Bench Sunday

A little glimpse into what we have been making at the bench over the last few of weeks.

Sterling Silver Aquamarine Studs

This beautiful pair of 4mm Round Aquamarines were chosen to be set into a stacked sterling silver earring setting which compliment the style of our stacking rings. They have an off-centred earring post after deciding that a bar across the back would detract the colour away from the stones.

Twenty One Diamonds to celebrate Twenty One Years

A playful pair of 9ct White Gold Hoop Earrings scattered with a total of twenty one flush set round diamonds ranging from 1mm -1.4mm

Making these earrings was a prime example of realising that you never stop learning. Dad put his theory into practice after becoming concerned about distorting their shape with the downward pressure of setting.
Of course wanting to avoid such a thing happening, a brain wave hit of melting setting cement into the inside of the hoops. Subsequently make a solid pellet with an equal width to the earring, which would allow him to hold each hoop in a ring clamp and set happily without the worry of collapsing their circular shape.

Sea Glass Jewellery and a Sterling Silver Pendant for a Harbour Trader

After such a lovely response to my first sea glass ring, I have made a couple more along with a rare purple/mauve sea glass pendant to go into the hut when we are able to open.
Now the weather seems to be brightening up earlier than expected, I will be heading down to the sea front more often to see what we can find for some more bench creations.

Secondly, I have been working on my metal carving which will come in useful when I am at the point of learning to make casting patterns, however when it is finished, this pendant will be for a talented chef from one of our huts at Harbour Market Whitstable. 
I got to experiment with a few different burrs and files in a brass version I made first until I had found my favourite few and was confident enough to start it in silver. The biggest thing I'll take away from doing this job, is that it is far easier to leave the last bit of piercing out until I am ready to carve the outer section. This way I'll have a larger surface area to hold onto when creating the angle for the inner parts.