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.
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