Jewellery with substance.

The heavy heart pendant above and the keyring that matches it are made from solid silver. They are weighty, and solid and smooth and they make great gifts in that they offer a quality that stands out from much of the similar jewellery on the market today.

Some of you may remember the 80's and the dominance of the U.K. jewellery market by a certain Mr Ratner. Ultimately he scuppered his own canoe and sunk without trace (but then bobbed up again in a completely new sector)His genius was to build jewellery so light and get his raw materials so cheap that gold jewellery was no longer something costly and of worth, but something cheap enough to be worn everyday like costume jewellery. This was the era of earrings that could catch the wind on a breezy day and rip your earlobes off. Much of the jewellery was hollow and made of very thin sheet so that, although it looked bulky, it actually contained very little gold.I would not wish to pass judgment on this approach to jewellery as it has it's merits. Suffice it to say that's not what I'm about!

Jewellery has had another aspect throughout history, that of treasure. People have invested their money in jewellery for the joy of having something precious about them. Jewels have, in past time, been used as currency and people chose to set them in jewellery as a convenient way of keeping them together at the same time as displaying their beauty in a way that enhanced the appearance of the wearer. Of course it was also a good way of displaying your wealth and superiority. The equivalent, now-a-days, of Rolex or an expensive car.The jewellery I produce is made to be something precious and valued. It doesn't come out of a factory in the Far East and each piece spends a good deal of time being worked, scrutinized and reworked in order to produce a piece that is of the highest quality and finish that I can achieve.

With this investment of time and effort it makes sense use proper quality and quantities of material as well, so I try to build designs that are weighty and solid and feel great to handle as well as looking great in wear. Clearly there are some constraints: With earrings, for instance, most women would like their earlobes to be in the same place when they take their earrings out at night as they were when they put them in, and most people don't want bangles that make them feel like they're lifting weights in the gym every time they take a sip of coffee.That said you will find that all my work, whether gold or silver will have the look and feel of a quality piece and will be something to wear and treasure for years.I can also guarantee that you won't find it in the bottom of your handbag one day squashed flat under the crushing weight of a pencil eraser!
All our pieces are of a high quality and finish and stand apart from cheaper imported goods.

For more on the issue of quality, please read the spiel on my plain rings page