jewellery

Christmas is coming - a fact confirmed by the fact that I’ve already eaten one huge turkey (Thanksgiving!), there’s about 18 inches of snow on the ground here in northern Illinois, and there are more Christmas lights up than you can shake a stick at.

I’ve just joined Folksy, a UK-based crafts site, and put up four of my necklaces for sale there just in time for the Christmas rush (I hope!). I already have them up on Lost Yod but obviously that’s a bit of a backwater so not exactly getting lots of traffic.

Lots of people have suggested that I put stuff on Etsy, but they only work in US dollars and the exchange rate isn’t kind to British crafters. I also haven’t heard great things about Etsy, and my own experiences of the site have not been enjoyable or profitable.

eBay’s also out because most of the jewellery there is either tat or so obscenely cheap that I wonder if it hasn’t fallen off the back of a lorry. I also dislike auctions for the sort of thing I am selling - I would rather just set a price and if someone wants it, then they can buy it there and then, without having to worry about bidding and deadlines.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Folksy today, and the vibe seems pretty good. The forums are friendly and the quality of stuff that others are selling there is very high indeed. The site is new, so it’s still bedding in and gaining visitors, but there’s so much good stuff there that if you’re buying Christmas presents I’d strongly recommend that you visit very soon.

And of course, if you like my necklaces, you can either visit my small shop on Folksy, or buy direct from Lost Yod. I’ll send stuff out as soon as I get home, (i.e. Monday).

Remember all those Renaissance-inspired necklaces I made over the summer? The ones that caused my carpal tunnel syndrome? (Which, btw, annoyingly flared up again last night. Meh.) Finally, I have them all up and for sale via PayPal, over on Lost Yod. Yay!

There are 37 available right now, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to sell all of them before Christmas. I have a few beads left, so if you see something you like and want a bespoke piece let me know. I think I’ve figured out how to make something without aggravating my wrists, but if you order bespoke it might take a while for me to get it together, so bear with me!

So what are you waiting for? Go do your Chrimbo shopping!

I know it’s insane, and I know I’ve got too many blogs already, but I’ve started a new jewellery-focused one, called Lost Yod. I’ll explain the name one day, when I’m a little less busy. Meantime, I think I’m ready for the Medieval festival down in Herstmonceux on the weekend, so if you’re in the area, pop along and visit Kate and me in the Craft tent!

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been making jewellery, ever since the preparations for my wedding exposed me to the jewellery making bug. My friend Kate (who’s busy finishing up her degree and therefore hasn’t blogged in, oh, eight months) and I are off to Herstmonceux in August, and I promised to make 30 necklaces in a roughly renaissance style. I found a great gallery of portraits and have been basing my designs on some of the jewellery depicted in those paintings. Some of the necklace names reflect the portrait from which I drew inspiration. Some don’t.

I’ve now made more than 30 necklaces, and am starting to run out of raw materials, so it’s time to sell some to fund my habit! Rather than use Etsy, which is set up for American sellers, or eBay, which mostly lists stuff at such low prices that I wonder if they fell off the back of a lorry, I’m just going to list the necklaces here, with PayPal buttons. That’s the option that most of the people who have completed my survey so far have said they prefer. (Please do pop over and spend a minute or two filling my survey in, as its really useful for me to know what people like, rather than base everything on assumptions.)

Memling
I have two necklaces in this style, based on the painting, The Presentation in the Temple by Hans Memling c. 1463.

Dark grey 6mm glass pearls with silver fixings, roughly 16 inches (41 cm), with a toggle clasp (bar and hoop). £18.00.

SOLD

Ivory 4mm glass pearls with gold fixings, roughly 16.5 inches (42cm), with a toggle clasp. £16.50.

SOLD

I also have these available in silver/light grey & gold/champagne in different lengths. Email me if you want more details, or want me to custom make for you.

Isabel
This necklace is based on the painting of Isabel of Portugal by Rogier van der Weyden from the mid 1400s.

Light grey 10mm glass pearls with silver fixings, roughly 16.5 inches (42cm), with a toggle clasp. £14.50.

SOLD

Also available in ivory and champagne.

Medici
Based on the portrait of Maria de ‘Medici by Agnolo Bronzino from 1551.

Ivory 6mm glass pearls with silver fixings, roughly 17 inches (43cm), with a toggle clasp. £15.00.

SOLD

Also available with smaller ivory pearls.

Half Anne
Based on the portrait of Queen Anne of Denmark by Marc Gheeraerts the younger, c. 1600, but with one string (the lower) of pearl instead of two. I also do the two-string version if you’re interested.

Ivory 6mm glass pearls with silver fixings, 17 inches (43cm), with a toggle clasp. £17.00.

Also available in other colours.

Bridgette
Inspired by a necklace I saw at the British Museum, this champagne 6mm glass pearl necklace features tiny metal beads between the pearls.

Champagne 6mm glass pearls with silver fixings, roughly 15″ (38 cm), with a toggle clasp. £14.50.

Also available in light grey, dark grey, ivory and white.

And lots more
I’ve got lots more up on Flickr, so if you fancy buying any of them, or if you want something made in a specific colour or to a custom length, please just email me.

Materials
All necklaces are made of the highest quality glass pearls I can find, but you must look after them carefully - they should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. Do not ever spray perfume, hairspray or other solvents onto them, as you’ll take off the shine. Mum put her wedding pearls on and then liberally sprayed perfume all over them, which took off the pearl coating completely and covered her skin with pearly blobs, so don’t make that mistake! To clean them, polish with a soft cloth.

Fixings (clasps, wire, rings, etc.) are generally plated silver or gold. When necklaces are threaded, they use Beadalon stringing wire which is nigh on indestructible as far as I can see, and which won’t stretch. All necklaces will be sent out in simple packaging, i.e. no presentation boxes. If you want to make a gift of the necklace, please let me know and I will go out and get a presentation box for you.

If you ever have a problem with your necklace, email me and I’ll give you an address to send them back to. I will mend or replace them free of charge.

I’m still sitting here of an evening, making jewellery, usually when my brain has turned itself off for the night. I’ve come up with a few new styles since my last post, and am going to put some of them up for sale this weekend. It’d be nice to earn back some of the money I’ve spent on making them, and be able to buy some more materials.

Meantime, I’m very interested in your opinions on things like colour, whether you like matching sets, etc. so that I know where to focus my efforts. I have put together a short survey of eight questions, and I would be very grateful if those of you who buy jewellery could spend just a few short moments filling it in. Just pop along to PollDaddy and get cracking.

If you’re curious, these are the questions:

Q.1 When buying jewellery, how important is it that you can buy matching set of earrings, necklace and bracelet?
Q.2 If you like matching sets, what is most important to you?
Q.3 When buying a period bracelet, do you have a preference for a clasp type?
Q.4 Your favourite colour for pearl jewellery is:
Q.5 What other colour pearl jewellery would you like to see me make?
Q.6 Your favourite colour for jewellery ‘fixings’ (the clasp, etc) is:
Q.7 When you buy stuff online you prefer [to buy from]:
Q.8 If you just answered “Another option”, what other option?

See! Really very easy.

So, I’ve been spending quite a bit of my spare time lately making jewellery inspired by the Renaissance era. I got so hooked on making jewellery for my wedding, I didn’t really want to stop, and as my friend Kate is going to be running a stall at a medieval fayre in August, we agreed that I could make some jewellery to sell on it. Trouble is, I’ve done several designs, and I’m not sure which ones I should focus on making. So I thought I’d ask you lot which ones you like best.

All necklaces are made of glass pearls - real ones are way too expensive - and sometimes with Swarovski crystals. Metalwork can be silver- or gold-plate. Please forgive crappy photos - will try to get some better ones, perhaps of me wearing them so you can see how they fall.

Plain choker
Very boring, easy to make, and thus cheap for those on a budget or whose costume is that of a less well off Elizabethan/Tudor. Currently in black and grey.

Four foot string of beads
They were really into long strings that they could wrap twice around their neck, tucking the surplus into the top of their dresses. Comes in various sizes and colours.

Four foot string with pearls and metal beads
Does what it says on the tin.

Maria de Medici
From a 1551 portrait, this is a simple choker with lots of pendant beads. Various bead sizes and colours.

Memling
From a portrait by Hans Memling from 1463, these have Y-shaped pendants. Again, various colours and bead sizes.

Isabel of Portugal
From the mid-1400s, I couldn’t quite figure out how to link the pendant chain in the first one I did, and in the others I went for simplicity instead of authenticity as i think the original must have a three-way drilled pearl, which I don’t have.

Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia
From 1603, I did two versions of this - one as a tight choker and the other a slightly looser version to sit upon the collarbone. Neither really sit well on anything other than someone’s neck. Couldn’t get a teardrop pendant to hang centrally, so it has to live with out one. Also offset the red crystals for effect.

Queen Anne of Denmark
c1600, and again, it sits better when you actually wear it. I suspect that I’d have to make these to measure - one bead too long or short and it just won’t sit properly.

Elizabeth Brydges
From 1589, a real bugger to make, but very impressive when it’s on.

Diamond choker
Of my own design, although clearly diamond in shape, and not in stone! Can’t be affording to play with making jewellery out of those beauties. Silver or gold.

So, which ones do you like?
Please take a second to fill in my poll - I’d really like to know which ones you like, and if you’re a girl into Renaissance jewellery, which one would you like to wear?