Making, making, making

There are times of year when I have deadlines galore and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. I am in the midst of that just now, but am very happy to say that I'm on a roll! I have had 3 lovely galleries to supply within a 3 week period, so have been making loads of new jewellery. These are a few of the pieces I have made, I absolutely love making bangles so there are quite a few of those!

bangles

I was having a sort through some photographs of jewellery I have made over the years and thought I would share some images of bangles. All are irregular shaped and hammered with a slightly beaten texture.

The shapes are inspired by the repeated forms seen in moss, lichen and bubbles. I love using simple forms and adding complexity using repeats. The elements are all moveable, I enjoy the way they jingle a little and rotate around the bangle.

I like the contrast between copper and silver, especially the way the colour of the copper changes over time. It varies from soft peach to deep rusty red, and sometimes goes speckled which is my favourite.

This 'Blip Bangle' was one of only a few that I made, with irregular arches on both the inside and outside edges. Wearing a few at a time worked really well, I'm thinking I may make more. 
At the moment I am working on some new pieces for the British Craft Trade Fair, I try and launch a new range there every year. Perhaps I'll release a sneak preview on here when the pieces are all finished!

Fossil fascination

The repetition of shapes and textures seen in fossils is something I always come back to for ideas. The basement in Manchester Museum has some incredible ones on display.

Knowing that these have been dug from the earth and are millions of years old gives them the fascination of buried treasure to me; rare, precious and valuable like the gold and silver I use in my work. There's something magical and mesmerising about materials that were formed when the earth was young, only to be revealed through careful searching and cautious extraction. 

The dots and dashes have inspired me to explore experimental hammered indentations in metal, simple raised lumps formed with texturing and doming punches and distressed surfaces, altered with heat and abrasives. And as always, I love to draw them, as seen in my earlier sketchbook blog post.