Lovely customer feedback to boost the morale..

We've been very busy here at Glasswing, catching up after a horrid dose of staff flu. What lovely feedback to find in my overflowing inbox!.....

"Hi Kate,

We're just back from South Africa, newly engaged. I wanted to belatedly thank you warmly for rushing the ring through for me in January - I really appreciate it. The ring fitted perfectly (my worries were unfounded!) and my fiancee absolutely loves it. She's also very impressed with your ethical production methods and sourcing of materials. The quality is fantastic and it has drawn a lot of comments from admirers - I've passed your website address on to a few people!

So thanks again for all your help. I won't hesitate to recommend you to my friends.

I've also attached a pic of my fiance holding a very friendly gecko which she rescued from the shower in our treehouse in KwaZulu-Natal, which shows the ring off nicely! Thought you might appreciate it.

Best,
Will (London) "

Gorgeous! We do appreciate it, thanks Will, and many congratulations!

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

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.

Portmeirion Rings for Spring Wedding

Something new for May this year, a 9mm wide, 2.5mm deep flat hammered band, stamped on the edge with the personal message and date for a lovely couple getting married this weekend.  I'm very pleased with how this hand forged ring turned out.

 I really hope the day turns out to be beautiful for them, and this gorgeous weather holds!

This deep heavy ring is part of a set, teamed with one of my 2.5mm forged broad stacker rings, made from round recycled silver stock for a really lovely organic hammered texture and look.  For more rings like this visit the Glasswing website.

Marks of oxidisation from the heating process are left on the ring, as are the marks of the hand forging process, which I do with simple tools like my trusty hammer, and a smooth, heavy ring mandrel, which is hand held.  It takes some strength to shape metal this heavy!

Bezel settings - mastered!

Cornish Aqua sea glass cufflinks

I wasn't sure how these would turn out, but having kind of taught myself how to do this, I'm pleased - these sea glass cufflinks really catch the light. They are a special commission for a wedding at the end of this month.

These cufflinks have lovely flexible backs, with a really substantial and well made design - I had to be extra careful not to overheat these as they can become immobile if you do.

I'm going to make some rounder sea glass ones next, and I have had a commission for a clip-on charm for a bracelet, which will be a bezel setting with stamping in Cornish on the back, which I'm keen to see finished.

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.

#

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

The (ECO) Wedding Season!

Upcycled aqua sea glass wired necklace from £65 from glasswing jewellery

Wow, it's amazing, people are really getting the recycled silver jewellery bug, and from a romantic, and ecological perspective, the number of people determined to have a green wedding, who are 'sealing' their commitment to one another with eco-conscious recycled silver wedding rings is absolutely brilliant!

Personalised adjustable recycled silver ring from £65 at http://www.glasswingjewellery.com/

So Glasswing's becoming quite a regular customer at the uber-efficient sales department of Hoover & Strong, the US makers of Harmony Metals (TM), 100% recycled metal bullion for use in the ethical jewellery trade, of which Glasswing Jewellery is a new and committed member.

Delicate 3mm recycled silver personalised ring . Prices from £60 at http://www.glasswingjewellery.com/

I love the fact that now, the majority of my orders are for fairtrade, recycled silver jewellery pieces, especially my personalised wedding rings and bridal jewellery. Sea glass is proving really popular, for brides, bridemaids and grooms alike! I have some lovely cufflinks in the pipeline, and have just completed a lovely set of Cornish aqua sea glass necklace and heart earrings.

Upcycled aqua sea glass with recycled silver heart earrings £40 from glasswing jewellery

Recycled silver wedding rings

Recycled silver wedding rings

It finally happened! After much searching I found the US bullion dealer Hoover and Strong, whose Harmony metals range includes 100% recycled silver! Just the small matter of putting up with extraordinarily good customer service, swift DHL delivery and general fantasticness and friendliness that the Americans seem so good at, and my first order of recycled silver lay on my workbench.

The silver arrived!

It was no different to work than non-recycled silver, and the section was particularly nice, having a slightly different profile to my usual bullion. The rings looked lovely once they were made, hand forged using simple tools and elbow grease, and having the trademark Glasswing Jewellery hammered texture and warm soft polish.

My customers were over the moon with their rings, and by the look of the fabulous photos of their big day, with each other and the way the whole thing went.

The bride looked lovely, and she wore a pair of Glasswing stacker sea glass earrings.

Glasswing sterling silver stacker sea glass earrings with pale blue recycled beads

I was honoured to have made their wedding rings for them, and to be able to offer them environmentally responsible jewellery in line with their desire to have an eco wedding extraordinaire! Being keen photographers, they were both particularly pleased to know that as a lot of recycled silver comes from the photographic industry, that the metal in their rings may have once been involved in the production of photographic images - from who knows where?

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.