Upcycling, recycling, reworking

Last year I seemed to become the “Divorce Ring” go-to jeweller!  Didn’t know it even existed?  No, nor did I.  But not all wedding and engagement rings maintain that sentimental “love you forever” meaning, especially when a couple separates.  Many women don’t want to carry on wearing those rings in the same way – they need to be re-fashioned into a “this is the start of my new life” ring or another piece of jewellery altogether.  Lots of people inherit old-fashioned pieces of jewellery that they love, but it just isn’t their style, so why not get it revamped?

My first upcycled piece was a very personal one to me.  My dear father died at a crazy young age.  I ended up making my mother a new ring with 2 types of metal wrapped together to signify the two of them, and their initials pierced out on the inside – she loved it and decided that it was all she wanted to wear on her ring finger.  A while later, she asked me if I would like her engagement, wedding, and eternity rings to use in other pieces.  I was a bit taken aback – surely they had huge sentimental meaning – but she insisted that she wanted me to have them and didn’t want them left in the back of a drawer.  I ended up cutting the gold shank off the engagement ring and using the classic solitaire diamond setting as a gorgeous pendant on a gold chain for my mum – she hasn’t taken that off since either.  I made myself a ring with all the remaining gold and the diamonds and emeralds from the eternity ring – it was the kind of primitive, medieval style that I favour and the only extra bit I added was a gorgeous ruby.  I think of my dad every time that I wear it.

Sometimes I am asked to retrieve the stones from settings and then use them in completely new metal.  There might not be enough metal for me to be able to melt down and re-use – if there are only small amounts I might melt it down into tiny balls and use them as additional detail on the new piece.  Cutting stones out of old jewellery is not a fun job, so don’t expect that it will be a cheap way to get new jewellery – it is actually pretty stressful, especially if the tiny stones are flush set in hard white gold or platinum.  I break out in a cold sweat worrying that a diamond is going to ping out and fly across the studio (this hasn’t happened yet I hasten to add – the stones have usually become so grimy through wear that they are pretty well stuck into the metal!).

Gold and garnets recycled from an unwanted brooch

9ct gold and silver with garnets

Silver and rose gold with diamonds, emeralds, peridot and tourmaline

18ct gold around silver with sapphire and diamonds

If there is a good amount of metal to melt down (and hallmarking is important here – you need to know exactly what you are working with), I melt it into a nugget and then spend a considerable amount of time and energy hammering it out, re-annealing it, and putting it through my roller to give me something to work with.  It might also require the addition of some metal grain to increase the volume.  Because my work tends to be chunky and bold, the re-fashioned gold and silver may form a layer over new metal.

A lovely piece that I made recently included 2 narrow rings of 9ct gold that didn’t have a lot of value, but they had belonged to my client’s late grandmother – she wanted something made from them so that she’d always be reminded of her.  My client liked my Juno rings, and I struggled for a while wondering what to do with the small amount of metal.  I decided to hammer and texture the bands and then solder them together to form one ring – it was then topped with a carved silver bezel containing a blue topaz.  She was thrilled with the result – one of my Juno rings plus the added meaning offered by her grandmother’s jewellery.

Another client had never particularly liked the setting of her engagement ring – it was one of those awkward situations of having to admit to her husband after 10 years that she’d really rather have it re-styled.  The diamond was an absolutely stunning princess cut stone – very valuable.  She liked the style of my jewellery, but I don’t do any traditional claw-set pieces – mine is all pretty contemporary.  I warned her that her diamond would not get the same amount of light shining through it once set in a carved rub-over setting.  She decided that she would rather have the contemporary style and have something that she really would enjoy to wear.  Luckily she was thrilled to bits with her new ring and I breathed a sigh of relief!!

Colour

I often have people who tell me that they “don’t do gold” or “I only wear silver”, “I can’t wear red” or “I hate yellow”.  It has got me thinking about colour and how I think that sometimes people (especially women it has to be said) get a fixation about colours and what works on them.  I have to admit that I am drawn to certain colours over others – I realise that I choose turquoise and teal and those greeny-blue colours without really realising it (my bathroom, my exhibition stand, the ribbons on my packaging, my daughter’s feature wall!!), but not necessarily for my jewellery or my clothes, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that what you like looking at is what you feel works “on” you.

Sweetie rings with amethyst, aquamarine and blue chalcedony

I had a rather under-confident woman come up to me at a show the other day and tell me that she had had her “colours” done years ago and she had been told that gold was her colour (in terms of jewellery), so that is what she had religiously stuck to.  She then went back to another colour consultant (and I hadn’t even realised that colour consultancy was still a thing!), who had told her that silver was her colour for jewellery.  Well she was thrown into such a quandary!  I have to admit to a quiet inward chuckle and thought surely that proves that this colour thing can hardly be an exact science.  I added to her confusion by saying “what about wearing both depending on how you feel?”  What about maybe even choosing jewellery that is made with a mix of metals?  Surely by wearing mixed metal jewellery you are not limiting yourself to one palette and you can have lots more fun!

Black opal set in 18ct gold with Sterling silver shank

Historically, I believe, there was an issue with mixing metals in pieces of jewellery because of the hallmarking process.  Jewellers would stringently stick to one carat of gold for instance.  Now if you create a piece primarily in Sterling silver with details in yellow gold you can get part-marks detailing the different metals – the Assay Office has eventually moved with the times.  Jewellery has become so much more experimental, fun, not only for the rich and showy.

There are always changing fashions of course – bright shiny gold might not necessarily be so in favour, and some people think that silver is just the cooler, more wearable metal – it might not actually be down to what “suits”.  And what about what jewellery means or says about you.  We all know that gold is so, so much more expensive than silver – if you like bold statement jewellery like me, there is no way that I could afford to have those pieces in solid gold.  I have no issue with the “colour” gold – I love it – but because I’m not a billionaire I choose to wear pieces that are mainly silver with detailing in gold.  I love a gold bezel around certain colours of stone – 18ct yellow gold looks so regal around a blood red ruby.  The coolness of an aquamarine is set off beautifully by a paler 9ct yellow gold.  And the gold doesn’t have to be mirror polished – I prefer it subtly brushed or textured.

Juno ring with blue topaz, 9ct gold, and Sterling silver

There are lots of cultural differences around choice of metal too – we know about the Indian preference of investing in gold and wearing your investment as jewellery.  I once worked with a fascinating guy who travelled constantly as an event electrician – he was constantly up in the rigging of big music venues and the like.  He had multiple piercings (I didn’t see them all!) and wore huge gold chains around his neck all the time with big gold rings on his fingers.  I asked him about all his jewellery and he said that while he was travelling and working without any commitment or ties, he would invest his money in gold and wear it proudly.  When the time came to settle down, he would sell off his jewellery as he needed – as good a choice as any I thought!  Plus he looked pretty damn cool – an identity completely of his own.

I think that you also need to look at why you wear jewellery – who is it for?  Personally I wear it for me – I love it.  I love the fun of it and I really love the colours and the texture.  Through making jewellery I’ve had quite a journey with colour.  I always felt a bit funny about yellow – whenever I tried to wear it I’d look at myself and think I looked unwell!  But now I can’t get enough of yellow and orange gemstones – they really, really work in jewellery – they are bright, attention grabbing, and happy.  Even if you feel a bit daunted by a colour, try it in your jewellery – you’ll be surprised how it works.  If you can’t have a splash of brilliant colour in a ring or in your earrings, where on earth can you?

Double flower earrings with lemon quartz

Inspiration

I am constantly inspired by all sorts of things around me.  And the problem is that sometimes I have to switch off the ideas part of my brain in order to get on with the job in hand.  I find myself jumping up from my seat throughout the day to further research an idea or delve through my drawers of stones and metal – before I know it, I’ve used up another hour of my “making” day trying to work out another new idea.

Eleanor Christine Jewellery

When I started making jewellery I actively sought out inspiration and I probably looked in the more obvious places – I marvelled at the work of other jewellers and invested in book after book of exquisite and inspiring jewellery.  It wasn’t that I had the skill or experience to try to recreate that work, but I would be inspired by small details that would lead me into a style of my own.  For example, the textures created on metal, or the simple beauty of a hand-made clasp, or the mixing of metals to create contrasting colour.

One of the first places that I visited was the jewellery collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum – I was mesmerised by the techniques that goldsmiths have used for hundreds of years – the days when making jewellery required many years of apprenticeship and a maker would hone one particular skill until it was perfect – engraving, enamelling, filigree.  But I was mainly drawn to tribal and primitive jewellery – in fact I always have been.  It is the materials that speak to me most – I love the malleability of metal, the way it can be shaped in ways you would not have believed possible.  I still have my sketchbook from my first visit to the V&A (you can’t take photos) – I was drawn to pattern and sculptural shape.

My biggest inspiration is Alexander Calder – he had a modernist take on tribal ornament.  All his life he carried pliers and bits of wire in his pockets.  As he once put it “I think best in wire”.  Calder is now best known for his sculpture and his huge scale mobiles, but he was working out his ideas in jewellery.  The first time he exhibited his jewellery in 1929, it was right beside his sculpture and his paintings.  I love the beaten metal (he doesn’t polish out the marks), and I love the repeated swirls of the almost liquid metal.  I find his work hugely sexy and edgy.

Alexander Calder Jewellery pieces

As well as Calder, there is Henry Moore and Picasso – again, that primitive yet modern approach.  The shapes, weight, and pattern that they create with simple lines utterly inspires me.  The hollow spaces are just as crafted as the solid material.

Colour and texture have developed as a major component of my work – I think that the inspiration for this comes mainly from my love of gems.  The stones that I find drive me to design around them – what will set them off well?  How can I make the most of that shape and colour?  However, I spend a long time studying colour too.  I like unusual colour combinations and the best place to see this is in nature.  My Pinterest board is full of butterflies and beetles, toadstools and flowers – they aren’t afraid of colours “clashing”, they like it dramatic – nature does it very well!   I stumbled across an exhibition of photographs by Jo Whaley – her book is called “The Theatre of Insects”.  Wow, it was just incredible – I simply had to buy the book.  The insects themselves, of course, are spectacular, but she would juxtapose them against certain backgrounds– for example a heavily rusted piece of metal, a peeling painted door, or a black and white score of music.  The backgrounds made the insects look even more jewel-like, detailed, and ornamental.

Architecture and interior decoration can even inspire me – I like the ruggedness of a skyline and just look at Charles Rennie Macintosh.  I still intend to make some jewellery based on his roses.

Charles Rennie Macintosh

My most recent inspiration has come from animals - tigers and leopards.  Could there be more striking patterns than their coats?  It isn’t only the pattern but the texture of fur that interests me.  I have designed some pieces for men based on tiger print, and some statement women’s pieces with “leopard print”.  The metal is brushed like fur, and layered, pierced, and oxidised to give the appearance of different tones of colour.

Leopard Print Cuff - Eleanor Christine Jewellery

I think that it’s fair to say that I’m rather a sponge – soaking up that inspiration from all around me.

Salisbury Contemporary Craft Festival

I had the pleasure of exhibiting at the Salisbury Contemporary Craft Festival in September - it has to win the category "Festival with the best backdrop" as it sat right beside the stunning cathedral.  A great, sunny weekend had by all.

Wedding Band Workshops

I offer couples the chance to come and make their wedding bands with me in my studio.  It’s a really fun and romantic day for them – they tend to like to make each other’s ring, so that they feel as if their other half will always be wearing something that has been personally made for them – it contains a bit of their soul!  It is meaningful, loving, and has huge significance for their ongoing life together.

 As to the significance of the wedding bands themselves and specifically about why the band was worn on the 4th digit (ring finger) of the left hand, I found out this little gem from a vicar at a wedding recently.  Apparently, before medical science understood about our circulation system, people believed that a vein ran directly from the ring finger to the heart. Because of this hand-heart connection the vein was named "vena amoris" (Latin for "Vein of Love").

There you go - a fact for the dinner table tonight!

When a couple ask me about coming to make wedding bands, there are quite a few details to sort out first of all.  Crucially they need to decide what metal they want – I don’t work with platinum and wouldn’t feel comfortable with novices having a go with it – it requires very high temperatures to solder and also special eye protection as it burns incredibly brightly.  So in the workshops we use Sterling silver and all carats and colours of gold.

 I organise a preliminary meeting with the couple where we can choose the metal, measure ring sizes and also decide on a profile of wire – again, lots to choose from.  Everything from round wire in all sorts of diameters, D-shaped wire in different widths and depths, to rectangular wire which is quite a favourite with the boys.  Once these decisions have been made, I will be able to quote for the bullion that we will need and then purchase as required.

I spend a lot of time reassuring the couple that I will be watching over their every move and will ensure that they can’t screw up their precious piece of jewellery. There is always one half of the couple far more nervous than the other!  It is wise to have the workshop session at least a couple of months before the wedding day, so that there is time to tidy up the work and also to get the pieces hallmarked and also have any required personal messages engraved.  As with all weddings there seems to be a lot of stress being bounced around, so knowing that their bands are complete, perfect, and sitting with them ready for the big day is a bonus.

 On the day of the workshop, we will have a play around with copper and other base metal.  They will have the chance to form up rings from wire, learn about annealing, soldering, use of the saw, and especially filing, sanding, and polishing.  Perfecting these techniques won’t happen in a day, but the “students” are much more smiley once they see that solder run and they see that they can do it.

 Boys and girls have varying opinions on these special rings that they will be wearing for the rest of their lives – many guys don’t want a bright, blingy ring, they may well choose a brushed, satinised, or frosted finish.  This is something that can be done during the workshop.  Girls may well choose narrow and elegant because it may need to sit with an engagement ring.

 Not everybody wants standard bands.  Ronnie and Daffyd came to me with an inherited 22ct gold band that had sentimental significance and they wanted to use half the gold in one ring and half in the other.  They also wanted to be involved in the process of “making”.  Now this was a tricky one – none of the process was really easy enough for them to do.  In the end, we designed the 2 rings between us at meetings.  Once all was agreed I invited them to the studio to come and saw open the 22ct gold band, anneal it, and hammer it flat so that I would be able to proceed with the rest of the making.  They felt really happy that they had commenced the work – it was a special moment (the kind that brings tears to my eyes!).  As to the rings themselves, Daffyd’s had a ring of 22ct gold sandwiched between 2 layers of silver – it was rectangular in profile with a brushed finish.  Ronnie’s ring had a silver base layer and around it was wrapped the 22ct gold, which was beautifully engraved with a floral pattern – she tells me that she smiles every time she looks at it.

Arthur Lewis Photography

 So – wedding band workshops – you need to be ever flexible, ever reassuring, ever watchful, and provide lots of tea and sandwiches!