Hand forged white and yellow gold diamond solitaire.

Beautiful 0.3ct recycled GIA certified diamond glinting in the autumn sun (when we had some last week!)

This simple solitaire with a lightly hammered finish has been a firm favourite with brides looking for an ethical, eco-conscious engagement ring this year.

A stunning stone, set in a closed, rubover recycled 14ct yellow gold bezel, on a recycled 14ct white gold hand forged shank.

It is available in a range of colour combos, like rose gold, all yellow gold, a mixture of white / yellow / rose and in 9, 14 or 18ct golds - all recycled, or if preferred, FAIRTRADE gold.

The diamond can be replaced with a coloured ethically sourced gemstone - details of the different gems I can source are on my website.

For details of my engagement ring range or how to commission a bespoke ring visit www.glasswingjewellery.com

Sea glass - what exactly is it?

Sea glass , "seaglass" or sometimes "beach glass" is glass which is found on beaches after having been tumbled smooth and frosted by the ocean waves over an undetermined length of time.



Some of the glass I have found is very old, from an era when glass was far more widely used, and attitudes to the environmental damage caused by dropping litter into the sea were somewhat different to what they are today.

There is an infinite variety of colours of sea glass, and of course every single piece of sea glass is totally one off, having been on its own unique journey through the tides and currents of the ocean.

Some sea glass has travelled great distances, washing up on shores far away from where it was originally dumped, whilst other pieces have stayed trapped for decades in harbours, dropped by sailors and smoothed and tumbled by the tides whilst yachts and fishing boats go by.

Around the coast of Cornwall, we find lovely sea foam, aquas, pale greens, deep greens, and whites. These shades to me, represent the colours of the sea in Cornwall, and are the perfect choice to reflect the unique coast of my favourite place! Much rarer colours found on Cornish shores include blues, certain greens and deep aquas, and lavender.

Grey, pink, teal, black, yellow and turquoise and red (found once in about every 5,000 pieces), and orange (the least common type of sea glass), are all extremely rare colours. Rare sea glass in these colours is almost certainly rarer than diamonds.

The older pieces tend to be smoother, and rounded in shape, whilst the newer pieces wash up in all manner of squared or flat shapes. In jewellery all different shapes are used , and to great effect. The special 'glow' of sea glass, the way in which each piece catches the light in a different way, and the variety of subtle shades - pale aquas, frosted whites, palest blues to deepest colbalt blues and of course the array of greens all add to the magic and mystery of sea glass.

Recently my passion for genuine Sea Glass has led me to look for this increasingly rare commodity further afield.

I have managed to source some amazing examples of glass, some of which are at least 100 years old, that were discarded from an old glass processing in the North East of England, at Seaham in Durham. I have started to design around these pieces of glass, and I really love the pieces I've made.

‪#‎seaglass‬ ‪#‎ocean‬ ‪#‎treaure‬ ‪#‎mermaids‬ ‪#‎sea‬ ‪#‎glass‬ ‪#‎beach‬ ‪#‎coast‬ ‪#‎coastal‬ ‪#‎upcycled‬ ‪#‎recycled‬

Summer sea glass bangles

These Glasswing sea glass bangles are proving very popular in the Custom House Gallery in Porthleven, Cornwall, now that the summer weather has really arrived! 

Made from 925 100% recycled silver stock, they are available in single, double, triple and five 1.5mm gauge bangles, adorned and joined by a fixed ring with genuine sea glass nuggets, upcycled from Cornish and other English beaches.  I need to make some more to replenish stock!

sea glass bangles

Another sweet thing I made recently was this Sea Treasures necklace,  made with recycled silver, and a collection of aqua sea glass and blue china tumbled by the waves around Sennen in Cornwall.

sea treasures necklace

All hung randomly on totally handmade 100% recycled silver findings, on a compact silver snake chain.  I still can't find recycled chains yet, but I'm hoping one of the environmentally friendly bullion dealers I use will start making some very soon.

Glasswing sea glass ring

Aqua Cornish sea glass set in a hand made sterling silver bezel,
with 8mm x 2mm D shape, hand forged band

This is my first sea glass, bezel set ring, for a lovely customer here in Cornwall.The sea glass really glows in the light, (which I've found it hard to capture in these photos).It's a fairly chunky ring, bit of a statement, and the sea glass is a lovely greeny aqua!

Glasswing - "Negys a'n Mis" the MAGA business of the month!

I'm really pleased that Glasswing Jewellery has been chosen as "Business of the Month" for July, by MAGA the Cornish Language Partnership, which was set up in 2005 to oversee the implementation of the Cornish Language Development Strategy. This is in recognition for my use and promotion of the Cornish language in my work.

Stamped sea glass pendant with Cornish stamping -

"Kowethes Kerra - Best Friend"

I've been using the MAGA partnership for translations for stampings on my jewellery now for some time, - it's a free service, and the translations are checked and double checked by the lovely Cornish Language experts in the partnership. It's great because I know I have the best translation possible for my work - and for my customers the assurance that their jewellery has just the right words, in terms of gender and tense, for their heartfelt messages to loved ones.

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Not only that, Glasswing now has it's first certificate to proudly hang in the workshop and the Glasswing website!

Love Cornwall x

'Gwedren an Mor' literally means glass from the sea in Cornish, a language which has had a recent revival in Cornwall. This is a lovely chunky forged sterling silver circle hung with a purest white rounded nugget of sea glass. Available with 18 or 16 inch sterling silver smooth snake chain.

If you love Cornwall, sea glass and all things eco, this is the perfect pendant.

Beach life resumed?

Back to beach life, kind of...

Dare I say it? After approximately two weeks the rain seems to have stopped. Sunday greeted us looking like the kind of day you could trust your washing with. There's not been many of those lately. The gallons of water that have fallen out of the sky have left us with knee high grass and rampant triffids that were once nasturtiums, strangling our garden. I ventured out there this morning, followed by my peg bearer (the bean), and we surveyed our little jungle with awe.

A rare moment of quiet on the roof

There is one thing around here at this time of year which is the same come rain or shine, the manic (Herring) seagull activity. You don’t just hear a few gulls exchanging pleasantries, not like civilised bird folk. On the contrary, having returned to breed yet again (it's the same pairs every year) these brutes are noisy – in fact entering the garden you feel like some hapless screw interrupting yard-time at the seagull slammer. There are gull gangs on every roof, as far as the eye can’t see (but rest assured they can see you), squawking raucously. Presumably they are warning the posse about something they think you might do to them or their offspring should you decide to fly up to their turf. They just haven't got it yet - no wings. This continues for the duration, whilst you're pegging out the washing, or any other suspicious activity you are engaged in. If they think you look really shifty, or you are a dog, they’ll even dive bomb you for extra sport.

Making friends

So this morning, after running the seagull gauntlet, with the washing out and flapping happily in a sunny breeze, we logged on and checked the tide times. Then we headed off for a spot of beachcombing, after we'd had a tip off about a great spot for some serious sea glass pickings along the waterline. It felt so good to be leaving the house with buckets, spades and toast, rather than wet weather gear, and to see the kids go free range on the sand again at last.

Sea glass Bonanza!

Our sea glass haul was fantastic. My wrecking crew and I found some lovely pieces that really glow. I have learned that this 'glowing' effect is caused by the prolonged immersion of the glass in sea water (chemical changes), often over years, and of course, there is nothing like the beautiful smoothed and frosted effects caused by the constant tumbling in the surf, against rocks and sand. I can’t wait to get down into the workshop.

Here are some I made earlier, these can be found in my shop

Green Cornish Sea glass and recycled beads
sterling silver stacker earrings