage ephemera, imagery and letters, and creates her own altered books and matchboxes. These in turn inspire wearable, silver pieces - containers which emphasise the fact that they are just that. She places more emphasis on making the container the precious object instead of the container holding something precious. Miniturised letters and tiny stone settings used echo the tiny details on altered boxes and books the pieces were inspired from.
www.mariamaclennan.com

Holly Wilcox
(I know we've seen me already, but it's part of the tour so here it is again...!)

My pieces are inspired by the fragile elements that make up nature's life cycle. I translate these elements into delicate details and repeating sections to create wearable pieces. You know this, there are several massive posts on my pieces just below. (:
www.hollywilcox.co.uk (and, this blog that you are on is mine too.)

Elizabeth Humble

Elizabeth is inspired by landscape. Her designs follow on from her drawings, particularly those from her home. Each piece is delicately created and layer upon layer of almost 'drawn' silver creates pieces with depth. Lizzie also draws in silverpoint on gesso boards, furthering the connection between the silver and the landscape.
www.elizabethhumble.com

Ruth Wood...

2010-06-06T22:41:00.000+01:00

...makes my new favourite rings. I wish I owned one of these.

Duncan of Jordanstone degree show 2010 jewellery and metal design

2010-06-06T15:00:00.001+01:00

A review of everybodys work from the degree show, 2010. They are in the order you would see them walking round the exhibition...so hopefully you'll get a feel for the overall layout too!

Anne Sutherland

Anne explores the transformation of form in nature. Decay is a theme used heavily in her pieces, which are delicately hand crafted from sterling or fine silver. Anne is also concerned with ethical sourcing of gold and gems, and as part of her research panned for gold which she then used in one of her pieces.
www.annesutherland.co.uk

Sarah Anderson

Sarah's work is contemporary and thought provoking. She looked at the idea of cosmetic transformation, and through jewellery investigated how far it would be possible to go with the idea of 'diy' cosmetic surgery. She also researched the effects of current skin peel products -available to buy- on aluminium, resulting in a heavily corroded piece of metal. Is this the future?

Linsey McGregor

Linsey's pieces start off as a single sheet of paper. Through clever folding techniques, she has developed a way of making paper into wearable, art pieces. She has combined these with silver fastening devices, furthering the concept of paper as a durable material to be used as jewellery.

Degree show 2010 whole collection...

2010-06-02T10:05:00.001+01:00

A few images of my degree show layout and closeups...

Over the next few day's I'll be posting images of everybody's work, so you can see the entire show as a whole. Until then you can see Jo's review of the degree show here!

Degree show 2010 collection...

2010-05-30T17:15:00.002+01:00

'Clustered buds' necklace 2010 sterling silver, 22ct gold plating SOLD

'Bud' long necklace 2010 sterling silver

The final two pieces in the collection. The first features tightly clustered granulation, inspired from clusters of tiny buds on new plants. The second represents the new buds more literally, with bud forms appearing from domed elements.

Now to get on with designing the next collection.... (:

Degree show 2010 collection...

2010-05-30T17:00:00.000+01:00

'Bud' brooch 2010 sterling silver, 22ct gold plating, oxidized

Degree show 2010 collection...

2010-05-29T17:00:00.001+01:00

'Seed pods decay' ring 2010 sterling silver, oxidized

Frayed pods and dark colour suggest wintry decay. Highlights polished, intended to beautify the source and turn the ring into a pleasing piece to wear.

Jewellery and Metal Design 2010 blurb book...

2010-05-27T18:47:00.000+01:00

Our class produced a blurb book to go with the degree show. You can view it online here. You can even buy it if you feel like owning a copy!

Degree show 2010 collection...

2010-05-27T17:00:00.002+01:00

'Growth among weeds' ring 2010 sterling silver, found garnets. SOLD

Garnets found by Anne Sutherland are set into this ring representing new buds appearing in spring from wintery bare branches and decayed plant matter settled on the ground. A flash of colour between the silver echoes the surprise flashes of colour discovered in spring.

Degree show 2010 collection...

2010-05-25T23:22:00.002+01:00

'Emerging' ring 2010 sterling silver, 22ct gold plating SOLD

'Hidden pod' ring 2010 sterling silver SOLD

Two of a collection of four rings. I wanted these to be very delicate looking with areas of more solid, intense detail. Both were inspired by the spring season, new growth emerging from a blanket of winter weeds.

The Degree show is on until the 30th of May, at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee. Come in and see all of this in person.. (:

Degree show 2010...

2010-05-23T17:21:00.002+01:00

'Whorl' long necklace 2010 sterling silver

Third piece. This one was featured on the industry night catwalk - to view the whole show featuring work from jewellery, textiles, and a few other disciplines click here. My piece appears at 06:20!

Degree show 2010...

2010-05-22T09:41:00.002+01:00

The degree show 2010 opening night was last night, was very exciting and went really well! We have all gained honours degrees (I'm graduating with a respectable upper second class honours!) after three years of very hard work. To see a glimpse of everybody's work you can see the Jewellery and Metal Design website here!

I'm going to start featuring my collection here.. below you can see two pieces. I'll put them up in order - the ones below are my first and second ones.

'Cluster' necklace 2010 sterling silver

'Falling leaves' neckpiece 2010 sterling silver, 18ct gold and steel SOLD

The collection as a whole is all about translating the fragile details from nature's life cycle into pieces of precious jewellery. I started the project by drawing from life, focusing on the details which interested me, such as tiny clusters of buds and old decaying seed pods. These drawings were then transformed into elements of detail, which come together to create a piece. They are seperately inspired by different stages in nature's life cycle, for example the one above (Falling Leaves) is developed from autumnal drawings, when the leaves begin to fall and plants begin to decay. This piece has actually been purchased by the university as a gift for Lorraine Kelly (who opened our degree show)! Exciting! Below is a picture of a very nervous me putting the necklace on..!

Until I feature the rest of my collection, you can view it here at my website - www.hollywilcox.co.uk.

Almost there...

2010-05-16T21:30:00.001+01:00

A couple of very sneaky peeks... the first is a necklace in progress, the second is a closeup of a finished piece...

We are currently being assessed and find out the results on Tuesday! After that there is the industry night where our pieces will be going down the catwalk, then the Degree Show opening on Friday. Very exciting! There's a video here of Degree Show preperations which a few of us jewellers managed to be in! There's another sneak peek of one of my rings in there if you can catch it. (: Images of all final work and the Degree Show coming very, very soon...

Details...

2010-05-16T21:14:00.001+01:00

Source images from over the past couple of months. As well as drawing, I started to photograph the details which interested me within nature's life cycle.

one week to go...

2010-05-01T20:26:00.000+01:00

... (and a little bit) until assessments start. Currently finishing off final pieces, and starting to work on presentations!

I've decided to delete most of the old posts from this blog - however I have kept the ones with images of my sketchbook, samples, and finished pieces from the last three years so you can see how my work has progressed, if you're interested!

Degree show opening night 21st of May.

Images of final work going up shortly after that! (:

Duncan of Jordanstone degree show 2010

2010-04-25T14:56:00.001+01:00

Our official degree show postcard! Featuring snippets of everybody's work, it is a taster of what's to come...

Sneaky peek...

2010-03-05T21:49:00.001Z

Just a glimpse of an idea...

Starting to think about websites and models now...so much to do before may!

Ideas...

2010-03-05T21:42:00.001Z

More samples...slowly working my way towards another piece... We start to take images for postcards next week... time is going faster than it should be..!!

More drawings...presentation ideas...

2010-02-19T20:09:00.001Z

As I don't have anything reeeally interesting to show you (saving my finished pieces for after the degree show!) I'm just going to keep posting pictures of my source drawings and samples! Bear with me for a few months until you get to see all the end results at once (:

Starting to think about presentation for the degree show... I still love plain and simple layouts, and I kind of want to use photoframes again (like my third year presentation...but much much more sophistocated and beautiful!) perhaps really decorative ones painted white with silver/grey brushed over the details... so the jewellery seems extra precious because it is framed... hmm! Currently looking on ebay for old photoframes/mirrors/mirror frames... if anybody knows of any good websites where I could get these things it would be awesome if you let me know! (:

Working on samples and finished pieces...

2010-02-19T19:59:00.000Z

Have just finished my first (hopefully!) degree show piece! I don't want to share any pictures of any final pieces until after the degree show (in May!) so here are yet more sample pictures...! I'm not using these actual pieces or the circular forms...but hopefully when my finished pieces are all posted up you'll be able to see how they developed from these samples.

I have been working with tinier and more delicate forms... perhaps there will be a sneaky peek one day!

Presentation and images...

2010-02-11T22:19:00.000Z

Ever had a bad day where you spend hoooours in the workshop and don't seem to get anything done? The whole past week has been like that!! Currently working on a final piece and I've had the main components complete for a while, but just trying to work out how to join the piece together has taken hours of samples and not much to show for it! Argh.

Exciting though...can't wait until it's finished!!

Today we had a meeting about presentation. We had to pick images from a pile of postcards that we thought were successful... and it was so helpful! Got me thinking about why some photographs of jewellery are amazing, and why some are just terrible... if you know of any great photographs (yes..they can be your own (: ) post up a link and let me know why you think they're good! Maybe don't post any links to bad images incase anybody gets offended... (but, you know, if you reeeally want to share feel free to email me!)

Here are a couple of links to photographs of jewellery I think are successful....

Joanna Rutter - I love the minimal look and the use of the coloured shape which goes with the style of her jewellery

Abigail Percy - Like how the jewellery stands out from the background... also how the one in front is in focus. Normally I'm not a fan of other stuff in the picture but think it works well here (:

So what do you think? Am I right in saying they are good photographs?

Designs...

2010-02-03T20:40:00.000Z

As I said before, I won't be showing any of my final pieces until the degree show, but until then...here are a few sneaky peeks at a couple of almost finished designs!

I'm looking at the delicacy of nature's life cycle... tiny buds and seedlings... friable dry and dying leaves... my plan is to create delicate looking (but not too delicate to wear!!) pieces with areas of intense detail to draw in the viewer... I want to encourage the wearer to treat the piece as if it were a very precious object.

That's the plan! We'll see how it all turns out in a few months...