Wedding and engagement rings and ethical jewellery made to order in Fairtrade gold

I've registered again with the Fairtrade Foundation for this year, so I'm delighted to say that almost all my gold wedding and engagement rings, bridal jewellery and everyday jewellery ranges are now available to order in fairtrade gold, for details check the Glasswing Jewellery website.

 

Choosing fairtrade means a good deal for mine workers and their families and ensures more responsible, sustainable treatment of our precious earth.

Until recently small UK artisanal jewellery makers have had difficulty accessing Fairtrade precious metals in the quantities they require, however it is thankfully becoming easier to source.
So from now on, I'll be working hard to offer everything I make in Fairtrade gold wherever possible.
Fairtrade gold means a fair deal for miners and their families, and by choosing it you are actively changing the landscape of the jewellery industry and potentially the lives of thousands of workers throughout the world.

This is taken from the Fairtrade Foundation's website..
"Fairtrade Gold is produced fairly and transparently. When buying jewellery made with Fairtrade Gold you make a difference to the miners, their families and their communities. Your support can provide them with the chance to be paid a fair price, better working conditions, build their futures by investing in social projects such as new schools and healthcare, and make their own way to prosperity.

There are currently 16 million small scale gold miners and further 100 million people who indirectly rely on small scale mining for a living – miners, their families and their communities. Small scale mining is one of the most dangerous industries in the world, and miners often work in very remote and harsh conditions with little or no health and safety measures in place. Fairtrade Gold offers a lifeline to these miners, their families and communities. Fairtrade gives strict standards on working conditions, women’s rights, child labour and environment management; in return miners gain access to markets and receive the Fairtrade Premium – the extra sum they receive to develop their businesses and invest into their communities."

For more information about Glasswing's range of wedding and engagement rings, go to www.glasswingjewellery.com

Who says sea glass can't be bling?

 

 

Who says eco-friendly sea glass jewellery can't be bling?

These beautiful ocean-worn nuggets of glass were sent to me by a customer, collected from #beaches on the Isle of Wight and New Zealand.

My customer commissioned me to make another set of two charm bangles, this time for her daughter (she kept the first set for herself).

All the sterling silver is 100% recycled, the upcycled sea glass is hand cut or drilled by me, and the bangles were then tumble polished for a deep shine. 

 

Sweet, ethically sourced deep blue spinel engagement ring set in 18ct gold

I've finally had a chance to start setting some of the gorgeous ethically sourced gems from Ruby Fair, and I'm really pleased with the results! 

This sweet engagement ring has a deep blue faceted spinel, bezel set in a recycled 14K yellow gold tube, with an oxidised twisted recycled silver band.  I really think the yellow gold sets off the stone beautifully, and the contrast with the darkened, slightly oxidised silver band is very pleasing.

 I am looking forward to making this design again with different gemstones,  I think it would look great with a recyled diamond or deep red ruby!

silver finishes

I make Glasswing recycled silver rings in a variety of finishes.  I'm often asked about the different looks, so I am going to put up some photos to help clarify which is which.  Here are examples of smooth, hammered, high polish and soft satin.  I'll add more photos as I get time to upload them, really busy with finishing ring orders for sending out this week.

Smooth finish, high polish

Organic hammered, high polish

Organic hammered, with light satin finish

Different profiles of Satin Silver Wedding RIngs

stacked up satin finish recycled silver wedding rings

Satin wedding rings are going a bit like hot cakes this wedding season at Glasswing Jewellery with lots of folk requesting I finish their rings in either soft satin or satin brushed.  These rings I made yesterday are satin brushed, and I really like the soft silvery almost luminous finish.  When I stopped work last night, I stacked them up (see above) and photographed them in the evening light.  Having them all together gives me a chance to describe some of the different ring profiles I make.  At the very top is a 6mm flat hammered comfort band, sometimes called 'flat court' profile,  which I made from the same piece of silver as the 8mm band at the very bottom. It is flat on the outside, and curved on the inside.  It is shaped down to the narrower 6mm width by hand, and then I file, polish and finish it, again all by hand, to give a lovely soft edge.  The excess silver removed is recycled and used for new jewellery pieces.

recycled silver satin wedding rings showing profile shapes

The middle two rings are also a set, the larger one is an 8mm D-shaped band, with a flat edge inside against the skin.  The other, the smallest ring in the stack is a 4mm D-shaped band.  All these rings are hammered with the same hammer, to give a quite subtle and slightly uneven surface, without an obvious hammering pattern

Glasswing ethical wedding rings are made with 100% recycled sterling 925 silver, and these ones are all hand stamped with secret messages inside.  I stamp with 1mm and 2mm fonts.  This could be the date of the ceremony, names, sentiments, shared words.   .

8mm and 6mm comfort fit bands, made from the same piece of recycled silver, showing the inside 'comfort fit' or 'flat court' profile with stamping

For more details about these rings, and how to commission your own Glasswing ethical wedding ring, plus details of my other handmade wedding and ethcially sourced gemstone engagement rings made to order, go to my website.

What will you have on yours?

side stamped broad stackers. 

Over half term I got busy taking photos of more patterns and inspiring forms in nature! We were lucky enough to get away with family and friends this half term, for a heavenly walking break somewhere really spectacular in the South West of England. 

The weather was absolutely awesome all week, (with more sunshine to come now we're back, fingers crossed!).  Everything was bursting with life and colour, and I had a brilliant time capturing these natural shapes and textures as we hiked.

 But where were we?....

Here's the fun bit!  For a chance to have an ethical 100% recycled sterling silver Glasswing broad stacker ring made especially for you, and with the hand stamped personalisation of your choice, tell me know where you think I took these photos - the more accurate your answer the greater the chance you will win! Glasswing Stackers are a really personal and stylish way to have your special words, names, and dates close to you always.  They make a gorgeous alternative to a single wedding ring, and I can stamp them on the side, inside or around the outside.  The best thing is, they can be added to as life events happen...

Here's a couple of BIG clues........

 

 

 

EASY! Send an email to info@glasswingjewellery.com with your answer, putting 'Half Term Stacker'  in the subject line.  The winning name will be picked out of my bobble hat  (it might have been sunny, but the wind was chilly!!)  at the end of June.   Good luck! 

outside stamped broad stackers

 To see the full Glasswing range go to: http://www.glasswingjewellery.com

Clearing the bench for half term.....personalised wedding rings

Hand stamped textured forged wedding and anniversary rings

Glasswing Jewellery personalised wedding bands of all shapes and sizes are really popular this year!  This is just a selection of those going out this week. Lots to finish off before half term R&R can begin!

See more personalised jewellery on my website.

It might be January but we're looking forward to lovely Summer Weddings!

WOW! I  absolutely love receiving customers' photos!  This wedding looks like so much fun, looking at them just makes me think of summer - lets hope we get one this year!

These lovely photos were sent to me by EJ and David, 

who chose Glasswing recycled wedding rings to help seal their commitment.

My first recycled silver order!

Evening sun over the bay

Wow, has it been that long? With summer weddings, spring sunshine and Mother's Day, work has been hectic, and blogging seems to have taken a back seat . It's a cruel irony that the return of the summer sun has heralded an upturn in jewellery orders for me, so instead of basking in the rays, I'm nose to the anvil, in my thankfully cool, but rather shady subterranean workshop. But I'm not complaining, not one bit of it...what an honour to be doing what I love as my living.....

Green sea glass hoop earrings

So anyway, what's been going on? The latest and most exciting development is a move to start using recycled silver in my designs. One of my lovley customers is planning a summer wedding with the fabulous remit of having the smallest carbon footprint possible - an eco-wedding with all the trimmings....using vintage charity shop bought, re-donateable crockery (with a price tag of a mere hundred pounds or so...compared with hiring boring old wedding crocks at way above that...)... to sourcing local beef from the farm down the road....and trying to source vintage wedding clobber...and of course, ordering bespoke, locally hand-made wedding rings of 100% recycled silver, from Glasswing Jewellery.

Cube sea glass earrings

I have offered recycled silver jewellery for a while now, on the Glasswing website tentatively I have to say. The will has very much been there, as the mining of precious materials for the manufacture of jewellery, certainly leaves a lot to be desired....what industry doesn't in this day and age? I would eventually like to turn over completely to recycled metals, to fit comfortably with my policy of sourcing recycled/fair trade and ethically produced beads and materials wherever possible. Glasswing Jewellery strives to be an ethical and environmentally responsible company as far as possible. The main component of my work, is sea glass, - beautiful, magical, tumbled glass from the ocean - the product of yesteryear's litterbugs essentially! It's hand picked, local, resourceful and fun.

Satin finish 8mm band

Frankly though, I had little idea where to source 100% recycled precious metals, particularly in all the shapes and sizes I'd need .

So anyway, nothing ventured.... I figured once an order came in I would have no choice but to find some, and quick! It did - a set of recycled silver wedding rings by July? The hunt was on and my mission began, to fulfil my customers brief, and to learn a lot more about these issues in the process.

First stop - my usual bullion dealer, but I drew a blank there... although of course all milled silver contains a certain percentage of recycled material from the scrap returned by jewellers and collectors alike, they were unable to say how much (I guess it fluctuates), and certainly didn't know where to suggest I look for a reliable source of 100% recycled silver.

Deep oxidised heavy sterling silver ring set (6mm and 10mm)

Thankfully, there is a growing awareness and concern amongst a small number of metal smiths, jewellers, suppliers and consumers worldwide, striving to establish a more equitable and sustainable supply chain of everything jewellery related - gems, beads, tools, metals and findings for our industry.

I have to say though, there is a serious lack of resources and information, particularly in the UK. There are no companies here (at least none that I have found) supplying 100% recycled silver stock for example. My hunt will continue, and I'll keep you posted on my progress.