Archive for the ‘Jewellery Inspiration’ Category

Personalised Sterling Silver Heart & Swarovski Pearl & Gemstone Cluster Bracelet

Saturday morning and school half term is here again! So getting ready for the trip to the seaside with the kids, seriously did we have this many breaks during the school year? I just seem to get a head of steam up and another one pops along. Now please don’t think I don’t want to spend some quality time with my over loud, over tired, under active, destroy all things minded little cherubs! And then there’s the dog which I’m not going to even list his points, Anyhow I wanted to write this blog up before I left as it will be June by the time I get back. This design came along by accident if truth be told I was actually making something else when I just started messing around with some beads and it sort of came together but I’m not complaining as it turned out rather good if I do say so myself. I must admit I do like making cluster bracelets as my mind tends to wonder (Mainly about being on a beach with a book and a bottle of wine) as I go onto auto pilot, I love the color coordination and the different components you can use. So to break this bracelet down to the base I used a new chain for this bracelet, Not my normal belcher 4 oval chain, It’s a really thick cable chain, As I knew I would be using lots of beads. When using freshwater pearls you are limited to colors and sizes and the availability of them so because I was looking for something a little different I used Swarovski crystal pearls which are fab, Little cheaper then normal pearls but I love the different colors you can buy compared to freshwater. So the two pearl sizes I chose were 3mm and 5mm and the colors are Rosaline – a lovely pinky color and cream very warm colors with a stunning sparkle to them but that’s Swarovski for you! I then added the trusty crystal quartz rondelles which make any design that little bit more elegant. I still needed a good contrasting color and bead then whilst digging through my box of goodies I found some AAA graded Garnet onion briolettes that I’d been keeping for a rainy day and they worked a treat. As I neared the half way point I decided to personalize it as you don’t seem to see many cluster bracelets with that personal touch and makes it even more unique.  So I slipped on a charm holder and added one of my mock hearts I use for making designs. On this heart you can have 26 characters and that includes spaces but as always if you want more text we can make you a custom heart no problem. As happy as I was looking at the bracelet I just felt it could do with something extra and then I saw these little sterling silver open butterfly charms and that was that, It filled the cap that I could see so now it was just down to the back of the bracelet. Again I needed something to offset from the rest of the bracelet so I used the Swarovski BeCharmed crystal heart it really is stunning and to me give it that contrast I was looking for. The heart looked a bit lonely on it’s own so I have had this wonderfully detailed rose charm that I had wanted to use since I bought it but hadn’t really made anything to date which it could be used for until now, Considering the color combinations I had used it just fit in like a glove. So with all said and done it was finished before I really knew that it was, Maybe I should go on auto pilot more often. Oh just one last detail which was the heart toggle which I use on other designs it’s one of those dependable components not to mention it looks good. Well that’s it for this month I guess but while I’m away I can finish my next cluster bracelet off! Yes I’ve already started the next one and this one is using freshwater pearls because I’m just using white so I will be back on in a couple of weeks with that one. Till the next time don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel!

 

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Personalised Sterling Silver Secret Heart & Swarovski Bead Bracelet

Well it’s getting hot now and so are my designs lol, Well this is the bracelet I have been banging on about for a while now. If you like a little sparkle, And a little bling then you will love my latest design – Personalised Swarovski BraceletI love it! shame I cannot wear it as it might look a bit strange on a bloke, Maybe just around the workshop in private perhaps. I think I’ve caught the bling bug, I just love working with bright bits and making something unique and with the bright sunny weather coming through it certainly looks good. It took me a while to design this bracelet as trying to source out all the pieces took some time but got there in the end I think but knowing me I will probably change it at some point. So lets take this design to the bare bones and build it back up, I starting with my usual number 4 sterling silver belcher chain which I use on all my heavy bracelets, It’s been a reliable friend over the years. Next I used about 200 9mm jump rings and soldered two together to make about 100 twisty jump rings, Yes it took an age to do but I love using them as it gives my bracelets a unique look and an extra little sparkle. So next I added the stunning 14mm swarovski BeCharmed pave beads in equal gaps between the twisties, I chose these particular colors as they are bright and look great together but I have given you the choice well a very big choice of colors so if your more of a dark color lover then we have a few for you. Right in the middle of the bracelet I have added a few charms – A star, Angel wing, Heart and a cute high heel and in the middle of those we have a pink Swarovski heart charm to give a lovely collection of charms. Now I have added one of our personalised secret message hearts but only the small one as the others are a little big but I have giving the option of not having the heart if your not looking for something personalised either way it’s a unique piece of jewellery. So overall this is one of my favourite designs it just pops, It’s light, Bright, Funky and cool well maybe that’s just my opinion. So I had been dying to get this design over the line now it’s done I can move on to the next one which I have nearly finished just need some photographs, Actually thinking about it I have a few things waiting for photo’s but if there’s one thing that I don’t look forward to is this, Just as well I’m the boss otherwise I might find myself out of a job lol. So till the next time don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel!

 

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Swarovski Coin Pearl And Sterling Silver Earrrings

Well it’s been awhile, Mother’s Day got a little busy and well I had no time for any other jobs to get done! Maybe I need to invest in a little Elf help or something or other. It’s so nice to be hearing the birds chirp, The flower’s growing and the dark days lifting, I can almost smell summer coming. So now it’s time to get a few brighter bits of jewellery made for those sunny days that lay ahead. So as you might have guessed I love working with pearls, I have lots of designs but the downside of this is the unpredictability of sourcing out good and I mean good graded freshwater pearls to keep your designs alive. So I have decided to use Swarovski crystal/glass pearls in some new designs such as this one – Swarovski coin pearl and sterling silver earrings, When it comes to earrings trying to match a pair of natural pearls can be tricky unless your paying for top top dollar ones, Well it is if your me as I like perfection as much as possible in my work but not always realistic to do so and many people don’t mind but I do! So having found some Swarovski pearls I was amazed how good the quality is how realistic also. I’ve had this particular design in my mind for a while so once I had decided to use the Swarovski pearls I got to work on the twisted rings which are forty four 5mm jump rings soldered into twenty two twisted rings and then put 11 on each earring to give a unique look, Don’t ask why I came out with 11 guess that’s just me all over. I love the head pin I have used, Very detailed and different and really stands out at the bottom of the pearl. I wasn’t sure how such a big headpin would look but it just adds to the overall elegance of the earring. So once I had slipped the coin and the rings onto the pin I just needed the right ear post, A little while ago I purchased a few different designed ear posts from a company in Spain and had been waiting for the right design to come along to use them, Lucky for me only one popped out at me that I thought would work and I wasn’t disappointed in fact it looked even better than I had imagined as I never had an ear post for the initial design. So the end result is a very IndiviJewel looking earring which I love so much I’ve decided to add different colours in the form of Pink and Rose Gold and have just mocked up the matching necklace with bigger coins and twisted rings but that will be for another blog. So the Easter holidays are here! So me and the little troopers are going away to the coast for a week so should be fun on the beach looking for eggs, Should keep them busy for a while anyway. Hope you all have a good holiday and don’t eat to much of the kids chocolate eggs. Till the next time don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel.

Swarovski Coin Pearl And Sterling Silver Rings Earrings 7 copy

14k Gold Fill Bird’s Nest Pearl And Gemstone Necklace

Well that was a quick month!! Well as it’s the last day of the month I thought I would write about my last new product from last year, Yes another wire wrapped piece! Sorry lol,  I have become very fond of making this type of jewellery probably because I’m not to shabby at making it if I do say so myself, It’s only taken an age. So like my last couple of  wire wrapped charm bracelets I thought I would complete the set and make a 14K Gold fill and entwined pearl “Bird’s Nest ” ball charm and eventually turn into a charm bracelet like others at some point but wanted to be a little different with this one and make a necklace with it but I have added a twist by adding a gemstone. Now when I started to wire wrap the Gold wire I did notice a big difference from the sterling silver and Rose gold wire, It’s like trying to wrap a steel bar lol, It’s a lot tougher and the top of my fingers are similar to a tea bag – lots of perforated holes, If you manage to stab yourself  in the finger whilst weaving the wire your going to know about it – It sharp and it hurts and I’ve done it quite often! So with the Nest made with the pearls entwined on it I rummaged through my box of goodies, Now I could do with a maid with regards to this particular corner of the workshop, It’s no joke I look at it and have such good intentions in my head to sort it all out and put everything in its own compartment but I just think its a mental block lol. OK so I find my stash of gemstones and putting different colors against the nest and then I come across these sparkly beauties, Pink Mystic Quartz that I’ve had for a while and had actually forgotten about, That’s what happens when your stash is just piled on top and top and lost to depths of the eerie sweetie tin I keep them in. Now Gold and pink just pop when put together so I just new that this was the one for me, So once attached to the bottom of  nest job done! I love this unique design, I already have a few alternatives in my head but I’ll leave that for another day. So if you like your jewellery unique & sparkling then you can’t go wrong with this necklace. So that’s your lot for Jan and now we move on to the love month, Checkout the website by the way, Lots of Valentine’s goodies to choose from and we have a discount code so don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel.

 

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Happy New Year – Sterling Silver And Entwined Pearl Bird’s Nest Bracelet

Happy New Year to you all! I have to admit I started writing this blog on New Years Eve, Yes I know how sad I’m I! but I just wanted to get one more blog in before the bells ding donged  but unfortunately it was wine o’clock  time and alas the draw of celebrating took hold and before you know it January the 7th is upon us. Well I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas and didn’t over indulged yourselves to much lol. I also hope all our customers enjoyed the presents they may have received or even if you treated yourselves to our handmade jewellery thank you all. So here we are back to the grind, I still have a few pieces to catch up on and thought I would continue where I left off last year with our new entwined bird’s nest range. So I have gone all sterling silver with this entwined pearl bird’s nest bracelet which like the Rose Gold one was a joy to design and make. To start with I hand wrapped about 66 inches of sterling silver wire and then entwined 2-2.5mm freshwater pearls as I neared the end, So I had my focal point now I just needed the rest of the bracelet! It took me a while to put the finished article together as this design was just an image in my head and wasn’t really sure what other components I needed until I was just going through my ideas box of goodies and then I came across these beautiful wire wrapped curved bars. So I had the spine of the bracelet now just needed some sort of beads to fit in and as the bird’s nest has entwined pearls I went to my trusted graded white/cream pearls and low and behold I had a stunning unique bracelet to show off. Now first thoughts are “Wedding Jewellery” but it actually looks good with any fashion and pretty sure you guys will feel the same. So with the January blues hanging over us it’s back to the design board to brighten up my days, So that’s it for this blog I will see you soon as I have another wire wrapped blog to chat about yes that’s right gone a bit mad with the wire wrapping! So wishing you all the best for the year ahead and don’t be like the rest be an IndiviJewel!

 

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On The Sixth Day Of Christmas My True Love Sent To Me – A Sterling Silver And Rose Gold Bird’s Nest Bracelet!

A wonderful present from IndiviJewels, So Six days to go for what we have all been working so hard for and what another mad year. This last week has just flown by as we try and finish all our orders, I feel like Santa’s little elf in my workshop till, 2,3 even 5 in the morning but its all worth it. All things considered its gone pretty smooth, Not to many problems compared to other frantic years and I’m more organized with my own Xmas preparations this year which makes me even more full of  the Xmas joy, Nothing worse than rushing around, Been there and it’s just horrible. Now trying to keep up with your social media while very busy is not going to really happen no matter how hard you try, As the saying goes “Not enough hours in the day”  Now if Santa could wrap up a little helper for me for the New Year that would be a most welcome present! So before it all went mad I had managed to take some photographs of our new bits which I referred to in my last blog, Now this particular bracelet was an absolute joy to design and make. I love the design so much I have decided to make it with sterling silver and gold fill, Now finding all the components might be a little tricky but hay-ho when I have my mind set on something I’m like a dog with a bone. So this jumbo bird’s nest is wrapped with approx 70 inches of 14k Rose Gold, So that’ s a lot of wire to wrap, Nothing worse than getting near the end and you realize its not the sphere shape you hoped for, Yes that’s right it’s happened a few times! It gets a lot more tricky when you entwine the pearls as well but I think it’s worth it when it’s finished, Totally unique to IndiviJewels and to be honest I don’t think many people would have the patience to try it lol. So I already had the silver and rose gold rondelles from another design, When you put the two metals together they really do pop, Much better in the flesh than photo’s could ever show, I love how the Rose Gold are just the slightly bigger than the Sterling silver donuts, If you go to big I think you lose the look and elegance you are looking for so for me just perfect. When the Bird’s Nest is added to the charm carrier it just all comes together and overall it makes a truly unique piece of jewellery that I’m over the moon about. Again I have gone with the magnetic clasp, I really love using it for this kind of design so it’s easier for you guys to just throw it over your wrist and let it do it’s job.I must admit I actually loved wearing it but that was only in the work shop, Didn’t want to get strange looks as walking down the street as lets be honest it’s not very manly. I have managed to get my hands on the sterling silver and Gold fill versions of the clasp so now I just need the bigger rondelles in those metals and Hay-Ho there’s no stopping me. So that’s me for another blog, Saturday night is here and to be honest I need some sleep or I will have to hold my eyelids up with matchsticks. Kids finished school yesterday so they are all pumped up looking forward to the big day. I hope to get back on with another blog before the end of the year as I have some catching up to do but it is Xmas so we will see what happens, If not then I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

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Personalised Sterling Silver Secret Message Moon Necklace

It’s a day of ponder and thought today across our Great Britain and afar as we remember the brave men and women of our armed services past and present and the world over, Words cannot say enough of their sacrifice ” Lest We Forget ” So I hope everyone’s Fireworks night went off with a bang and you all kept safe, We went to my hometown and thankfully the rain held off, Such a wonderful sight to see. I know everyone is gearing up for Xmas but really you would think it was coming up in the next week, Just ridiculous, I love Xmas, It’s the best time of the year for me but to have such a long run up to it just takes that special charm away from it. Well that’s my take on it, So let’s crack on with our new personalised sterling silver secret message Moon necklace, As usual completely unique to IndiviJewels  you are only going to be able to purchase this from us unless someone does a bad job of copying us lol. We are always trying to think up new ideas for expanding our Secret message range which can be more trickier then you think, You have to think of size you don’t want something that is to big or small, It has to have enough room for a decent sized message or the point of it has gone. Shape is also another problem, You could rattle off no end of shapes but depending on angles the person receiving the necklace won’t be able to see it!  So with all things moon themed at the moment we thought we would make an IndiviJewel take on it and we think it’s done the job. When you make a piece of jewellery unique as this it takes time to make and this is no exception, We cut out two lengths of sterling silver sheet, Same width but one a little longer than the other, Etch the text of your choice to which you can have 24 and 15 characters including spaces then comes the hard part shaping the two pieces of silver into the shape of a half moon which as you can imagine  could be a little tricky. We then solder the joins together then file away all the excess solder and using various sandpapers to get it to the point of polishing, The two loops for the chain and star are also soldered on, Once all this is finished it needs a good polish to make it all shiny, Clean all the polishing compound off them heat it up and put in the pickle pot to rid the piece of any last dirt and then drop in the tumbler for a few hours and Hey Ho one lovely unique personalised necklace ready for you to wear. As you can see a lot of time and effort goes into making just one of these piece’s but if you want to make a unique piece of jewellery then hard work is a must. So with Xmas insight this would make a unique personalised keepsake so hopefully you will like our latest necklace. OK time to go so till the next time ” Don’t  be like the the rest be an IndiviJewel “.

 

IndiviJewels Personalised Silver Secret Message Moon and Star NecklaceIndiviJewels Personalised Silver Secret Message Moon and Star NecklaceIndiviJewels Personalised Silver Secret Message Moon and Star Necklace

Personalised Sterling Silver Vintage Tag Necklace

It’s the spookiest day of the year again and what a nightmare this week has been, When the change in season comes so do all the germs as well, I have had more shakes,Shivers and sweats this week than John Travolta in Saturday night fever! The kids have gone trick or treating so I’m sure they will come back with next weeks dinner, Haribo’s and Drumsticks, Those were the days! So it feels a little weird at the moment going to work, As I go in the dark and then when I’m finished I come back in the dark but not to worry my workshop is only at the bottom of my garden! Warmth and sunshine would be most welcome right about now as I sit here wondering if I should put my open fire on as I’m absolutely freezing. Maybe a pair of those glasses with the pictures of beaches and cold cocktails in would keep me in fine spirits these coming Winter months or I could just relocate to Australia. I suppose I should really write about our new product as that is my job! Well we are more than over the moon with this little creation, As always we try to make something a little different and this personalised sterling silver vintage tag we feel is a little gem of a unique charm that we can go on and make some more great creations with. So we like all things vintage here at IndiviJewels so why not make a piece of vintage jewellery, We wanted it to have a modern feel but from a period of time when things looked classy, Hence the very cool font we used on the main image as you can see but no worries we do offer other fonts if this is not to your liking, Just check the product info. Now this charm maybe small but it’s a little intricate when it’s been cut out, As you have to smooth all the edges without filing them away or making them look uneven, So you have to have a soft touch for this which to my surprise I’m not that bad! Must be my small hands. Now this may be a little confusing so I will try my best to un-confuse you, We have added this tag as two separate products, One is called ” The most precious gift ” which is for the birth of a newborn with all those important details. This product will not change but the necklace I’m writing about now you can have whatever text you can fit on, Hopefully that clears up that little problem. Now as you can see in the middle image you have the choice of a natural finish or if you want to look a little more vibrant then a blackened finish is for you. If by any chance you would like a different shape tag then just contact us and we will see what we can do for you. I have already made another piece with this tag but haven’t had the chance to photograph it yet but that’s one to look out for. As this was our new charm we have just added it to a sterling silver chain because we wanted everybody’s eyes to be focused on the charm itself. Right the kids have just come back with two huge pumpkin bags of sweets so I’m off to see what they will give me, Till the next time don’t be like all the rest, Be an IndiviJewel! Happy Halloween

 

Handmade Personalised Vintage Gift Tag Shaped Necklace The Most Precious Gift Silver Tag Necklace Personalised Vintage Gift Tag Necklace

Personalised Wedding keyrings to Italy!

OK first blog of the month and a very momentous one for Alice and Michele of Padova, Italy who are getting married today! The reason I’m writing about their wedding today is that they let IndiviJewels be a small part of there huge occasion which we are really humble about. It means a lot to us that someone would want our products in one of their if not the most important day of there lives. So they wanted to give their nearest and dearest some personal gifts as a loving keepsake and we were the lucky company to do this for them. They choose to give six personalised key rings with the persons name on one side and a message on the other with the date which just happens to be today! So wishing them all the best for today and the future. Now when I was packing this order I realised I hadn’t taken any photos of it like I had planed, I had to put one of the disc’s back in the tumbler for an hour so ended up running very late, It’s nearly 5pm and I’m racing around to get this order to Italy when I had forgotten to take a photo of them, So the post office close’s at 5.30pm so it was a case of snapping a few photo’s free hand in a matter of minutes which if anyone knows about photographing the chances of having quality pics is not really going to happen and yes having just gone through the pics today they are sadly not great! So it was the case of picking the best one out of a bad bunch as you can see with the photo I have used. I spoke to Alice about writing a blog about the big day and she kindly said she would send some pics through to me so I will update this blog when I have them. So it’s time to say arrivederci for now although I could well should be back on tomorrow as I have a new personalised bracelet to chat about. So don’t be like all the rest be an IndiviJewel just like Alice and Michele.

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Coin Pearl & Aquamarine Gemstone Cluster Charm Bracelet

 

So I finally got round to making this coin pearl bracelet to go with the necklace that I made a while ago, Maybe in future I should try making them together now there’s a thought! Men, Multi-tasking just doesn’t really work together lol. I love working with coin pearls especially if you can source out real quality ones otherwise it’s not worth it as I guess you could say I try to be a bit of a perfectionist. I’d have to admit I’m very fussy when it comes to materials, I have so many designs on paper but I only like to use top quality bits and bobs that’s why I have so many unfinished designs hanging around the workshop. You don’t really see to much coin pearl jewellery about and it’s a bit different from the norm so like I said I love working with them especially when you have a good design you can make some wonderful pieces of jewellery. When I’m in the workshop late at night having a brain storming session! Which let’s be honest doesn’t happen to often lol.I love mixing pearls and gemstones it’s one of my favourite parts of designing  but you have to get the mix right for it to have that elegant and sellable look. One of the best combo’s with pearls and gemstones I feel is white/cream pearls with blue gemstones, Just something about pearls and blues it makes me think of sandy beaches while watching an Ocean or Sea  or I’m I just thinking of where I would lie to be right now! Focus, I have used Aquamarine for this design as you might have read in the title of this blog!  But lots of other blue stones would look good as well such as London blue Topaz, Tanzanite or even Sapphire but I went with a warm colour that blends in well and not to over powering but just to give it a little contrast. So to start with I have used a solid and elegant sterling silver charm holder with a whopping 14mm graded coin pearl which has a lovely iridescence about it. Mingled in and around the coin we have AA graded 3mm Aquamarine faceted rondelles which give it that little bit of sparkly needed which are accompanied with beautiful 3-4mm round pearls so overall it makes a wonderful center piece. Now for the rest of the bracelet we used 8-9mm coin pearls to tie in the bracelet as a whole, These little beauties have a wonderful shape and colour about them. Now I have changed the clasp used on the necklace to one which I think suits the design a little better, As you can see it’s a beautifully designed twisted heart and arrow clasp and yes it will also be on the necklace from now on( Yes I’m a professional lol). I have to say the bracelet is very feminine and elegant and would look good on any women’s wrist, That’s not being big headed I’m just very proud and happy to have made this piece and if you don’t have confidence in your work then your in trouble. So all I have to do is make up some earrings and bing bang boo what a lovely set we shall have for you lovely people to wear. OK it’s Friday afternoon, It’s only taken me a week to write this blog! The day is just starting for me, No rest for the wicked I have to re-take some photo’s of our new personalised silver and rose gold bracelet which I hope to chat about in a few days. Till the next time, Don’t be like the rest, Be an IndiviJewel!

 

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