Tag Archives: silver jewellery

A Venetian Paper Dream

Posted on by Abi

I’ve just come back from a short break in Venice, I’ve been before and the draw of the beautiful artwork, amazing architecture and to die for paper called me back. This time I stayed in a small town called Treviso, it has it’s own city walls and canals, and even though it is not technically in Venice, it’s beautiful in it’s own right.

Once again I couldn’t resist the many paper creations. In an earlier post I showed you how I used this to renovate some pine furniture. My favourite shop was hidden down one of the smaller canals, where the window is full with all manner of items made with this stunning paper.

I had to remind myself to rein in the spending though, as prices in Venice seem to have leapt since I last visited and this paper was now 9 Euros a sheet!

My latest project involving this indulgence was turning an old box file into a wall cupboard. It was an ebay purchase and thankfully made of wood. After sanding and treating the front and sides much like I had previous projects I glued on an old wooden ruler, two old keys, a paint brush and some buttons. It sounds a bit odd but I love the finished product and it is now proudly hung upon the wall.

Finally inspired by the key I hung on the cupboard I thought I would hunt you all out some of my favourite key inspired jewellery.

The first necklace is called The Bus Ride by Counting Stiches and can be bought on Etsy.

Next is called Peep Show and is sold by Secret Jewellz also on Etsy.

Finally a couple of our own creations which embrace our love of keys

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Long Time No Blog – Wirksworth Houses

Posted on by Abi

Gosh we’ve been naughty here recently and haven’t been concentrating enough energy on the blog. To make amends here is a little insight into how our house pendants are made.

I love living in Derbyshire, its such a beautiful county with a variety of countryside and a wealth of history. Its also right in the middle of the country, so it feels as though its halfway to anywhere else.

The county can claim to have the first National Park in Britain .There are bustling market towns such as Ashbourne and Bakewell, and also Buxton the beautiful Georgian Spa town which boasts the highest market place in the country. There are many picturesque villages like Ashford in the Water, Tissington and Eyam, the famous ‘plague village’, which went into voluntary quarantine when the plague was imported from London in 1665.

In December 2001, the Derwent Valley Mills in Derbyshire became inscribed as a World Heritage Site. Stretching 15 miles down the river valley from Matlock Bath to Derby, the World Heritage Site contains a fascinating series of historic mill complexes, including some of the world’s first ‘modern’ factories.

One of my favourite places is the fascinating small town of Wirksworth. It has many narrow streets and a maze of interesting alleyways. It has a wealth if interesting old buildings and many lovely views. The parish church in the centre of the town is situated in a cathedral-like close.

My Heritage Collection of jewellery is inspired by my love of historic buildings, many pieces based on Derbyshire cottages. I start by taking photographs and then create a line drawing.

The drawing is simplified and reduced and then I lay layers of wax over the top of the drawing. The wax is cut to the shape of the building and then further layers of wax are used to build up the details. Once it is completed the wax is melted away and sterling silver poured into the space left behind.

The silver house is then filed and polished until it looks good enough to wear. The pictures below show a selection of Wirksworth houses.

The house in the middle and the one on the left has already been sold.

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