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A recent client of mine mentioned in passing to me about a pair of cufflinks which as a child he always remembered his grandfather wearing. I suggested I create something for him along similar lines. I first had to find pearls of 9mm size and good quality. Synthetic pearls and imitation pearls are very easy to find; but true cultured pearls of defined lustre are nowadays few and far between.
However, after some research and discussion (and many I rejected), they were located. Once purchased, then drilled to accept the cufflink chain, which I made in 9ct hard drawn gold. This makes the chain very durable. The finished item is basically quality chosen pearls, held together with a hard 9ct chain, simplicity makes perfect and they speak for themselves.
9ct white gold Cross, set diamond in 18ct yellow gold. I have split the ends of the Cross in this case I have set round cultured pearls. Previously I have made this Cross and set sapphire, emerald and ruby spheres in the place of pearls. However, pearls for some reason, give an angelic feel. This piece in the flesh has a very holy appeal.
I first designed this ring using platinum and an emerald-cut diamond, which is featured on the front page of this blog. Here I've changed the design somewhat and elevated the stone. These rings have been designed to show the beauty of the highly-polished emerald-cut stone. They are not diamonds, they are coloured stones, which radiate vivid colour. These stones, in particular the pink to reddish stones, are tourmalines.
The yellow stone is a citrine. Tourmalines are not known today as semi-precious, since quality stones of this colour are not easy to find. So I consider them more in the precious stone bracket. The citrine as with amethyst, garnet, peridot, all work with this ring, since it's about image, colour and beauty and not cost. The back plate shank is reflective as are the inner walls of the arms which hold the stone by pressure, so reflect the colour and beauty of the stones.
The biggest problem with this design is setting the stones. Diamonds are no problem due to their hardness. Semi-precious stones are further down on the Moh's hardness scale, and will chip on the corners when pressure is applied. Having struggled time and time again, eventually I mastered a technique. I then set the side of the ring with a bead setting so the stone cannot slip sideways. These rings are an ideal complement to any cocktail party. Available in 18ct yellow and white gold. Approximate price according to gemstone: £850.
Hello everyone, I'm staying on the theme of cufflinks right now. I've managed to produce these stone-set cufflinks after thinking about them for weeks, but doing nothing. Firstly, I designed the setting, and which I call a crown setting, made in 18ct yellow gold then soldered onto a sterling silver hammered oval. This oval is larger than the standard cufflink. The top picture front row is set 9 x 7mm green tourmaline. Second row is set 10 x 8mm pink tourmaline. Back row and image below set 9 x 7 mm Swiss blue topaz. I have made similar cufflinks to these before, with plain polished background ovals. This time I've used the hammered effect, which overall reflects the colour and shimmer of the stone. Finally, all these cufflinks have a simple and easy-to-dress T-bar link. Approximate price depending on gemstone: £250-£350.
I've made this ring in many combinations. The ring has five bands, one with 3 settings (centre), two with two settings (either side of centre), and two outside bands (with one setting). I've set them in many different coloured gemstone combinations and different colours of gold, which can be quite fun as you can wear the ring in different combinations, or even separately on different fingers.
This time all the bands are made from 18ct yellow gold. The centre band is set with 3 Ceylon blue sapphires. The two outer bands also set Ceylon blue sapphires, and bands 2 and 4 set diamonds. It's much easier to see this in the bottom picture.
After a short break, I'm back in the swing for the autumn and Christmas season with some new designs. Starting with cufflinks, simple but perfect design, no faffing about with trying to put these in when your in a rush. Just push the small ball through the cuff, and you're done. Easy, and a great look. Sterling silver, set Swiss blue topaz, available in any carat or colour. This is the time for me to express that there is only my apprentice and I producing these fine objects, So to avoid disappointment I always need as much notice as possible, especially in the lead up to Christmas. Approximate price depending on gemstone: £125
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