Some sea glass and silver rings, shown here against a backdrop of one of my favourite flowers! 🌊🌸 Both flowers and sea glass are strong sources of inspiration for my jewellery, and if you were to ask me what my greatest influences were I’d probably say a mix of nature and the ocean. I love to be amongst trees and flowers, and I also feel equally at home being by the sea. The actual materials I use and the colours I am most drawn to also play a big part in my designs. I adore all shades of pink and green in particular when it comes to gemstones, and blues, greys and aquas are my first choices for sea glass. I find that choosing materials and creating pieces that I personally love can be a real motivator when it comes to making jewellery - the downside of this being that I usually want to keep it all afterwards! Not these rings though. I deliberately made these in a wide range of sizes so they don’t all fit me and I can’t keep them. Instead they’ll be available at the new @madebyjewellers gallery next month! 🙃 Kelly xx #GetSetForSummer25 #jewellerymaker #seaglasslover #seaglass #iloveseaglass #seaglassrings #handmadejewellery

There’s a brand new jewellery gallery opening in Brighton, and I’m really excited to be showcasing my work there! I’ve mentioned a few times recently that I’ve been busy making some pieces to sell ‘in-person’ and now it’s officially been launched I can share the details with you too! 🤩 The gallery is located within the studios of @jewellersacademybrighton and will include a selection of gorgeous handmade jewellery available to view and buy. You can find out more by checking out the gallery insta page @madebyjewellers and the new website which is linked through that account, and which I’ll share to my stories today. The first exhibition features 16 of the Jewellers Academy Brighton tutor team and will open with a private viewing event on Thursday 11th September 6-8pm. I will be there too, as I just so happen to be teaching a sea glass jewellery course on the same day 🌊⚒️ So if you’re able to get to Brighton on that evening too and would like to be one of the first to view the collection, do come along! 🙂 Kelly x #jewellerymaker #handmadejewellery #artisanjewellery #jewellerygallery #handcraftedjewellery

Sea glass and sunshine - two of my summer essentials! This was an unexpected find today but I’m rather pleased with it. Not a colour I come across very often, and on turning it around in my hand after filming the clip I realised that it’s heart-shaped too. This piece of mermaid’s treasure would make a lovely silver pendant methinks! 🌊🧜🏼‍♀️ Kelly xx #GetSetForSummer25 #seaglasslover #seaglass #iloveseaglass #seaglasshunter #oceangifts #beachtreasures #beachfinds #beachcombing #beachcombingaddict #vitaminsea #sealover #seaside #besidethesea

A little Monday motivation for my fellow artists, crafters, makers and creators! ⚒️💕🫶 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I saw this quote once and it has stuck with me so much that I think of it every time I sit down at my bench. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sometimes when you create things as a business it can be easy to get lost in the transactional side of things and forget why we started off doing what we do. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But whenever we make something we are producing something that didn’t exist in the world before and as a jewellery maker that usually means pretty (and often sparkly and shiny) things. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So a bench day is never just an ordinary day - I get to make something beautiful and that to me is pretty good motivation! 🙃 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kelly x ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #GetSetForSummer25 #mondaymotivation #makersgonnamake #creativecommunity #makesomethingbeautiful

Down by the seaside! 🌊 I’ve been trying to make the effort to get out for a walk each morning, and since I’m lucky enough to have the beach only a stone’s throw away from my house, that’s where I usually go. I don’t get nearly as much exercise during the holidays as I do during term time, and I am starting to miss the daily ritual of walking my daughters to school and back. That totals two miles a day for me - longer if I take a detour along the seafront on my way home. I’ve managed to persuade at least one of them to accompany me on a few occasions this summer, but if they don’t want to come then it’s EarPods instead and music for company. Just loud enough to help me zone out and relax a little, but quiet enough that I can still hear the waves! My youngest daughter Cleo came with me this morning. She’s the one with the huge stick of driftwood. Took a little persuasion but she eventually agreed to leave it behind. For now at least. Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend, Kelly x #GetSetForSummer25 - ‘Out and About’

Set some sea glass with me! ⚒️🌊 This is a time lapse of the rings I’ve been making this week and shows the very final stage where I’m setting the sea glass into the bezels. For those interested in the technical stuff, I’m using a ball vice to secure the band into, and it’s so much easier than using a ring clamp. The vice I have is 3” in size and is from Vevor. I’d love a snazzy GRS one but they’re over four times the price and this does the job just as well. I’m also using a tiny piece of polishing cloth to protect the base of the setting. I do have some Thermoloc and whilst that would probably hold everything more securely, it needs to be removed using heat. I don’t know the history of the sea glass I’m using and don’t want to risk it cracking by exposing it to a heat gun, and trying to use hot water to soften the Thermoloc without submerging the whole ring is just a faff. The setting tool I use is a curved burnisher, which I’ve shared in several reels before. I did try using the hammer handpiece for my bezels but it left too many marks that then needed polishing out. Perhaps I’m using the wrong attachment with it, but no matter what other tools I try, the simple burnisher and a bit of effort gives me the most control and the best results. It’s a good workout for the shoulder muscles too! Oh, and yes - the bench is already a mess again… 🫣 Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend, Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes ##howitsmade #makingjewelry #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #tooladdict #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #processreel #seaglass #handcraftedjewellery #seaglasslove #seaglassrings #iloveseaglass #seaglassjewelry #seaglassjewellery

A handful of silver rings, soon to be set with sea glass - just one of the things I’ve been working on this week! ⚒️🌊💍 Since recording this clip I’ve given the settings a polish and added a patina to bring out the details in the bands. I used patterned wire for two of these and I want those tiny swirly scrolls to show up! I’ve just got to set the glass in place now and they’ll be all finished. I do love the combination of silver and sea glass together. Not just because the colours match so well, but I think there’s something so appealing about the frostiness of the glass contrasting against the smooth shine of the metal. The prompt for yesterday’s #GetSetForSummer25 challenge was ‘silver or gold’ and although I’ve now finally experienced working with gold thanks to the Diploma I’ve recently finished, I don’t think it’s going to feature regularly in my designs. I mean, never say never… but not only is the cost of gold just so ridiculously prohibitive right now, I’m not sure exactly where or how I’d use it. Perhaps one day I might combine it with some gemstones, but I don’t think I’ve ever come across sea glass jewellery made with gold. Would you try it or buy it? Let me know! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #seaglassjewellery #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #seaglassring #silverjewellery #silverrings #silverjewelry

One of my favourite bezel-setting tips! ⚒️ I’ve shared this once before, but it was quite a while ago and since I’m currently sitting at my bench filming stuff anyway, I thought I’d share it again. The quickest method I’ve found to get an even border around a bezel setting is to take a piece of scrap wire and simply hold it in place between the bezel wall and a pen as you draw around the whole thing. A super-fine marker is always best for getting a clear line, but it doesn’t have to be a scrap of wire. I have used the stems of burrs before and even drill bits and broken cocktail sticks - whatever happens to be close at hand and the right size for the border width you want! 🙃 Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #bezelsettings #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #jewellerytools #jewelrytools #metalsmith #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #jewelrytips #jewelrytipsandtricks

A handy tool for cleaning up the inside of bezel settings! ⚒️ These are silicone carbide polishing burrs, by Eveflex. They come in a range of different grits and a huge assortment of shapes and sizes too - and have a 2.34mm shank to fit most rotary tools. I love using these cylinder ones for polishing and refining the inside of bezel settings as the flat base means they don’t leave visible lines or marks. They are fab for the insides of ring bands too. (If there is any excess solder on the inside of my bezel setting, I remove that first before polishing using an inverted cone burr to gently grind it away.) You can also get finer polishing pins in the same colours that are held in a mandrel which you buy separately. These come in a range of sizes too; the ones I’m using here are a teeny 2mm which makes them perfect for really small settings! I also love using the wheel shapes, especially for removing excess metal and sharp edges, and the flame shape polishing points are my go-to for tidying up solder around jump rings. I like the blue ones (coarse finish) for that particular task. If you want to see the full range of shapes and sizes available, and the exact definitions of the colours/grits then head over to @maddisonsofdurham who have a huge selection and a colour-coded guide on their website You can also use the code EVEFLEX15 to get 15% off their full Eve range! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #jewellerytools #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #jewelrytools #whatsonmybench #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking

What I’m currently reading! 📚 That’s the prompt for today’s #GetSetForSummer25 challenge and at the moment I’m enjoying working my way through these wonderful magazines. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ They were passed on to me by my very kind friend and fellow beachcomber Su @whats_on_my_beach and although they were written and published in the USA they contain articles and topics from countries and coasts all over the world. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Whilst fascinating to read, I have to admit they’re also sparking some pangs of wanderlust and a desire to travel and explore other beaches! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sea glass in particular can vary hugely in quantity, quality and colour from place to place, so to be able to have a collection gathered from all over the globe would be something of a dream. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Do you have an international sea glass or beachcombing collection? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Let me know where your best finds came from! 🙃🌊 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kelly x ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #beachcombing #thalassophile #seaglasslover

Making a sea glass pendant; a bird’s eye view! ⚒️🌊 It’s currently the middle of the summer holidays here in the UK so my normal routine is all a bit shaken up with children at home and less time to be at the bench. This clip shows what I’d usually be doing though! I love making jewellery with sea glass, as well as with gemstones and even just silver on its own. I’m very fortunate to be able to do something I enjoy so much as my day job, and recently I’ve started diversifying with some teaching too. It doesn’t feel like ‘work’ to me. At least not the actual making part anyway. The business side of things is slightly less fun! 🙃 Kelly xx #GetSetForSummer25 posting challenge; ‘The Day Job’ #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #howitsmade #makingjewelry #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #tooladdict #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #processreel #seaglassnecklace #seaglass #handcraftedjewellery #seaglasslove #seaglasspendant #iloveseaglass #seaglassjewelry #seaglassjewellery #silverjewellery

How I drill sea glass! ⚒️🌊 I get asked this question quite a lot, so I’ve detailed the process I use in a carousel for easy reference. I did make a reel on this topic a couple of years ago, but at the time I was limited in time to 60 or 90 seconds and it was almost impossible to include all the details. Hopefully this makes it easier to digest for any of you who may be interested! I may also go on to make another reel now I’ve finally been awarded the three-minute extension, so let me know if you’d be interested in seeing it in video format too! If you have any questions please just ask, and remember that as with anything like this there is more than one way to drill sea glass. This is just the way that works best for me! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #seaglass #seaglassjewellery #seaglassjewelry #makingjewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking #dremel #dremelmaker

Shout me out some size suggestions please! 🙏🏻 I’m currently making some sea glass rings but I don’t know which sizes are most popular… I don’t often make rings (at all) for my business as I sell mainly online and it’s hard for people to buy them without trying them on first. BUT I have been offered a really exciting opportunity to have a collection of my work included in an upcoming exhibition event, and this means rings can finally be a viable option! I’ll share more about the event itself very soon, but in the meantime I’m building up some stock and it would be really helpful to know what range of sizes I should include in the selection. And also, would you prefer a bright and shiny finish like the ring here, or an oxidised/satin finish like I often use in my statement pendants? Or would you like to have a choice of both? 🤔 I’m a terrible judge of this sort of thing so all recommendations and suggestions would be very welcome! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #seaglassjewelry #seaglasslove #seaglassrings #seaglassjewellery

Making some silver bands ready to turn into sea glass rings! 🌊⚒️ There’s something quite relaxing about making lots of ring bands all at once. I think I get lost in the repetition of the process. I also love being alone in the workshop (apart from Gandalf who is currently asleep under my bench) and listening to music as I work. The prompt for today’s #GetSetForSummer25 challenge is ‘Background Music’ and I’m one of those people who hates total silence! Music really helps me focus, just as too much quiet causes my mind to drift. I usually have the radio on in the background around the house all day, and in the mornings I like to listen to it in here too. But by midday I’m usually bored of that and switch to something else - often just asking my smart speaker to play me something. My taste is pretty varied and my allegiance to particular bands or artists is often fleeting, but I’m a big fan of indie music as well as classic rock tracks, and even country. Anything that has a steady beat, a catchy tune and lyrics I can sing along with will do for me, and I will often find a favourite song and listen to it on repeat for days (much to the irritation of my family) and then never play it again! Do you like background music too, or are you a podcast fan? Or perhaps you are the opposite of me and prefer peace and quiet? Let me know! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #silverrings #silverjewelry #processreel

What colours make you happy? 💕🌿 For me that has to be pink and green. You may have noticed I’m especially fond of those, and even after choosing them as my main branding colours over six years ago I’m still obsessed. I will stop and take photos of pink flowers whenever I see them out and about, I wear a lot of green clothes, and even throughout my workshop you can spot tools and others things in these colours. I also love pink and green gemstones and sea glass too, and will always take up an opportunity to use them in my designs. This collection shows a few of my favourite ever jewellery creations that feature one of other of these shades! Do you have a favourite colour, or colours that you are drawn to above all others? 🙃 Kelly x #GetSetForSummer25 challenge: ‘Colour Me Happy’ #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #statementnecklace #ooakjewelry #jewelrymaker #handmadejewellery #oneofakind

Do you use this method too? ⚒️ This tip for work-hardening stud posts isn’t one of my own discoveries and I’ve seen it shared several times before, but here it is again for anyone who hasn’t come across it yet. The same method can also be used for straightening wire too, which is especially helpful if you are working with shorter lengths for things like earring hooks! Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #studearrings #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #jewellerytools #jewelrytools #metalsmith #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #silverearrings #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #jewelrytips

Sailing on the Solent, in the summer sunshine! ⛵️ Today’s prompt for my August #GetSetForSummer25 challenge was ‘On The Water’ and that’s exactly where I’ve been for most of the day. My family have recently adopted a 1997 Bavaria 35 sailboat which we have named Skylark. It’s not easy to organise holidays whilst Mr W&T is still serving in the Navy so this is a great way to spend time together in a more spontaneous and flexible manner. If the sun shines and the wind and tide are in our favour, we’ll aim to set sail! 🌊⚓️ I’m still learning the ropes (literally) and there’s a lot of information to try and absorb, but I’m picking it up steadily - as are the girls. The sea has always been in my blood and although this is a very different type of sailing to anything I did during my own time in the Navy, I’m loving it so far. When the wind picks up and the engine goes off there’s a sort of perfect peace that I don’t find anywhere else these days. I’m not sure I’d feel quite so keen about venturing out on the waves during the colder winter months, but hopefully we still have several more weeks of sunshine to make the most of first! 🙂 Kelly xx #sailing #learningtosail #onceasailoralwaysasailor #TheSolent #sailboating #thalassophile #oceanlover

‘Keeping Me Company’ is the prompt for today’s Instagram posting challenge, and during the month of August that is essentially kids and cats! Whenever I’m working in my studio at least one, if not both, of the cats will come and join me. They like to sleep under the bench or compete for my desk chair. And my main companions are of course my daughters, and Mr W&T when he’s on leave. So far this summer it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. Some days everyone gets on really well and other days the girls are at loggerheads with each other from dusk ‘til dawn… 😬 I like to think it all evens out in the end and I know most households are the same! It’s not made any easier by the fact they’re so close in age (9, 10 and 11) and totally and completely different in terms of personality, but I’m looking forward to more adventures together over the coming weeks. They say we only get eighteen summers with our children, and I’m determined to enjoy this one with mine - squabbles and bickering aside! 🙃 Kelly x #GetSetForSummer25 #keepingmecompany #motherofgirls #britishshorthairs #mytribe

‘Keeping Me Company’ is the prompt for today’s Instagram posting challenge, and during the month of August that is essentially kids and cats! Whenever I’m working in my studio at least one, if not both, of the cats will come and join me. They like to sleep under the bench or compete for my desk chair. And my main companions are of course my daughters, and Mr W&T when he’s on leave. So far this summer it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. Some days everyone gets on really well and other days the girls are at loggerheads with each other from dusk ‘til dawn… 😬 I like to think it all evens out in the end and I know most households are the same! It’s not made any easier by the fact they’re so close in age (9, 10 and 11) and totally and completely different in terms of personality, but I’m looking forward to more adventures together over the coming weeks. They say we only get eighteen summers with our children, and I’m determined to enjoy this one with mine - squabbles and bickering aside! 🙃 Kelly x #GetSetForSummer25 #keepingmecompany #motherofgirls #mytribe #britishshorthairs

Shall I make more sea glass earrings? 🤔 I’m in the midst of a sea glass creating spree this week, and realised that I haven’t made any earrings for a while. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I think I find it tricky because the glass will never be an exact match and lack of symmetry in earrings irks me, but perhaps I should get over that. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I mean, there will always be a head in-between them when worn so it’s not like they’ll be up for a direct side-by-side comparison! 😬 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Let me know if you’d to see more sea glass earrings available, and whether you’d prefer hooks, hoops or studs. Also if you’d prefer a bezel-set style like these, or just simple drilled ones… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I can’t make my mind up so any guidance from you lovely people would be welcome! 🙏🏻 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kelly x ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #seaglassjewellery #seaglassearrings #seaglassjewelry

Who’s with me? It’s such a satisfying sound, and also a relief, when the sea glass is finally pushed into the bezel and you hear that ‘click’… 🤩⚒️ No matter how carefully I work and how many times I check, it’s never over until it’s over and that little pebble is safely in place and secured with the silver. And sea glass is especially tricky as it’s difficult to test the setting once the backplate is on without it getting stuck. Dental floss is a great option for checking the fit of smooth and shiny gemstones in a bezel, but I find there’s something about the frosty texture and rounded shape of the glass that holds it more securely in the silver. I choose never to risk it by trying out the fit of the glass before I’m ready to actually set it, so that makes that final ‘click’ all the more reassuring! 🙃 Kelly x #jewellerymaker #whatsonmybench #seaglassjewellery #whatsonyourbench #workinprogress #seaglass #jewelleratwork #jewelrymaking #handmadejewellery #jewelrymaker #jewellerymaking

‘The View From Here’ - this is today’s prompt for the #GetSetForSummer25 posting challenge, and this is what I’m currently looking at! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m looking forward to getting out and about a bit more this month, but for now it’s a bench day. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The weather is decidedly autumnal with gusty winds and gloomy skies, and my children are happily playing with ALL the Lego, so we’re hunkering down and enjoying the cosiness of being indoors today. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m still within reach of the kitchen for snack distribution and am listening out for conflict, so hopefully I’ll get a fair bit done today. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ll share what I make later on in my stories. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And if you’d like to join in this challenge it’s not too late to start! 🙃 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #whereiwork #mystudio #jewellersworkshop #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #handmadejewellery #tooladdict #jewellerytools

This is the soldering flux I use when making jewellery! ⚒️🔥 I used to have a borax cone, but switched to Auroflux as I found it quicker and easier to apply and it was less messy. The original bottle is pretty large though, and as my workshop is inside my home I have a large lockable drawer where I can safely store any substances that could potentially be harmful. I keep a small glass jar for the flux that I’m actively using, with just a tiny amount in there at any one time. This feels much safer, and it means I don’t waste too much if it should accidentally become dirty or contaminated and need replacing. I just screw the lid back on the jar when I’ve finished using it and it lives behind the soldering blocks - out of the way of direct sunlight and where it can’t get knocked about. There are LOTS of different options available when it comes to flux, and I’ve not tried them all. But this one works well for me at the moment (on all metals) so that’s what I’ve been using for the last few years! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #soldering #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #howitsmade #whatsonmybench #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking

Did you know there’s a word for the smell of rain? ☔️ Petrichor; it’s one of my favourite words and one of my favourite scents too! ⛈️ Do you love or loath the summer rains? I love the freshness that comes with it after weeks of dry weather, and that sweet scent that arises when it soaks into the warm earth. I took this clip of my garden on Thursday afternoon, when the rain first started. At that point we didn’t anticipate a thunderstorm that would go on to last for a couple of hours though! It was one of the most intense and prolonged ones I’ve experienced in a long time, and I do hope none of you were affected by any flash flooding 🫣 Things have been much brighter today though and the sunshine eventually returned this afternoon, so we’ve been enjoying some family time sailing out on the Solent. I’m also looking forward to some quiet time at the bench tomorrow if I can sneak in a few hours. There are still several projects I’d like to finish, and whilst I’m enjoying a bit of a break I do want to try and maintain a balance too. On the subject of that, thanks so much to everyone who has joined in with the #GetSetForSummer25 Instagram challenge! I’m going to try and work my way through as many of your brilliant posts this evening as I can, and I’ve really loved seeing everything that has been shared so far! 💕 It’s not too late to join in - just head to the ‘about me’ pinned post on my main page and scroll to the end for the prompts, or you can find the list in my stories too. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 🙂 Kelly x #summerrains #summerrain #petrichor #inmygarden #endofjuly #itsraining

Hello! My name is Kelly and I create handcrafted jewellery from my home studio in Hampshire! 🙂⚒️🌊 This post is a little introduction about me, my story, and how my business came about. It’s also the topic for Day 1 of the #GetSetForSummer25 Instagram challenge that I put together recently. It runs through the month of August (on week days only) and is for anyone who wants to stay active and engaged on Instagram this summer but needs a little help with what to post about! If you’d like to take part then the prompts are included on the final slide on this carousel. And if you’re not so keen on sharing a post about yourself, then why not let us know your favourite things about summer instead? ☀️ Let me know if you’re joining in too, and I hope you have a fabulous Friday! Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #jewelrymaking #jewellerymaking #meetthemaker #mystory #aboutme #mystory #jewellerybusiness #knowyourmaker #smallbizuk #hampshirebusiness

This is always one to remember if you regularly make up your own chains! ⛓️ I’ve been doing this again today and it definitely speeds up the process. I have shared this tip a couple of times before, but it’s one of my favourites! 🙃⚒️ Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #jewelrytips #jewellerytips #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

And that’s a wrap! Here are all the pieces I made during the third and final term of my Diploma In Silver Jewellery with @jewellersacademy 🤩⚒️ The last few projects were focused on more advanced techniques such as claw settings and working with multiple stones - which I loved! There were also several weeks at the end to work on our final projects. We were allowed to create our own designs for these, but they had to showcase at least three of the techniques that were taught on the course. I chose to challenge myself technically and made a book locket pendant, that incorporated saw piercing, complex soldering and hinges and rivets. The ‘cold connections’ week was one of my favourites on the whole course, and I’m already using the techniques in other pieces I’ve been making since. I also felt that soldering was where I personally saw the greatest progress and consolidation of my skills, and I wanted to include the saw piercing because that was the very first technique we did. It was also the one I always wished I’d had time to do again, so it felt a fitting tribute to include it at the end instead! I can’t quite believe the year is already over, but enrolling on the Diploma was one of the best things I’ve done as a jeweller. The improvement in both my technical ability and my confidence over the last few months has been huge, and my only regret is not doing it sooner! Thank you all so much for following along with me and for all the support, motivation, encouragement and advice you have offered. I’ve really enjoyed sharing the journey, and although I’m not going to be moving on to the next Diploma just yet I will be back to share my experiences as I continue learning new skills. Now I’ve realised the value to be had in investing in my own training, I’m not going to stop! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #whatsonmybench #silverjewelry #jewelrymaking #jadiplomadiaries #handmadejewellery #jewelrymaker #jewellerymaking #silverjewellery

It’s finally tidy up time! 🙃⚒️ Every end-of-term school holiday or half term break acts as my reminder to have a de-clutter of my bench and check how many half-completed projects are buried here. I’d love to say I’m one of those people who clears up every time they finish something, but I’m not! Well, not here at least. I take a different approach to the rest of the house and can’t abide clutter and mess, but somehow I feel the opposite about my workbench. I frequently leave things wherever they land each time I put down my tools, in case somehow tidying everything away will remove the creativity along with it - especially if something isn’t quite complete! I’ve been following this routine for a few years now as it prompts me to do it every six weeks or so, which feels achievable. I also have to admit that sitting down to a clean and tidy workspace IS always a nice change. Now the bench is squared away I just have to do the rest of the workshop. I won’t film that bit though as I have a feeling it may take me a wee bit longer! 😬 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #whereiwork #mystudio #jewellersworkshop #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #ladysmith #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #timelapsevideo

Are you in need of some Instagram inspiration this summer? 🙌 Then this posting challenge might help! A couple of weeks ago I asked if any of you would be interested in doing something like this, and promised to come up with one if the idea proved popular. Well, the overwhelming verdict was in favour of the proposal, so here it is! 🙂 It starts this Friday and runs across the month of August. I’ve not included weekends so these can be used to take a break, catch up any missed days or come up with content for the following week. Everyone is welcome to join in and it’s deliberately not jewellery-focused! To take part you simply create a post that ties in with the theme or prompt for that day and add the hashtag #GetSetForSummer25 to the caption text below. This means everyone else taking part can search for that tag and find and engage with each other’s posts too. The prompts can be interpreted any way you see fit, and you can choose to do them all - or just the ones you fancy! There are no prizes on offer for finishing (sorry!) but it’s a great way to keep active on this platform over the summer and enjoy sharing things that might fall slightly outside your usual niche. Feel free to share all or any part of this post, and tag anyone else you think might be interested too! 🙃 Kelly xx #smallbizsupport #dowhatyoulove #instagramchallenge #instachallenge

A quick tip when using beading wire! ✨ I’ve been making some beaded bracelets this afternoon for one of my last remaining Diploma projects (yes, I forgot to finish this one earlier… 🫣) Whilst doing so I thought I’d record and share this quick tip for keeping the beads on the stringing wire until you’re finished. Just wrap a bit of masking tape on one end and they won’t accidentally fall off. Simple to do and easy to remove. I used to make bracelets like this by finishing off one end completely with the clasp or jump ring before adding any beads at all, but the downside of that is you can’t then add any extra beads to the secured end without taking them all off. The tape is temporary which makes it much more flexible if you decide you need to adjust the design before it’s done. This tip may of course be obvious to many of you, but it took me a while (several years) to think of it, so I figured it was worth passing on! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #beadedjewellery #makingjewelry #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking

Isn’t this a beautiful stone? 🤩 It’s a Moss Agate, and has been set into a handcrafted sterling silver pendant with a patterned riveted bail. I cut out the backplate as much as possible too, as it’s just as pretty on the reverse. This one is still available on my website, along with a few other beauties of a similar size and style - but I’m going to be making some more showstoppers like this to be included in a gallery soon too! I can’t reveal any more about that just yet, but the idea of spending some time making jewellery this summer and NOT having to take a billion photos or write listings for each piece is REALLY exciting for me. It’s not something I’ve done before as the opportunity was never quite right, but I can’t wait to see a selection of my work properly on display this autumn! 🤩 Hope you are having a wonderful weekend, Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #sterlingsilver #agate #statementnecklace #ooakjewelry #jewelrymaker #ladysmith #mossagate #gemstonejewellery #jewelryaddict #handmadejewellery #oneofakindjewellery #mossagatejewellery

Has anyone found a way of restoring these that actually works? 😬 I’m now on my ninth pair of soldering tweezers, after trying and failing repeatedly to keep one pair clean for picking up tiny solder pallions. I’ve tried writing ‘NO FIRE’ on them, wrapping the ends in tape and all sorts of things to make them look distinctive enough to stand out from the rest and stop me using them to actually solder with. But it always fails… 😂 I know you can straighten them out a bit with pliers but they’re never quite the same and never as good for picking up the solder. I’ve now finally got the hang of pick soldering so it doesn’t matter quite as much as it used to if the tips aren’t straight and don’t meet perfectly, but I’d still love to know if there’s a better way of cleaning them up. If you have any suggestions, let me know! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #soldering #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #jewelrymaking #jewellerytools

Getting my dopamine hit of the day from these drawers at @jewellersacademybrighton! ⚒️ If you’ve followed me for a while you will know how much I LOVE a good storage system and I actually squealed when I opened this drawer today and saw how all these polishing burrs and accessories had been moved from random mixed bags to these acrylic trays. A place for everything, and everything in its place - and super easy to see and find things too. I’ve been teaching classes here for six months now and every time I visit I can see how things are settling into place more and more as everyone finds better ways of storing, organising and using things. It’s a dream for jewellers, and if you’ve not yet been to Brighton to visit the studios then I throughly recommend it! Not just for the amazing range of jewellery-making courses, but for all the tool and storage inspo too! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #toolstorage #storagesolutions #jewelrymaking

A tip for soldering hinges! ⚒️🔥 A few of you asked how I kept the silver tube from moving when I was attaching the hinges for my final project book locket. The solution was simple - graphite pencil lead. Not only does graphite not get affected by the heat of the torch, solder won’t flow over it either. This is why some jewellers use it to ‘dirty’ a seam to stop an existing join from coming undone. I prefer to use yellow ochre paint for that particular task, but I do like graphite leads for holding tubing in place. There’s nothing fancy about these; I just removed a few 0.7mm leads from a pencil I had on my desk and pushed as many as I could fit into the silver tube that I was using for the hinges. After double checking the spacing and placement of them against the middle hinge on the opposite side of the pendant, I used a bit of Wolf Clay to hold them in place and soldered them on. And that was it. Obviously there was a lot more to the making process of this whole piece, but I’m relieved to report that this part was one of the least stressful! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #soldering #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #howitsmade #whatsonmybench #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking

Time for a tidy again… 🫣⚒️😂 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This is where I work - my creative space and my happy place. As you’ll have seen from other reels I am actually super-organised and highly efficient in managing the rest of my workshop. But here at the actual bench? Here the ideas run free and the tools pile up, and that’s just the way it works for me. I couldn’t even begin to count how many works-in-progress there are here, or how many unfinished and partially buried projects. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I do try and give everything a proper tidy up and put things back in their rightful place every school holiday though, as this gives me roughly six or seven weeks between each intervention. And now I’m in a bit of a panic spiral because tomorrow is not only the last day of term for my daughters but the last day of the school year. And I’m genuinely not sure where the time has gone. So once again it’s time to sort the bench out. Or at least it will be soon. This job can go to the top of next week’s task list! 🙃 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #mystudio #whereiwork #creativespace #whatsonyourbench #ladysmith #jewellerytools #handmadejewellery #myworkspace #creativechaos

Do you use this method too? ⚒️ This tip for work-hardening stud posts isn’t one of my own discoveries and I’ve seen it shared many times before, but here it is again for anyone who hasn’t come across it yet. The same method can also be used for straightening wire too, which is especially helpful if you are working with shorter lengths for things like earring hooks. Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #studearrings #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #jewellerytools #jewelrytools #metalsmith #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #silverearrings #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #jewelrytips

Making a fingerprint charm bracelet! ⚒️ This was one of the last few projects for my Diploma with @jewellersacademy; creating jewellery using silver metal clay. If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know I’ve already worked with this material before, but I’d never tried making fingerprint jewellery. The task was to make a bracelet with five charms, and since I have five people in my immediate family this seemed like a really good time to have a go. It turned out to be a little more challenging than I’d anticipated… but a lot of fun to do! 😂 Some technical points for those who are interested; • I had everyone put their fingerprint directly into the clay. In hindsight using wax or a moulding material first would probably have been easier. • I wanted to have an initial on the back of each one to indicate who they belonged to, and did this by making smaller circles with stamped letters that were attached before drying. Stamping directly into the main charm distorted the prints. • You have to be VERY careful not to touch the fingerprints themselves. They came out surprisingly well in the end, but I had to use a patina to really see the details. • I managed to get all five charms from one 10g pack of Art Silver Clay. • I fired them off in the kiln rather than with a torch, but used the slightly longer time setting for ‘extra strength’ as they’re going to be on a bracelet and liable to be knocked about more. • The black and white circular thing is just a desktop mug warmer I have to speed up the drying time. If you have any other questions please just ask, and I’ll try and answer them! 🙂 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #silvermetalclay #charmbracelet #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #silverclayjewellery #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries #fingerprintjewelry #howitsmade #processreel

Another organisation tip! ⚒️⛓️ This is a time-saving idea that I came up with a while ago and thought was worth a re-share. I got fed up rifling through my collection of gallery wire each time I was trying to price something up or place a new order for materials, so I made myself an index card for easy reference. On this I have a small sample of all the different wires I use, along with the descriptive names and store SKU numbers. I have one for all the loose chain I use too - it’s just white card and double-sided tape. It’s so much quicker to find the info for whatever I’ve used, and easier to make direct comparisons between the different types too when choosing which ones to work with. The only thing I don’t record in pen is the cost, because this fluctuates so often. Instead I calculate this as ‘price per cm’ each time I place a new order, and pencil it onto my guides, updating it whenever I use up one batch and start working with a new one. This way my prices will be more accurate and reflect what I actually paid for the silver, so I won’t be at risk of over/undercharging. It may have taken a little while to make something like this, but it’s proven to be well worth it in the long run. If your brain also works visually and needs a little help with organisation and memory recall, then this system may help you too! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #metalsmith #organisationtips #makingjewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking #timesavingtips

Trusting the process! ⚒️ This was my final project piece for my Diploma with @jewellersacademy 📖 I’ve already shared the finished result of the locket itself in a reel, but here’s a glimpse of the making of it - which in total took me over a week. Would you like to see the full process in more detail and slower speed? I think I already know the answer most of you will give! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #silverlocket #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries #bookpendant #howitsmade #processreel

Would you like some content ideas for your social media this summer? 🤔 I want to stay engaged and keep active here on Instagram during the month of August, but I also don’t want to be tied to my bench or spending all my time working. My children will be home from school and I am eager to get outside as much as possible with them this year, which means it can be harder to come up with regular content. I know taking a complete break works for a lot of people, but I don’t want the struggle of re-building momentum afterwards and in all honesty I enjoy using this platform too much and would miss it! In the past I have found Instagram challenges to be a great way to have fresh or different things to post about during quieter months, and since I haven’t seen any being suggested elsewhere I thought perhaps I should create my own instead. It wouldn’t be complicated, just a simple prompt for a post each day of the month - and not including weekends, just to make it more manageable. What do you think? Would you be up for that too? If you’re already wondering about what to share this summer and fancy having someone else come up with the ideas, then let me know and I’ll see what I can do! 🙂 Kelly xx

It’s called ‘metal fatigue’ - if you repeatedly bend a piece of silver over and over again too many times the molecules in it will become rigid and cause it to harden. Eventually it will lose all remaining flexibility and crack or snap. If you’ve ever done this with a paper clip then you’ll know what I mean - the same thing will happen to a cuff bangle (or an ‘adjustable’ ring) if you manipulate them too many times. They usually have enough pliability to make an initial adjustment for a perfect fit, but once you’ve got them comfortable you need to leave them alone and put them on and take them off this way - in other words, mind the gap! I’ve posted this clip a couple of times before, but it’s always worth reiterating the message now and again to raise awareness. Feel free to share it or pass it on if you’d like more people to know how to look after their jewellery and help it last forever! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #cuffbangle #cuffbracelets #makingjewelry #jewelleryknowledge #silversmith #metalsmith #makingjewellery #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #silverbracelet #silverjewellery #handmadejewellery #jewellerytips

Sharing some sea glass love on a sunny Sunday afternoon! 🌊 I am going to be making some more intricate style sea glass pieces over the summer, with the unique hanging bails that I’ve been enjoying making recently. But for now I have a selection of classic and contemporary ones available; all carefully set in a plain but shiny setting. There’s a nice mix of colours and sizes too. These are a great choice for gifts as they are as simple as I can get them, making them easy to wear and helping them go with pretty much anything in outfit terms. Dress up or dress down - if you’re a fan of the ocean and would love to wear a little piece of sea tumbled treaure then these will work for you! I always pick the best pieces of glass to use in this type of design too. Each one has a beautiful frosty surface complete with all the little C-marks and indentations carved from years spent rolling around in the waves. Often I wish I could know the exact history of the glass I work with, but then I think that’s all part of its appeal. You have beauty and mystery combined, and upcycling at its most elegant. What’s not to love about that? 🙃 Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #seaglassnecklace #jewellerymaker #seaglass #handcraftedjewellery #seaglasspendant #iloveseaglass #seaglassjewellery #iloveseaglass #oneofakindjewellery #seajewels #silverjewellery #upcycledjewelry

It’s far easier to avoid getting patina in areas you don’t want it in the first place, than to try removing it afterwards! I recently shared a reel about how I oxidise chains and larger pieces of silver, and this is my favourite method for applying it with a little more precision! This bracelet was set with a pale piece of sea glass, so I didn’t want the inside of the bezel to be darkened. Removing the patina from inside bezels is tricky and time consuming and even a little bit left behind can create unwanted shadows and spots behind the glass. Using watercolour brush pens allows me to apply it exactly where I want, precisely and carefully. It’s also ideal for pieces where I have stamped letters and only want to highlight those and keep the rest of the silver shiny. This idea of using brush pens is not new and I’ve seen it several times before, but I’m sharing it for anyone who may not yet have come across this little tip! For those who want to know, I use neat Platinol solution in mine, which doesn’t need to be heated and doesn’t smell of eggs like LOS. It doesn’t lose potency over time and has been in this pen for over a year without refilling, so lasts ages. If I’m oxidising a larger piece or whole pieces I dilute a small amount of this solution in water (that’s what the Tupperware pot is for). It works just as well and makes the solution go further, but will only last a couple of days before turning clear. And yes, you should probably wear gloves when doing this! 🫣🙃⚒️ Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #metalsmith #makingjewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #silverjewellery #handmadejewellery #jewelrytools #jewellerytools

A stone that is just as beautiful from the back as it is from the front! 💕🌿 I will never get tired of staring into the depths of a Moss Agate. Each one is like its own miniature universe. And each unique stone deserves a unique setting - which I why I never tire of making these statement pendants either! 🙃 Hope you’ve had a fabulous Friday! Kelly x Have a lovely evening, Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #statementnecklace #ooakjewelry #jewelrymaker #mossagate #handmadejewellery #mossagatejewellery

A quick tour of my workspace whilst it’s tidy! ⚒️ Instagram still only lets me have 90 seconds for each reel, which doesn’t leave much time to go into detail, so I apologise if it seems rather swift or I talk too quickly. I have to keep things brief! But if you have any questions about any of my tools or the setup I have for using them, then please just ask. And if you’d like to see any of these sections in a bit more detail let me know in the comments and I can make some more detailed reels of those areas individually. Lastly, for anyone wanting to know exactly where I got any of my tools or storage solutions from, do take a look at the ‘Tool Links’ highlight beneath my bio, as I already have shortcuts to most things included there! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #whereiwork #mystudio #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #mycreativebiz #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

Little things that make life so much easier! ⚒️ I do a LOT of jump ring soldering for various designs in my collections, and used to just lay them out on the soldering block. But in doing this I always ended up with a flat section under the solder join that had to be sanded away after. Now I lay the rings so that the join is just over the edge of the block, which means I can get a smoother and neater result with a lot less tidying up required afterwards. It may not seem like a big difference, but when you solder as many jump rings as I do then those precious few seconds soon turn into hours saved! For those who’d like the technical details, I use paste solder here. It may be more expensive than other forms of solder, but it more than makes up for that extra cost by being clean, quick and so much easier to use. Plus it stays put when you bring the flame in. Just don’t fire it directly or it may incinerate and crumble before it has a chance to flow. I also use a mask when using it as the fumes can be nasty. And the torch I’m using here is the Dremel Versatip. You can find other reels specifically about this torch further down my page, and there’s a shortcut to it in the ‘tool links’ highlight beneath my bio. Hope this is helpful! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #soldering #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #howitsmade #whatsonmybench #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking

It’s my birthday today! 🎂🥳 I’m celebrating one more orbit around the sun, and am ever thankful for the privilege of growing older. Although I’m perfectly happy to be turning 44, I still can’t quite fathom the reality of time passing in terms of decades. In my head the seventies are still only thirty years ago, and the nineties merely a decade gone! 🫣 Looking back now and remembering my childhood and my youth I believe I was pretty lucky to have experienced everything I did, when I did. Perhaps it’s another sign of reaching middle age, but when I find myself thinking ‘those were the days’ I really do mean it. For those who also remember this era and enjoy a bit of nostalgia I’ve added a few facts in this post - taking you back to the golden age of 1981… Let me know if any of these resonate with you, and if there’s anything you particularly miss! 🙃 Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #gettingnostalgic #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaker #1981 #childofthe80s #nostalgicmemories #fortysomething #44 #ilovethe80s #borninthe80s #borninthe80sraisedinthe90s

Wishing you a Marbleous Monday! 🌊⚒️ If you’d like a sea glass pendant like this one then you can now pick your own marble from a selection on my website and I’ll make it a bespoke silver cage and chain. There are lots of colours and sizes to choose from, but do let me know if there’s something in particular you’re looking for that isn’t in the line-up as I may have the just the one waiting to join the queue. The perfect locket for any mermaid! 🧜‍♀️ Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #seaglassnecklace #seamarblenecklace #seaglassmarble #seaglass #iloveseaglass #jewellerymaker #marbleous #marble #seaglasslover #seaglassjewelry #seaglassjewellery #seamarble #silverjewellery #handmadejewellery #marblemonday

Hello! My name is Kelly and I create handcrafted jewellery from my home studio on the south coast of Hampshire. Along with my finished pieces I love to share my creative processes, giving a glimpse of what goes on in my workshop from behind the scenes. I also regularly post lots of jewellery-making tips, tricks and techniques that I’ve picked up over the years; if you can’t see these on my main page then swipe across to the reels menu and you’ll find lots more there ➡️ If you’re new to my page, then welcome! I hope you find the content useful and interesting 🙂 And if you’ve been here for a while then thank you so much for following along with my jewellery journey thus far! ⚒️ I love the community that I have found here on Instagram, and am so very grateful for all the encouragement, motivation and support I receive - it really is hugely appreciated 🫶 Wishing you a wonderful rest of the weekend, Kelly x #jewellerymaker #jewelrymaking #jewellerymaking #jewellerybusiness #smallbizuk #hampshirebusiness

Evening! Here’s just a few of the pretty things you can currently find on offer in my Etsy store with a 20% discount ✨ As an artisan jeweller with a micro business I very rarely do sales, especially with metal prices continually going up and not down. But sometimes I need to do a little declutter! None of these are test pieces or seconds, they’re just end of line designs that I am archiving in order to make way for new stuff after the summer… 🤩 The perfect time to stock up on gifts if you wanted to make the most of the opportunity! 🙃 Just head to my Etsy store via the link in my bio or stories today, and look for the ‘sale’ tab on the left hand menu when you get there. Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #handcraftedjewellery #artisanmade #handmadeintheuk #artisanjewellery #handmadejewellery #igjewellery #silverjewellery #silvernecklace #silverjewelry

Possibly the most challenging gemstone I’ve ever tried to photograph! 📸 This multi-coloured beauty is an Imperial Jasper and my goodness did it give me some grief trying to get the images I needed in order to list it. It wasn’t any difficulty with the new camera (which is still awesome and which I love a LOT) but rather with the reflections in the glossy surface of the stone itself. I ended up taking three different sets of images on three different days to try and eliminate any glare or shadow lines in the surface of the stone. I have a large hand-held circular diffuser which is usually fab for this sort of task, but despite waving it in all directions and contorting myself into some really odd positions I struggled to avoid getting the diffuser itself in the shot. The most annoying thing was I couldn’t really see any unwanted lines until I put the images on the big screen. Anyways, I managed to get the pictures I wanted in the end (most of them without reflections) but not before I’d taken over 300… 🤪 The pendant is finally up online and ready for a new home. I’m trying really hard to fight the urge to keep this one, since I’ve spent so bloody long staring at it - those colours are sooo pretty they suck you right in! 😵‍💫😂 I’m now off to see if I can find/create some sort of diffuser box for outdoor product photography. Will let you know what I come up with! Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #statementnecklace #ooakjewelry #jewelrymaker #jasperpendant #handmadejewellery #oneofakind

How do you oxidise your silver jewellery to get an aged patina effect? This is one of the questions I get asked often. I used to use Liver Of Sulphur for this process, but the smell of rotten eggs became too much, and I got fed up of having to go out in the garden each time because the family complained about it… 🫣 So I switched to a liquid called Platinol. It doesn’t need to be heated to work, and doesn’t smell anywhere near as bad. I also find it gives a quicker and more even result. For large pieces or chains where I want to get a total covering I add a few drops to water in a jar like I’ve done here, which gives the gunmetal-grey shade I like on my jewellery. This makes the solution go a bit further but it will usually only last a couple of days in the container before turning clear. If you want a darker result you can use it in a more concentrated form and/or warm the metal itself a little first. I also keep watercolour brush pens filled with neat Platinol solution to paint finer details in specific areas or add to stamped lettering. Once the metal has been oxidised you can intensify or reduce the effect by polishing to remove the ‘high spots’ and apply whichever finish you prefer. I will opt for either a shiny or a matte finish depending on the piece in question, but I do have different polishing barrels and keep a separate set of steel shot for anything with a patina. This way any jewellery I make that I want to have a bright and shiny finish doesn’t get accidentally darkened! Have a wonderful Wednesday! 🙃 Kelly xx *As with all things like this, please read and heed the safety warnings and advice before use. I avoid directly touching the liquid itself and always wear eye protection!* #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #silversmith #metalsmith #makingjewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #silverjewellery #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaker #jewellerytips #jewelrytips

Happy first of July! ☀️ I hope you’re all managing to keep cool in the current summer heat. I tried to do some work in my studio today but it was far too hot for soldering and such, even with the windows and door wide open. So I’ve retreated to the garden to do some non-making tasks instead. It’s equally warm but at least there’s a slight breeze and I’m surrounded by flowers. Sharing a few more photos I took out here this morning so you can enjoy some botanical loveliness too! 🌸🌿 Kelly x #gardening #gardenlife #inmygardentoday #catphotography #flowerphotography #botanicalpickmeup #naturephotography #hereforthestills #iloveflowers #canoncamera

Another of my favourite bezel tips! ⚒️ This is a quick and easy method for trimming the excess metal from the backplate of settings. These are heavy-duty kitchen scissors by Joyce Chen but florist shears are inexpensive and work equally well ✂️ Both are designed for cutting through tough materials like branches or bone, and they do a fine job on sheet metal as well. I’ve not tried them on anything above 0.7mm thick as I haven’t needed to and don’t want to ruin them by experimenting, but I find the scissors are particularly perfect for 0.5mm sheet (as shown in this reel) and the florist’s shears for the larger bezels using 0.7mm. I’ve got some jewellers tin snips too which I used to use for cutting sheet metal, but they have handles that are more like a pair of pliers and are nowhere near as comfortable to hold or use as these. Definitely a time-saver; just be VERY careful of your fingers and don’t use them on anything else like paper as it can dull them! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #bezelsettings #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #jewellerytools #jewelrytools #metalsmith #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #jewelrytips

A few pretty things I have made! ⚒️🫶 These are the Moss Agate pendants I’ve been working on recently, along with a gorgeous multi-coloured Imperial Jasper stone 💕 I’ve been really enjoying making some more unique and ornate hanging bails for these larger pieces too - most of which are created from odds and ends I’ve collected in the scrap pot! They’re all available and up on the website now (with the exception of the Jasper which just needs a few more pics). On the subject of pictures I also wanted to say a big thank you to the lovely and very talented photographer @jasalynthorne who saw my recent post about my new camera and took the time to send me some really helpful pointers on how to use it for photographing jewellery. That advice made taking these images WAY easier and I’m really enjoying that part of the process again. I really do love this community and value the encouragement and support I find amongst you all so much! ☺️🫶 Have a lovely evening, Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #statementnecklace #ooakjewelry #jewelrymaker #mossagate #handmadejewellery #mossagatejewellery

Ta daa! Here at last is the finished final project piece I made for my Diploma with @jewellersacademy 📖⚒️ It’s a locket-style pendant, and the three skills or techniques I decided to include were saw piercing, hinges/rivets and complex soldering. It took me a week to finish, and I’m so pleased it all worked out exactly as I saw it in my head - especially as I didn’t take the time to create any prototypes in copper first, which might have been the more sensible route! 🫣 I’ll share more of the making process and the reasons behind my design choices in another reel and my final ‘Diploma Diary’ entry which will be posted in a week or so. But in the meantime I know a lot of you were eager to see the finished piece, and so here it is. ‘Ad Altiora Tendo’ means ‘I strive for higher things’ or seek to improve myself, which felt appropriate for the last piece I’ll create on the course. I haven’t yet made anything to put inside it, as any separate components won’t count towards the marking, but all ideas and suggestions for that are welcome! 🙃 Have a wonderful weekend, Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #silverlocket #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries #bookpendant

Another work-in-progress clip of the pendant I made for my final diploma project! ⚒️ I still don’t know what made me feel quite so brave as to attempt a piece with this many individual solder joins, but I went with it anyway. Jewellery making requires a lot of faith and self-belief, particularly as it’s hard to visualise the final design when it looks like this half way through… 😬 Happy to say I managed it though, and it’s all complete now and sitting on my bench ready to be sent off for marking next month. Who’d like to see the finished article? 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #workinprogress #whatimworkingon #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries

You can get 20% off a huge number of listings in my Etsy store for the next week or so! I decided today (rather impulsively, but it’s been a long time coming) that I needed a massive de-cluttering of my inventory so I can make way for new designs and fresh ideas. As a result I’ve knocked down over half my available collection by 20% in order to do that. These aren’t seconds or samples; just things that I want to move aside to free up room in my head as well as my business! I’m slowly drifting away from Etsy as a platform generally anyway in favour of my own website and other channels, so this feels quite cathartic too. I don’t often run sales at all as I like to think my prices are already as fair as they can be, so if you want to grab some handmade jewellery at an even more generous reduction - do go take a look! 🙃 Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #jewelrymaker #handmadejewellery

Come set a gemstone into a pendant with me! ⚒️ I find that the final stage of making a handcrafted piece of jewellery like this is both the most nerve-wracking, and the most satisfying. You spend hours creating the bespoke setting, and it can be down to the last few minutes before you know for certain that the stone will fit and be held securely. This particular pendant is now all finished and will join a few of her sisters up on the website over the weekend. I have three Moss Agates and one Imperial Jasper pendant ready to go - I just need the wind to die down a little so I can go outside and take the photos! Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #workinprogress #whatimworkingon #silverjewelry #artisanjewellery #artisanmade #ooakjewelry #mossagate #mossagatejewellery

Why do I cut out the backplate on my pendants? A few of you have asked this question, and it’s a fair one! Firstly, I do it because it reduces the overall weight of a piece and this helps keep it under the limit for hallmarking. Any item of silver above 7.78g here in the UK has to be sent for assay and hallmarked before you can legally sell it as ‘silver’. Now I’m not against hallmarking and I LOVE seeing my maker’s mark with my initials on the pieces I’ve made, but it IS a huge additional expense and adds time to the whole process. To try and reduce the costs I tend to save items up for hallmarking and send them in larger batches (the cost of the postage there and back alone is over £20) but it can take me a long time to make enough and sometimes I just want to get things out there in the world. And the other reason is simply that the underside of the cabochons I use are often just too pretty to keep hidden. Cutting out some of the backplate allows both sides to be seen! 🙃 This Moss Agate pendant is one of the ones I have been working on this week. It is available and will hopefully be up on the website soon, but you’re welcome to send me a DM if you’d like to offer it a home before then! Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #statementnecklace #ooakjewelry #jewelrymaker #mossagate #handmadejewellery #mossagatejewellery

One of my favourite bezel-setting tips! ⚒️ A while ago I shared a reel showing how I use a piece of scrap wire and a fine-tipped marker pen to get an even border around the outside of a bezel. So many of you commented on that post to say that you use a washer or jump ring in the same way, especially for the inside of bezels, and this week I tried it for the first time too. I have to say it’s a game changer! Just get a jump ring in the same thickness or gauge as the border you want, put the pen tip inside the ring and run it around the edge of the bezel wall as you draw the line. It really is as easy as it looks. The jump ring I’ve got here is 10mm across and 1mm thick, but for smaller bezels you can just use a smaller ring. Thanks so much to all of you who shared this tip with me back then. I made this reel to illustrate it as best I could for anyone else who might find it helpful too! 🫶 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #bezelsettings #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #jewellerytools #jewelrytools #metalsmith #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #jewelrytips #jewelrytipsandtricks

Time to start using up some of my gemstone stash - starting with this trio of Garden Moss Agates. Which one would you choose, or are you going to wait to see the settings I create before making that call? Let me know! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #workinprogress #whatimworkingon #silverjewelry

Soldering jewellery used to make me really anxious, but over the last few months I’ve really made my peace with it! ⚒️🔥 I think it’s probably the skill I’ve most improved on during the course of the diploma, and I no longer feel nervous or hesitant about it. I can even do pick soldering now, with either hand, and that’s something I never thought I’d be able to get to grips with at all, let alone feel confident about! Now don’t get me wrong; it doesn’t always go smoothly and sometimes stuff still doesn’t turn out as I expected or hoped, but I’m not scared to have a go and have a much better understanding of my tools and torches too. Much of this improvement in my soldering is of course due to a lot of time spent practicing, but it was the diploma projects that really helped consolidate my skills whilst pushing me to be braver and to try new things. Learning is a continuous process and I’m still very much enjoying the journey! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #workinprogress #whatimworkingon #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries #soldering

My favourite gemstone! 🌿 Moss Agate will always be right at the top of my list when it comes to cabochons. Each one is just so beautiful and unique, and I love the soft blend of lilacs, greens and greys in this one! I added a little extra detailing on the back too, courtesy of a patterned silver butterfly, and gave it a soft matte finish for a contemporary look. It’s attached to a 20” Navette chain that fastens with a hook and can be easily shortened by a couple of inches too if you need to adjust it to fit a neckline. It’s also Hallmarked, and can be found in the @britishcrafthouse if you’d like to take a closer look. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! 🙃 Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #statementnecklace #ooakjewelry #jewelrymaker #mossagate #handmadejewellery #mossagatejewellery

It’s getting there! This is another peek at the piece I’m currently working on as the final project for my Diploma with @jewellersacademy. Several of you guessed correctly; it’s going to be a locket-style pendant, and the three skills or techniques I’ve chosen to focus on are saw piercing, hinges and complex soldering. The soldering part is (thankfully) now complete and I just need to do the polishing and assembly now… 🤞🤞 Stay tuned if you want to see the finished piece! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #workinprogress #whatimworkingon #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries

Do you do this too? ⚒️🔥 I’d like to think I’ve been working with metal for long enough now to be able to judge when the correct annealing temperature is reached and the silver goes a dark red colour. But there’s something reassuring about using the sharpie method to be extra confident. Or perhaps it’s just one of those old habits now that I can’t break! Either way, if you want to know when your metal is at or about to reach annealing temperature, then this is a handy trick to use. It’s not foolproof and I’m sure there are far more experienced metalsmiths out there who will have better ways to do this, but it’s always worked for me! And for any of my non-jeweller friends wondering why we do this, it’s so we can keep manipulating the metal after it gets work-hardened. The more you bend and hammer it, the less pliable it becomes. Regular annealing softens it back up so we can continue to form it easily without risk of it cracking or breaking. These discs had become hardened after being patterned with the rolling mill, so needed to be annealed before I could dome them into a concave shape for earrings. There is a reel showing the whole making process further down my page if you’re interested! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #annealing #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking

All the pretty things currently growing in my garden! ☺️💕 I should really have been taking pictures of jewellery, but it’s an absolutely glorious day down here on the south coast and my garden is filled with so many flowers… so I went on a side quest instead. The pink and purple ones are my favourites so here’s the best of the bunch for anyone else who needs a botanical-pick-me-up this week. Hope you’ve had a wonderful Wednesday! Kelly xxx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #gardening #gardenlife #inmygardentoday #flowerphotography #botanicalpickmeup #naturephotography #hereforthestills #iloveflowers #canoncamera #pinkflowers #canonphotography

The best part is the last part! ⚒️ Removing the safety film and template sticker after piercing out a design in silver is a mix of satisfaction, and relief! Yup, I’ve chosen saw piercing as one of my three techniques for the final project I’m working on. It’s one of the things I felt I’ve made the most progress with over the last year and I was really pleased with the result of this attempt. The sanding and tidying up afterwards was a bit more fiddly, but I’m feeling optimistic about the project as a whole. For those wanting the technical details; the silver is 1mm thick, and the blade was a very fine 6/0 which I paired with my mini Greenlion frame. I managed to go round in one without breaking any blades, and being the impulsive and impatient fool I am, I didn’t actually taken the time to practice it beforehand… 🫣 This was the first and only attempt because I like living on the edge a little sometimes. I have filmed all the stages of this though so I’ll share more with you soon! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #workinprogress #whatimworkingon #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries #greenlionsawframe #greenlion

It’s almost the end..! ⚒️ This collection of silver is going to become my final project for the diploma I’ve been working on this year. At least it will if it works out the way I’m hoping… 🫣 We’ve got a few weeks to complete this task so I’m starting early, just in case it all goes wrong and I have to come up with something else. We need to include at least three techniques taught on the course; any guesses as to which ones I’ve chosen? 🙃 I’ve made a fair bit of progress since I filmed this clip over the weekend, but let’s just say I’ve reached the stressful stage now. If anyone happens to be making any sacrifices to the soldering gods this week, please put in a good word for me. I’m going to need to muster a lot of positive thoughts and patience before it’s done! 🤞🤞 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #workinprogress #whatimworkingon #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries

Everyone has a favourite shade of sea glass, and I think this one is mine! 🌊 Can you see the tiny bubble near the top right edge too? 🫧 There’s a collection of new silver bezel-set pendants available on my website now, including this one. I’m not going to keep any this time though, tempting as it always is. I’ve got quite a few of my own now… 🙃 Have a lovely Sunday! Kelly xx #seaglassnecklace #seaglasspendant #seaglass #iloveseaglass #jewellerymaker #seaglasslover #seaglassjewelry #seaglassjewellery #silverjewellery #handmadejewellery

This is the method I use to solder posts to earrings! ⚒️ I first made this reel in 2023, but when I recently asked you all for soldering props I could use instead of the ‘third hand’ tweezers (which I don’t get on with at all) this technique was by far one of the most popular suggestions! So I’m sharing it again in case anyone hasn’t yet come across it. The smaller tweezers that I use here are stainless steel (so won’t rust) and the smooth jaws make it really easy to gently tilt the post and align it to the angle I need. They’re not necessarily secure enough for larger soldering tasks like ring shanks, but earring posts are really light and delicate so they don’t need to be held firmly and I find this is just enough to keep them in place. The binder clip on the end uses gravity and balance to hold the posts down whilst soldering; I just take care to make sure that the post is straight before gently and carefully lifting it onto the join. I’ve since been trying out LOTS of other soldering gadgets too, for all sorts of different tasks, and I’m trying to think of the best way to share them all with you. I think perhaps a carousel would be the best idea to begin with - and then maybe individual reels showcasing each tool in turn? What do you think? Let me know if a detailed guide to soldering aids would be useful and I’ll put one together! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #soldering #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

Want to know where I get my jewellery tools and equipment from?! ⚒️ I get asked for details on the things I use almost daily now, and whilst I’m always happy to share, Instagram doesn’t make that easy! As you probably know, we still can’t put functioning links in posts or captions - but we CAN add them to stories. What’s more, if those stories are saved to a highlight then they stay visible, along with those links. So that’s exactly what I’ve done. Every time I mention something in a reel or post I will share it to stories too, and then add those slides to this highlight. I started doing it around 18 months ago and it still seems the best way to gather everything in one place for easy reference. I try and keep it updated as much as I can but if you ever spot any links that no longer work, of if there’s anything not included that you’d like to be - just let me know! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #whereiwork #mystudio #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #mycreativebiz #seekinspirecreate #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

My happy place! 😊⚒️ Here’s another little look around my workspace. The room is purposely arranged into different areas for different tasks, which works really well for me both in terms of workflow processes and not losing stuff… It’s a bit chaotic in places (creative freedom warrants that to a certain degree I think) but there are some pretty organised systems here which I’m rather proud of, and I know exactly where everything is. Well, almost everything! If you’d like to see me give a guided tour in person then take a look at the pinned reel on my main page. I’ve added a few labels to highlight the main items of interest in this clip, but if you’d like any more info on anything here, please just ask! 🙃 xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #whereiwork #mystudio #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #mycreativebiz #seekinspirecreate #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

Sooo satisfying! Quenching hot metal after soldering or annealing it is one of the best workshop sounds - who’s with me?! 🙃🔥⚒️ #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #soldering #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #howitsmade #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #mycreativebiz #seekinspirecreate #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #mystudio #dowhatyoulove #handmadebusiness #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking #quenching

✨NEW✨ Sea glass and silver bezel-set pendants now available, as promised! 🌊 I’ve picked out some of my nicest pieces to create these, as my website has been somewhat starved of this magical material for too long. There’s seven of them, all simply and elegantly set in a plain but shiny style - and with a nice mix of colours and sizes. Which one is your favourite? Anything blue inevitably finds a new home first, but I think the deep aqua might just take the crown in this selection. It’s a really lovely shade and is a super chunky pebble of glass. But then again, the tiny grey one with that unusual golden glow is also calling me… I will be making more in that style with the borderless edge too as I love the tactile look of it. All of these are available now, with tags in the photos where applicable, and you can now choose the length of chain too. Hope you’ve had a fabulous Friday! 🙃 Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #seaglassnecklace #jewellerymaker #seaglass #handcraftedjewellery #seaglasspendant #iloveseaglass #seaglassjewellery #iloveseaglass #oneofakindjewellery #seajewels #silverjewellery #upcycledjewelry

I finally bought myself a new camera; making this my most expensive business purchase in a LONG time! 🫣📸 I held off for as long as I could, not just because they are such a spendy item, but also because I was overwhelmed with the vast range of cameras available and struggled to know which one to choose. But since my existing DSLR is now well over ten years old and starting to get a bit temperamental, I decided that this was the year I’d finally upgrade. A camera is an essential part of my business as I take all my own photographs and image quality really matters when you sell mostly online. I know many people will argue that you don’t need a top of the range one to get the job done, and that’s true, but I’m aiming to use this for the next decade too so it seemed well worth the splurge. In the end I went for the mirrorless Canon EOS R8 and although I’ve only had it a few days and used it once (see yesterday’s post to check out my trial pics) I have to say I am loving it so far! I’ve yet to read the manual properly or fully investigate all the settings and functions, but from what I’ve seen it do so far just in ‘auto’ mode, I’m really excited about the potential. If anyone else has the same camera and can offer any tips or advice on how to get the most out of it, do let me know. And as always, I’ll make sure to give my feedback once I’ve really gotten to grips with it! 🙃 Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #handmadejewellery #creativeentrepreneurs #jewellerybusiness #jewellerymaking #smallbizowner #canoncamera

Flowers and cats; two of my favourite things after jewellery! 🌸🐈 I finally invested in a brand new camera this week, after using a second-hand Canon DSLR for the last ten years or so. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve got lots of product photos I need to take, but couldn’t help testing it out in the garden first! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I went for a Canon camera again, but a mirrorless EOS R8. This is the first time I’ve used it so a bit early to give a verdict, but I’m pretty blown away with the quality of the first few snaps I’ve taken! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Will let you know what I think of it once I’ve had it a wee bit longer, but I’m very excited to start using it. I might even go so far as to read the manual and learn how to do it properly this time…! 🙃📷 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Hope you’re having a wonderful week so far, ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #gardening #gardenlife #inmygardentoday #catphotography #flowerphotography #botanicalpickmeup #naturephotography #hereforthestills #iloveflowers #canoncamera

Another of my favourite storage solutions! ⚒️ I used to keep my jewellery saw blades in a rather smart wooden holder (stored safely up on the pegboard to avoid it accidentally getting knocked over). But after a while I noticed many of them had become rusty and corroded. So I switched to these test tubes instead. They’re made of a strong acrylic (not glass) and are simply sealed with a cork stopper. They’re the perfect length for the blades I use, and also inexpensive; I got a pack of 15 for less than £6 online. I’ve kept the wooden holder for the few blades that are currently in use, as it stops them getting mixed up while I’m working, but the rest have been stored in the tubes for almost a year now and it works brilliantly. I even found a stand to hold them in order, that fits neatly on the end of my bench so I can see it clearly and reach them easily. I’ll add the link to my stories today, and you can find it in the ‘tool links’ story highlight beneath my bio too 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #sawpiercing #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking #jewellerytips #jewelrytipsandtricks #jewelrytips #storagesolution

New sea glass pendants! 💫🌊 These will all go live on my website on Friday 🙌 There’s a lovely mix of sizes and shades here; all are natural ocean-tumbled sea glass, and all are set in simple, classic handmade silver bezels. I’ve actually had them waiting around for a while now, but hadn’t found the motivation to take the photos. However a brand new camera arrived today (very exciting) and these are the perfect pieces to road test it with! Which one of them would you choose? 🙃 Kelly xx #seaglassnecklace #seaglasspendant #seaglass #iloveseaglass #jewellerymaker #seaglasslover #seaglassjewelry #seaglassjewellery #silverjewellery #handmadejewellery

Doming some daisies! ⚒️ I’ve been making some more flower stud earrings this week, and I use this dapping block and punch to create the curved effect. If you’re wondering what the numbers are for, that’s my indexing system. The punches are numbered, both on the stand and the shank, but the steel block itself wasn’t. So I added my own numbers with a sharpie. It’s not really sequential and not related to size; I just started with the largest indentation and worked my way around. Whenever I create something that I will likely want to make again in future, I make a note of the exact combination of the punch and block indentation that I use so I can repeat it quickly next time and get the exact same results. Sounds simple enough, and perhaps unecessary - but after many, many times of telling myself I’d either remember what I did or be able to work it out again, I can testify that I cannot. So instead I have learned to number everything, and write stuff down. It’s just easier that way! 🙃⚒️ #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #soldering #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #mycreativebiz #seekinspirecreate #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #mystudio #handmadebusiness #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

I’m going to write a book! 🤩📖🌊 This week I officially signed a contract with @bloomsburypublishing to create a sea glass jewellery book for their @herbert.press range of crafting publications - and I am soooo excited! A large part of me is still trying to wrap my mind around the idea and how very much it meant to me just to be asked. But it’s also quickly taking shape in my head and I’m already starting to visualise how it’s going to look! As you already know I absolutely love teaching, and sharing my tips, discoveries and ideas with you all - so to have something committed to print will be amazing. The book won’t be due for submission until April, and publication can take anywhere from twelve to eighteen months after that so it won’t actually be in print until around May 2027, but I know that will come around quickly! It’s going to take a lot of work, and it’s for this reason I have decided not to join another Diploma this autumn, but I’m still going to be making lots of jewellery and continuing to learn new techniques. I’m also very seriously contemplating the Diploma in Silver Metal Clay for September 2026… watch this space! 🙃 My current Diploma course may be coming to an end soon but my jewellery-making journey is far from over and I have so many ideas for the future. I am really, really excited and can’t wait to share it all with you as I go! 🫶 Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #handmadejewellery #ladysmith #seaglassjewellery #creativeentrepreneurs #jewellerybusiness #jewellerymaking #smallbizowner #empirebuilding #mumboss #indiebiz #dowhatyoulove #hampshirebusiness

This felt a bit emotional! ⚒️✨ Opening the very last packet of materials for the Diploma I’ve been doing this year with @jewellersacademy. The objective of this project is to create some beaded jewellery pieces, then we have a few weeks to complete our final project and it’ll be ‘course complete.’ It’s all come full circle for me in a rather lovely way, as beading was where I first discovered my love of making jewellery, almost twenty years ago now. So it’s fitting this is the last official project we do on the Diploma. The year has gone by so, so quickly, and I’ve absolutely loved the experience. Not only have I learned a LOT of new skills and thoroughly consolidated my existing ones, but there is so much more benefit to doing this programme. My confidence has increased hugely, my creativity has been re-ignited, and it’s unlocked a love of learning and desire to progress that I hadn’t expected. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. I’ve seen more growth in myself and my ideas in the last nine months than I have in the whole of the last six years, and my only regret is not doing it sooner. And I really mean that. I’ve already got my final project design in hand, but I will keep that under wraps until it’s finished, just in case! I know I am going to really miss the course structure and my fellow students come September, but I will return for another. It won’t be this year, as I’ve got something else (really exciting) lined up for the next few months that I’ll share with you soon, but this will definitely not be the last Diploma that I do! 🙃 Have a fabulous Friday, Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #whatimworkingon #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #workinprogress #beadedjewellery #jadiplomadiaries

If you’d prefer a hook or toggle clasp to a traditional sprung catch, just let me know! ⛓️ As the price of silver is sooo crazy high these days, I’ve had to stop keeping finished chains available for each of my jewellery pendants and instead make them up individually as required. This can potentially slow down despatch of any purchased necklaces by a day or so, but it does mean I’m able to offer a choice of different lengths now - and a choice of clasp too if needed. Trigger or lobster clasps are arguably the most common means by which to fasten a chain, but if you have difficulty with the mechanisms or would prefer something a little different then I can make a clasp to match. They’re not so well suited to finer or delicate styles, but for medium to heavy weight chains they are an elegant and sleek alternative. If you’d like one of my pendants and would prefer a different chain or clasp to the one it’s listed with, please just message me and ask! 🙂 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #handmadejewellery #artisanmade #ladysmith #dowhatyoulove

Another of my favourite bezel-setting tips! ⚒️ I keep a piece of chamois leather to the side of my bench and use it to cover the peg whenever I’m setting a stone or some sea glass. It not only helps stop the metal from slipping, but prevents the backplate getting any marks or scratches on it. It’s just a regular car-cleaning chamois cloth, held with a binder clip. Every so often I flip or rotate it so the surface I’m working on is soft and unmarked, and so far it’s lasted over five years (never washed.) I do also have a ball vice now for more intricate stone setting, but I still prefer to set my bezels by hand like this, with just a curved burnisher. And for anyone wondering, the bezel strip on this piece is 0.3mm fine silver. For anything thicker or heavier gauge than that I’d probably use my LX pendant motor with hammer handpiece now! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #bezelsettings #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #jewellerytools #jewelrytools #metalsmith #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #jewelrytips #jewelrytipsandtricks

Have you ever tried this?! ⚒️ I’ve not shared this tip for a couple of years, but as I was cleaning my soldering block again this morning I thought I’d record the process in case anyone hasn’t come across it before. After a while I find the surfaces of these blocks tend to get really dirty and uneven, with bits of solder, remnants of holding clay, flux, and all sorts of other crap stuck to them. Not only does this make it harder to see what I’m doing, but it can also start to increase the appearance of that coppery pink tint on the metal post-pickling. When I know the pickle itself isn’t contaminated, then it’s usually a sign I need to clean up the soldering block… It’s really easy to do; just grind it down on a rough flat surface like a patio or concrete slab until it’s free of all the stains, dents and debris. I can’t remember where I first saw this tip, but I do this regularly now and it really can make a difference. Just don’t lean over too far whilst you’re cleaning it - you don’t want to breathe that dust in! 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

Who else loves patterned gemstones? 🤩 This beauty is another ‘Crazy Lace Agate’. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The pendant also has a crazy cut-out in the backplate to match the vibe of the stone it holds. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Much as I’m loving the sparkly gems at the moment, these cabochons will always be a favourite of mine. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I think it’s the fact that each one is always unique too, so no piece I make with them will ever be identically replicated. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Nature made them so they cannot be copied. Add that to a handmade setting, and you’ve really got something ‘one of a kind’ 😊️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Kelly xx ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (Available now, product tagged in second photo) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #jewellerymaker #artisanjewellery #artisanjewelry #artisanmade #sterlingsilver #jewelryoftheday #statementnecklace #ooakjewelry #ladysmith #agate #instasmithy #silversmith #gemstonejewellery #handmadejewellery #oneofakind #madebyhand #statementpendant

Metal clay making in progress! 🫣⚒️ And yes, another mess. I think this is just the way my creative brain likes to work - with everything scattered all around me! This was taken over the weekend, when I suddenly decided to tackle the latest projects from my Diploma. We needed to make five charms for a bracelet using silver metal clay, so I thought I’d design mine as fingerprint jewellery. This meant I needed to choose a time when all my family were home with me too. I love working with this material, but I don’t have the space to leave everything out all the time, and I think it’s the constant faff of getting it all out and putting it away each time that deters me from using it more often. Really must find a way around that as I’m well aware it’s a shame to have all this kit and not use it. And yes, the fingerprint charms came out okay in the end, which was a relief - although they took a lot more effort than I’d anticipated. I’ll share the results soon, once I’ve edited all the footage together! Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewellery #workinprogress #silvermetalclay #pmc #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymaking #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #silverjewellery #workinprogress #silverjewelry #jadiplomadiaries

Repost from @willowandtwigg • One of my favourite bezel-setting tips! ⚒️ I’ve shared this once before, but it was quite a while ago and since I’m currently sitting at my bench filming stuff anyway, I thought I’d share it again. The quickest method I’ve found to get an even border around a bezel setting is to take a piece of scrap wire and simply hold it in place between the bezel wall and a pen as you draw around the whole thing. A super-fine marker is always best for getting a clear line, but it doesn’t have to be a scrap of wire. I have used the stems of burrs before and even drill bits and broken cocktail sticks - whatever happens to be close at hand and the right size for the border width you want! 🙃 Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #makingjewelry #bezelsettings #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #jewellerytools #jewelrytools #metalsmith #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #ladysmith #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #jewelrymaking #jewelrytips #jewelrytipsandtricks

Making ‘fingerprint’ jewellery with my children… and making things more difficult for myself, again! 🫣😂 This weekend I was working on one of the last few projects for my Diploma; creating jewellery using silver metal clay. Now if you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know I’ve already worked with this material before, but I’d never tried making fingerprint jewellery. Since one of the tasks was to make a bracelet with five charms, and I have five people in my immediate family, this seemed like a really good time to have a go. It turned out to be a little more challenging than I’d anticipated… 😂 I left the camera on as I was recording the process for my Diploma Diaries, and as you can see, I was quite oblivious to the performance going on behind me. This is my middle daughter, Lucy (aged ten.) I then had to repeat the process with my other two daughters and a rather grumpy Mr W&T who was trying to make dinner at the time and didn’t appreciate the urgency with which metal clay needs to be treated. I got there in the end and the charms were successfully made, and are now waiting to be fired. I’ll share the full process this weekend. If it works! 🙃 Hope you’ve had a great start to the week, Kelly xxx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #whatsonyourbench #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #handmadejewellery #motherofgirls

A few hours of work condensed into 80 seconds! ⚒️ This is the ‘behind the scenes’ process reel I promised you, showing the Jasper heart-shaped pendant being created. I’m not sure what takes me longer - making the necklace in the first place or trying to shorten the footage afterwards to make a reel… 🤔 In any case, I hope you can still see all the different steps involved (or as many as I was able to squeeze in) and as always, if you have any questions about what I’m doing or why - please just ask! #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #makingjewellery #howitsmade #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #mycreativebiz #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #mystudio #dowhatyoulove #jewellerymaking #tooladdict #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #jaspernecklace #statementpendant #processreel

Who else never thought to do this? 🫣⚒️ Feel free to laugh and tell me it’s obvious, but I have spent six years watching tiny silver spheres roll off the back of my soldering block, some of them never to be seen again. Turns out there’s a super simple way to avoid this; carve a groove or trench in the block and aim the torch towards it when melting the metal. This way it will catch any rogue granules that try to make their escape. I’m not afraid to admit that this never occurred to me before, and I’m sharing the tip here in case it’s new to any of you, too! 🙃 This was one of my absolute favourite takeaways from my Diploma. If you’d like some more (specifically on granulation) then head over to the @jewellersacademy page and watch my latest ‘Diploma Diaries’ post, where I share another seven. And remember - every tip or trick is new when you see or hear about it for the first time, and I’m always here to learn!🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

As if I needed more pliers… ⚒️😂 I got these to make some oval links for the chain bracelet I made last week. In the end I didn’t use them and stuck with the circles, but still thought they were worthy of a share! Of course, you can also make your jump rings oval-shaped from the start by taping together two round dapping posts or dowel rods, and wrapping the wire around them to make a coil. Then saw through it from the inside, just as you would for round jump rings. But this method is a great alternative too, especially if you only want a few or perhaps a mix of both shapes. It’s also strangely satisfying to do! Squeeze the pliers gently for an oval shape, and take them out further for a more rectangular or oblong result. I got these on Amazon, and they’re actually marketed as body piercing tools. Just search online for ‘ring opening pliers’ and there should be lots of sizes to choose from! 🙃 #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking

It’s my new favourite thing! 🤩⚒️💍 The camera really doesn’t capture the gorgeous shade of green or the beauty of the checkerboard-cut. Every time I look at this ring I remember how far I’ve come with my jewellery making skills, and it inspires me to go further. I’ve got the silver, I’ve got the stones and I’ve now got the tools; a new emerald shaped collet block and punch arrived this week. I still have to finish my Diploma and a few other things I’m working on, but I’m looking forward to enjoying one seriously sparkly summer! ☺️✨💎 Have a wonderful weekend, Kelly xx #gemstonering #jewellerymaker #handmadejewellery #imadethis

It’s not just me who does this, is it? 🫣 Some lessons I’m starting to think I will never learn. I promise this was not deliberate; it was supposed to be a clip in another ‘how it’s made’ reel. Instead it’s a ‘how not to make it’ reel... 🙃 Moral of the story; use masking tape to hold stuff down when hammering. Even for those quick two-second tasks you think will only take two or three hammer strikes. Don’t do it this way. Unless of course you enjoy searching for lost tiny components on the floor, in which case this is a fun and unpredictable pastime! 🙌 #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #makingjewellery #howitsmade #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #mycreativebiz #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #mystudio #dowhatyoulove #jewellerymaking #tooladdict #jewelrymaking #jewelrymaker #hammering

One of the BEST tips I’ve picked up from my Diploma! ⚒️ This stuff has been a game-changer for me during all my soldering, not just with the delicate and fiddly stuff. If you want the science behind how and why it works, read on… Yellow ochre is a naturally occurring clay, and acts as an ‘anti-flux’ by preventing solder from flowing into areas where you’d rather it didn’t go. It dirties the metal and creates a barrier that solder avoids, effectively protecting any covered areas - as we all know, solder only likes to flow on clean surfaces. Here’s why it’s a good choice; 💛 It’s chemically inert. Yellow ochre is a naturally occurring material, meaning it doesn’t react with solder or the metals being soldered. 💛 It’s safe. Yellow ochre is non-toxic and doesn’t smell. 💛 It’s clearly visible, which makes it easy to see where you’ve applied it. 💛 It won’t act as a ‘heat sink’ or barrier like some protective coatings can. 💛 It’s simple to use. I have it in the form of regular watercolour paint and keep it in a ceramic ramekin. I let it dry out and just add a little water each time I want to use it and apply with a fine brush. 💛 It’s not expensive. This single tube of Winsor & Newton paint cost me just £6 and will probably last forever. You can also use graphite pencil lead for the same purpose, and I have heard there are specialist anti-flux pastes on the market too, but this has worked really well for me so far. Let me know if you’ve tried it too! Have a fab Friday 🙃 Kelly xx #jewellerymaker #behindthescenes #jewellersworkshop #makingjewelry #whatsonyourbench #silversmith #metalsmith #silverjewellery #makingjewellery #whatsonmybench #myworkspace #ladysmith #handmadejewellery #jewellerymakingtips #jewelrymakingtips #tooladdict #jewelrytools #jewellerytools #jewelrymaking