QEST Scholars at Holland & Holland

Some time ago I was approached by Holland & Holland, well known as 'The Royal Gunmakers' in Mayfair. I was delighted to be asked to showcase a selection of my jewellery over the festive period, alongside four other craftspeople from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust in their store; this included a leather worker, a knitter, contemporary basket weaver, an illustrator and me! 

Each scholar brought a selection of work appropriate to the store and I decided to make a few new special pieces for the event including this flying pheasant bangle in hand pierced silver with speckled brandy coloured snakeskin and backed in bright scarlet snakeskin.

The Christmas party was held on the evening of the 8th November in the newly expanded Mayfair store. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet future customers and explain some of the processes and inspirations behind my work!

More countryside inspired pieces can be seen on my website zoeharding.com

Pheasant Feather Bangle...the journey

I am a bit of a pattern junkie, I think if I weren't in jewellery design I could happily explore a career in surface decoration and wallpaper design...whether I would have been any good at it, well um..? Happily, the fretwork in my trademark bangles and other design experiments allows me to combine my aesthetic passions.

As mentioned in my previous post, I'm beginning to make a conscious effort to photo record steps in the making process of various projects so I can share with you some snippets of what goes in to making the finished piece (minus the trade secrets of course - sorry!)

This is a pretty new piece entitled "Pheasant Feather Bangle', and yes they are real pheasant feathers in the middle layer backed on to a vibrant deep magenta snakeskin with incredible natural patterns.

Each feather is individually prepared, steamed and glued into the desired pattern or arrangement. Adhering the feathers securely yet getting none of the sticky stuff on the outer surface is something I can only do when I have a steady arm and decent daylight. It also takes several days as each layer of feathers needs some time to dry before you continue with the next ones. I love choosing which feathers to use next, as you might be able to spot in the finished photo below, some feather tips have the purple or green iridescence. Beautiful!

Meanwhile I will be in the workshop hand piercing the design into a solid sheet of sterling silver. I like to use a special alloy of slow tarnish sterling silver for these, to reduce the frequency of polishing the surface and the potential of damaging the middle layer...However, these bangles are designed to come apart if necessary, so it's never a problem to repair or replace the inner should the worst happen. Lots of polishing and finishing touches later, and voila, here's the finished piece:

This piece is now sold. If you are interested in commissioning a Pheasant Feather Bangle or something similar please do get in touch: info@zoeharding.com / +44(0)7929 521646

Making a 'simple' claw setting

For the very first time I thought I'd share with you a few behind the scenes pictures of works in progress.

For me, an insight into the making of a piece somehow makes it more real, it makes it easier to comprehend why bespoke jewellery costs so much more than a £9.99 silver pendant in the high street. It's not simply about the weight of the raw materials, it's hand-made, here in England and every single aspect has been controlled by the maker with care and attention.

Of course the first step in any commission is to define a design. Sometimes clients have specific ideas, sometimes it can be very loose. In this instance my customer was techno savvy and utilised the virtual pinboard 'pinterest.com' to plan and gather ideas for her wedding...including a board containing jewellery she loved. It's such a clever idea and I found it so useful in establishing her likes and dislikes and being able to offer a variation of designs that would be in line with her taste and within budget.

The above image shows some of the steps I took in making a traditional bridal pendant and earring commission. 

We're all used to seeing jewellery set in fancy claw settings, and whilst it's true that much of the jewellery we see on the high street are just adapted castings or begin their lives built virtually on a CAD (Computer Aided Design) programme, it's also true that in bespoke pieces the item will often be made as a one-off, utilising non standard size gemstones and for many reasons might be made from first principles using sheet and wire.

Such a simple thing suddenly looks a lot more complicated!

After multiple solder joins building up the number of prongs etc the silver looks very oxidised and dull. Jewellery making is a slow process, when the time comes for the final polish the piece suddenly comes to life, for me this must be one of the most rewarding aspects of making a piece from scratch!

And here it is, complete with freshwater pearls and blue topaz gemstones.

If you're interested in commissioning a piece of jewellery from Zoe please contact her on info@zoeharding.com or 07929 521646.

Cartier - Micro mosaic video

Jewellery making is a vast subject, it's one of the reasons why I love it so much...there's always so much more to learn and each design, the more you push the boundaries, comes with it's own set of miniature engineering problems to solve. 


While many of us work across the board, the industry is largely made up of craftspeople who specialise in one area, eventually becoming a 'master' of that technique. This could be mount making, polishing, setting or engraving, the list goes on. An apprentice working to truly master a skill would usually take many years of practice and dedication, working under experts in their field.


I'd like to share with you this video produced by Cartier. Here they're sharing a snapshot of the process in creating a wonderful watch dial, produced using the ancient micro mosaic technique. The tiny shapes are created from ultra thin slithers of stone, less than half a millimeter in fact.


I would need patience, a steady hand and lots of time but one day I would really love to try this ancient technique, but with my own interpretation and design. In the meantime I will marvel at the masters.





Click on the image below to watch the Cartier d'Art: Stone Mosaic video:

'Juno Earrings'

I thought I'd share a new design with you, entitled 'Juno' earrings.

This design was created as a development from the popular Peacock Bangle. It incorporates the same scallop motif, yet in an evening wear graduated form, and studded all over with pave set diamonds. Small dark blue sapphires are reverse set across the lower edge, echoing the colours in the feathers and pulling the whole look together. The feathered panels are protected by a custom cut rock crystal fascia.


Few materials left untouched by man are as naturally stunning as the peacock feather. In Egyptian, Greek, and Roman mythology peacock feathers were considered all-seeing. They were also symbols of eternal life and renewal. The Greeks dedicated the peacock to Juno, the goddess of the sky and stars.

Meeting the Queen!

The ultimate honour has to be meeting the Queen...in fact when I received the phone call I'm pretty sure I did a little dance and think I may have even punched the sky. It was a good day.

This beautiful invite arrived shortly after (and no I'm not a 'Mrs' but never mind huh!).



In her Diamond Jubilee year the Queen has many royal engagements. One of the first to start the season of celebrations was a trip to celebrate the regeneration of Piccadilly and to open the new Tea Salon in Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly, attending with both their Royal Highnesses Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. As this was their first ever public outing together as three generations on a 'shopping trip' press attention was high.

In the run up to this special year Fortnum & Mason have really gone to town with the decorations inside and out, with brightly coloured heraldic motifs suspended from a musical stave. The store looked stunning.



I was the first of the eleven QEST (Queen Elizabeth Sholarship Trust) craft scholars presented to the Queen. We were given the opportunity as the QEST exhibition inside the store coincides with the Diamond Jubilee tour. Thankfully we were briefed before hand on what to expect and how to behave; we could choose to curtsey or dip and greet her as 'Good Morning Your Majesty', followed by 'Ma'am' thereafter.

It was quite surreal, I shook her gloved hand and tried to get past in my mind how much she reminded me of my late grandmother, my family have always said there was a striking resemblance and strangely enough I think it was this that helped to put me at ease.

The Queen asked me how the QEST award benefitted me, what training I have undertaken, where abouts my workshop was based and if the Peacock Bangle that was displayed on the plinth were in fact real feathers...which they are!

I was lucky enough also to talk to Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, her first words to me were 'I've just been reading about you' which certainly took me by surprise!

It was a fabulous day with a very happy atmosphere. All three members of the Royal family were presented with personalised Fortnum & Mason hampers which included dog treats for 'happy hounds'. Alongside that stood a stunning eau de nil, white and gold cake, decorated with golden sugar flowers, hand painted heraldic motifs and the words 'Jubilation, Exultation'.

Note:photographs are a combination of professional and my own. If your photograph is used here please do get in touch and I will add the credit here.

'Crafting Excellence' at Fortnum & Mason

As a recipient of a QEST award back in 2004 I was one of the lucky ones to be invited to showcase and sell my work at the luxury London department store Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly during an exhibition entitled 'Crafting Excellence'.

I adore this store, it's combination of heritage, luxury and cutting edge new brands, there really is something for everyone...not to mention the food and cafes. Mmmm.

On launch evening it was really great to meet many the other scholars exhibiting along with the fantastic Fortnum staff who will be representing us in the store over the next few months. There is some stunning work across many crafts on display; from painting to stone carving, hat making to jewellery, it really is worth a visit.

The exhibition runs from 6th February to 29th July (1st floor, Fortnum & Mason 181 Piccadilly).

Goldsmiths' Craftsmanship & Design Awards 2012

An important date in any jewellery designers calendar is the Goldsmiths' Craftsmanship & Design Awards. Not only is it great to take part in the competition, the prize-giving and exhibition also provides an incredible opportunity to view some of the best design and craftsmanship the UK has to offer, in the stunning gilded rooms of the Goldsmiths' Hall located in St. Pauls, London.

2012 turned out to be a huge success and I was absolutely delighted to collect four certificates! The awards are kept a total surprise until the night which all added to the suspense...!

Here I'll share with you the pieces which received awards...

©Zoe Harding Bird Heart Pendant design in platinum and diamonds.
This piece received the Silver award in the platinum section for bridal jewellery.

©Zoe Harding Neptunea Ring in platinum and diamonds.
This piece was awarded the Gold GIA Award and the Silver in the 3D contemporary gold and platinum design section.
Photograph (far right): Bill Burnett.

©Zoe Harding Inverse Pearl Cuff in black rhodium plated sterling silver with cultured freshwater pearls.
This piece was commended in the Contemporary Silver Design (3D) section.

Wolf & Badger - November 2011

I was delighted to be invited to show at the fashion emporium Wolf & Badger in Notting Hill, London. "The home of independent fashion, unique jewellery and emerging British design".

Here I showcased my new range 'Inverse Pearl' featuring pearls-a-plenty, set in a new and somewhat tougher way. Below I've shared some shots of my cabinet from the New Designers party back in November...

and a selection of pieces from the collection...

Handmade In Britain, October 2011

The next big event to mention from last years calendar was exhibiting at Handmade in Britain, held at the Chelsea Old Town Hall in London last October.

Preparing for a show is always an enormous amount of work, starting off with a two by one meter white shell, you have only a few hours to turn it into a space representative of your brand and to show your product to it's best advantage. I designed a simple, faintly deco-inspired display in black and white and silver, with my favourite feature being the four preserved box-plant balls tied up using the Zoe Harding personalised ribbon and topped with oversized floppy bows.

It's always really great to show at exhibitions such as this, the opportunity to sell directly to your customer and witness first hand their reactions to your work is invaluable. It was a great few days resulting in lots of happy customers!

Design Innovation Award 2011

Last summer I was delighted to hear that I had won a Lonmin Design Innovation Award 2011.

"The Lonmin Design Innovation Award was set up ten years ago to recognise and reward outstanding design in platinum and to push the design standards of jewellery to greater heights."

designinnovationawards.co.uk

Here's the original drawing I created on Photoshop....

The winning design then had to be made for real in polished platinum and a continuous line of sparkling diamonds. A complicated making process began, utilising a combination of cutting edge manufacturing technologies and some of the finest hand craftsmanship. 

And voila...the 'Neptunea Ring' is finished.......

The prize-giving was held at the fantastic Saatchi Gallery in September. Each designer was supported by a fabulous model sporting our creations and I couldn't have been happier with my mine! She really did make it look fabulous. A few photos of the event....

Hello blogspot, long time no see. Well this past year has been a busy one to say the least. Since leaving my design job at Vivienne Westwood last year I have been ultra busy working on a variety of projects. I'm going to take a walk down memory lane here and share just some of the events and pieces I have been working on......
Very soon after going self employed full time I was very lucky to land a fantastic job freelancing for Swarovski. I've really loved this, the work is completely different to my own and gives me the opportunity to really play with young and fun designs, something that is not always so feasible in fine jewellery and expensive materials. I hope to share some of my designs with you soon.