Blog
Notes from the bench
What is Sustainable Jewellery
Sustainable means: "the quality of being able to continue over a period of time" "Causing, or made in a way that causes, little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time" (Cambridge Dictionary) By definition the mining of minerals...
What “Ethical” Means to Me
A while back, I did a talk for the Scottish Goldsmiths Trusts Ethical Making Ambassadors. I asked you for your definition of what words such as ethical, sustainable, recycled etc meant and you responded generously. The point I wanted to make to the student...
Should we use recycled precious metals?
Nothing in the jewellery industry is perfect. Mining for precious metals is not sustainable – quite literally. Recycled precious metals are for the most part untraceable. Refiners and bullion dealers can stop the illicit trade or gold or turn a blind eye to it. See...
UK Jewellery Hallmarks
I thought you might be interested to know a bit about UK jewellery hallmarks. So, first thing, hallmarking is really important because it's your guarantee that what you think you're buying is actually what it is and by law, all precious metal must be hallmarked. ...
Choosing a Diamond – Not the 4 C’s
A very quick overview of diamond options......If you went online, and typed how to choose a diamond, they'd tell you it was all about the 4 C's - cut, colour, clarity and carat. I'd like to add another category, SOURCE. My values (the things I'm personally concerned...
Commissioning a Bespoke Engagement Ring
I often get asked what the process is to commission a bespoke engagement ring, so I thought it'd be useful to write about it here. So first up, ring, email or make an appointment for a chat. I'll want to hear your thoughts on what you want to create. If you're...