I wanted to do justice to this really beautiful agate stone and have a more organic surround to it, so I have hammered the silver to make it also look like weathered stone and I think that it really shows to advantage it. 

A friend of mine asked if I could set a pottery brooch of hers as a pendant, seeing as it had sentimental value and she wasn't wearing it much as a brooch.  She didn't want any fancy design, just a setting to show off her cabochon as best as possible and I really like how this turned out.

I saw a picture of this leaf, and just knew that it would be a lovely pendant.  I hammered the design into the silver sheet and then I turned it over and hammered the 3D look in.  Hope you like it as much as I do!!!

Hi, all, just wanted to share this new pendant I made.  The glass cabochon is made by my friend Nola Ladwig, and I am hoping she will make many more, they are really pretty, The picture doesn't really do justice to the piece because of the way the glass reflects light, but it's not too bad. 

I was brushing my teeth, and I noticed a moth on the wall, and it gave me an idea for a pair of earrings.  So, here is the pic of the moth, and the pair of earrings that it inspired!!!  You might not see what I saw, but I am really happy with how my earrings turned out.

I have been experimenting with doodling to create different textures and while playing around I came up with this simple but fun design which I thought would make funky earrings, my teenage daughter likes them, so perhaps I was right!!!  I pierced the design out of sterling silver, let me know what you think!!!

I have been really bad about updating my blog, and have made several pieces of jewelry since March, but haven't really been taking pictures, partly because I am not managing to take awesome photos, but also because life has been so hectic that I haven't really been thinking straight and taking pictures before the pieces go off to their new homes.  Yes, I have been selling my jewellery quite well, so exciting.  And here is a picture of a piece I am very proud of.  I pierced (sawed) out my pattern on to sheet metal, and then meaured and made the bezel for the stone and soldered it in the middle of my design and once it was polished, I set the orange agate stone.  I hope you like it!!!

Kerryn has really wanted me to make a K pendant for her since I made a D pendant for someone else, and so last weekend when I was needing to cast some more plate (silver sheet) and wire, I thought it would be a good opportunity to let her do her K.  First she had to carve her K into a cuttlefish, which we then put together with another cuttlefish to make the mould to pour the melted silver into, and then I melted the silver and cast!!!  Then she decided she needed to have a stone in it, namely her birthstone, which is an emerald.  Nothing cheap for my daughter!!!  So I flushset the stone, she soldered the ring onto the top for the chain, with a little help!!!  And Voila!!! 

Although it is already 24 days past New Year!!!  I cannot believe how quickly time has gone, I have been so busy getting the kids ready and off to boarding school that I didn't have time to stop and smell the roses!!!!  Anyway, New Year's resolution is to update my blog at least once a week, let's see how it goes. 

I am wanting to really get stuck into making jewellery and finding a place to market it this year.  That said, I am still helping my husband out in the mornings, so I will just have to be more organised and with no children at home, I should really have much more time available. 

I am very pleased with this piece.  It is a Coat of Arms commissioned form someone's 21st birthday, and I think it turned out really well.  The emerald at the top has sentimental value as well, although I don't know the whole story.  I am really enjoying creating jewellery with a 3D effect.

My sister commissioned me to make this for a special friend, it reflected the light when I took the picture, but Ali was very happy with the result!!!!

A customer asked me to add two stones to her ring which contained the champagne topaz which you will see in the middle of the ring.  She is really thrilled with it, and while I am not sure I will modify something that someone else made again, I learned a lot about ring construction.

I am very happy to announce that I have found a very reasonable source of factory made sterling silver chains which I will be able to offer, with or without my pendants, for sale!!!  Which is great, because although I can and have made some chains, and I like making chain, it is time consuming and consequently they are expensive if they are handmade.  I have a small range of different ones in stock at very competitive prices, so don't delay!!!! 

Also, remember that I do offer a repair service, for both gold and silver jewellery, which I personally take to a very respected company in Durban to repair!!! 

This is the next in my Zulu range of jewellery, and I think it has turned out very well.  The picture has reflected the light more than I wanted, but after many attempts, this was the best I could do.

I made this a little while ago but battled to take a photo that did it justice, and am still not sure this is a great picture, but it does show how the lines of the swirls pick up the lines in my jasper stone.  

I am very pleased to say that a few of my pieces have been accepted by Artisan Gallery, 344 Florida Road in Durban.  I hope that I will be able to take a few more pieces to them as soon as possible.  Their website address is www. artisan.co.za.  This means that I have taken my shop on my website down and will only sell through Artisan or you can contact me if you wish to commission me to make special items or reproduce anything you have seen in my gallery.

I am going to an evening class at the Durban Tech once a week, I had my first one last week and it was really good to go and take the things I have been struggling with and get help with them.  I am doing this, for several reasons, but mostly to improve my technical skills and have access to their equipment which I wouldn't otherwise be able to experience.  Very exciting for me to go and meet people who have the same interests!!!!

So watch this space for more developments!!!

Finally finished this pendant, I would like to say I planned this, but this one just evolved, beginning with the lovely Rose Quartz stone.  The picture unfortunately doesn't do it justice!!!

I am very excited to be able to announce that my jewellery is now on sale at the Baobab Art Gallery in Eshowe, Janine Andrews is the owner and a very accomplished artist herself.  The gallery is normally open mornings, but just to make sure, here is Janine's number, 0726738710, definitely worth a look, especially if you have visitors and want something to do!! 

I cannot believe we are already in April, and unfortunately I haven't been very good about writing updates, but then I haven't been very productive.  I have been working for my hubbie at our shop while he had someone on maternity leave, so I haven't managed to do much, but she's back!!!!!  Hooray, so this is hopefully the beginning of a much more productive period!!!

I haven't quite finished this, it needs some more sanding and polishing, but this is a pendant.  The stone is malachite and I put all the rings around because of the bubble swirls on the stone.  I am not sure I like it, but at least I am being productive again.

I had begun beading again, instigated by my sister Laura, but more as a hobby than very seriously and then when she began wedding plans she asked if I could make her a tiara and she gave me a pic with her ideas.  And this was the result!!!  And the beginning of my exciting journey into the world of jewellery!!!  I would love to do more wedding jewellery, maybe I should explore this avenue.

A friend of mine asked if I could make a pendant that she had that she felt was too small as a pendant into a ring for her daughter for Christmas.  I felt that I could and that all I needed to do was set the pendant as if it was a stone.  I think it has come out very well.  My pictures aren't very good, but I think you can see how pretty it is.  It is quite large for a ring, but the fashion is for large!!!

Happy New Year everyone, I hope that this year will be an easier year than last year for everyone!!!!  I thought I should lay out my goals in black and white and then I can't wiggle out of them!!

My goal is to go and market my jewellery at galleries in Durban.  I have tried markets, but really don't enjoy sitting around and selling.  I do have a few contacts, so I am going to try all within in my power to really get my jewellery out there!!!

This is very exciting for me, I have managed to create my own website, (with help from MrSite.com) and now I have decided to add on a blog for me to document anything about my jewellery.  I do have another blog, but I think that I am going to leave that one (www.silverpennydesigns.blogspot.com and begin this one as part of my website.  Kind of makes sense that I have them together.  And my New Year's Resolution is to update it at least once a week!!!!