the Bench by Cooksongold

ISSUE 6 SPRING 2014

The

trendsetting

Issue!

Jewellery making’s philosopher king Complements of the season: the new Spring colours and the gems that go with them The power of Dremel • Britain’s coolest jewellery schools The magic of clay • The smart way to take professional quality photos of your work

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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Contents

ISSUE 6 SPRING 2014

04 Colours

04 Fashion Colours of the Year

10 Nimbus Cloud

ou’ll be on Cloud 9 Y photographing your best pieces.

12 Meet the Designer: Lydia Niziblian How digging up your garden can inspire your jewellery designs.

The new season’s colours revealed in all their glory!

06 Fei Liu

Lydia Niziblian

We talk philosophy with this jewellery making king.

14 Towers and Flowers

We report back on some of the highlights (some very high indeed) at Jewellery and Watch Birmingham 2014.

16 St. Albans

The saints go marching on at this fast growing jewellery making school.

18 Jewel Schools

Some of the top places to top up your jewellery making skills.

19 Dremel

Making beautiful pearl earrings.

Look in with Lisa

Welcome to the Trendsetting Issue of The Bench!

couldn't have picked a better time to embark upon my first stint

as editor of The Bench! These are exciting times for jewellery makers and this issue really does reflect that in being packed full of jewellery making inspiration for the year ahead. Inside you’ll find a fab feature on the big show at the NEC, Jewellery and Watch Birmingham, the best place to get a handle on the hottest trends, a revealing piece on the new season’s fashion shades and how they apply to gemstones as well as couture, and then, of course, there’s an exciting in-depth interview with the ‘Philosopher King’ of jewellery making, Mr. Fei Liu...

Jewellery maker, philosopher, man of East and West. The Bench reporters caught up with the irrepressible Fei Liu recently on his ravishingly beautiful stand at the NEC. The net result was a remarkable and revealing insight into what fires and inspires one of the UK’s true jewellery making luminaries.

Fei emerges from The the piece as one trendsetting of the industry’s Issue! great thinkers in the way he invests his beautiful garden story. creations with deep and Back This time around, our ever-popular ‘Meet subtle meanings. the Designer’ section features Lydia Setting the tone for 2014.

Call now and speak with one of our helpful sales advisors:

0845 100 1122

Click:

cooksongold.com Trade Counters: 59-83 Vittoria Street Birmingham B1 3NZ 49 Hatton Garden London EC1N 4YS Order before 3pm for same day despatch Over 17,000 products in stock

Fei Liu

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When you are finished with this magazine please pass it on to a friend or neighbour, or recycle it. Ta :)

Positional

19 Dremel

20 PMC

Precious Metal Clay? We call it Pretty Magical Clay!

22 The new Cooksongold Catalogue Now bigger and better than ever!

What are the colours you’re going to be seeing making an entrance up and down our High Streets this Spring? The Bench has a snoop around all the Spring fashion shows from New York to Tokyo to see what will be trickling down to a store near you sometime soon! Not only that but we’ve also put together a comprehensive guide to the gemstones you’ll need to team beautifully with the season’s exciting new shades. So don’t buy a blouse or a gemstone until you’ve read our special report!

Pretty Magical Clay.

The Bench wouldn’t be The Bench without our useful hints and tips on how you can get more out of working at your own bench and this issue is no exception with a masterclass on making fine silver stud earrings with PMC. Given the results you can achieve, we’re calling this amazing product Pretty Magical Clay! Not only that but there’s also a special feature on the power of Dremel and some invaluable hints and tips on photographing your pieces using the remarkable Nimbus Cloud Dome.

Niziblian, and her fascinating back story (you might even say a back garden story!) which takes in a passion for ancient artefacts, the Welsh coastline and digging up her mum and dad’s back garden. Intrigued? You will be. So read on! Enjoy the magazine and your jewellery making!

It’s a date

Find out what’s up and coming

by finding out what’s coming up! 2014 really is the year of inspiration! As we head out of the long gloomy tunnel of recession, jewellery designers are dusting themselves down and reflecting the new mood of optimism with a dazzling array of new creations with the emphasis on colour and a boldness of form that will take your breath away! Check out the events below to make sure you’re up to speed with all the exciting new trends.

CMJ Spring Trade Event www.masterjewellers.co.uk 16 - 17 Mar Birmingham

Made in London: Jewellery Now exhibition www.museumoflondon.org.uk Until 27 Apr Museum of London

Pulse

www.pulse-london.com 11 - 13 May Earls Court, London

Jewellery & Watch London

www.jewelleryandwatchlondon.com 18 - 19 Jun Saatchi Gallery, London

IJL London

www.jewellerylondon.com 31 Aug - 2 Sep Olympia, London

Goldsmiths Fair 2014 Editor

www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk Week One: 22 - 28 Sep Week Two: 30 Sep - 5 Oct

And our last issue’s lucky winner is... ...Valerie Morris, who won a £300 jewellery making hamper just before her birthday!

Thank you so much. I'm absolutely delighted, surprised and excited! Valerie correctly answered that DMLS stands for Direct Metal Laser Sintering. Hope you had a lovely birthday, Val! in with a chance to win Now turn to the back page to bemak ing goodies llery jewe of per ham 00 a £2,0 3

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A Pm

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pink tourmaline.

A subtle grey is yet another elegant neutral shade, strong enough to work by itself yet sufficiently flexible to create beautiful contrasts with many other colours. Enhance with the deep blue iridescence of

amethyst.

aquamarine.

SETTING THE TONE FOR The new season's

r B PMG 61t

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First off, a cool shade of blue with a truly soothing effect . Add a touch of vibrancy with the exhilarating freshness of

A fiery red can be relied upon to provide a thrilling contrast with any neutral shade and create genuine excitement when combined with a clashing bright yellow. An incandescent combination with

designed The pastel shades are ce a highly add vibrancy and produ to es hu r de for some bol contemporary contrast.

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Next up is a lavish, evocative, even ‘Victorian’-style of purple, suggesting a yearning for the certainties of times past. Team with the gorgeous period richness of

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green tourmaline.

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n A fresh Spring-like gree all is perfectly in tune with those bursting springtime den: buds out there in the gar after precisely what we need another long grey winter! the Perfect when paired with of verdant forest coolness

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e scene. pastels to set th Soft and serene ene and gentle pastels spectrum are three ser

labradorite.

The yellow in question is inspired by the dazzling colours, and specifically th the lush flora, of the Sou h Sea Islands. Add a touc of truly exotic sparkle with

61 R H R

yellow sapphires.

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t's one of the most exciting moments in the fashion calendar when the big fashion houses reveal their new colours for the Spring.

It tells us what we’ll all be wearing as we shake off the cobwebs of winter of course but it also provides us with a raincheck on the mood of the times. So here at The Bench we decided to take a little peek at all the swaying and sashaying up and

t A deep pink/mauve tha in, suggests flowers once aga y but this time the delicac of and decorous restraint ry. the Victorian conservato Team with the uniquely regal richness of

down the world’s catwalks so that we could report back on this season's most important colour trends. Unsurprisingly, it seems that the keynote this Spring is the reassurance of comforting and familiar tones to provide a sense of calm in these turbulent times.

6 of the best... on-trend chains 22 Diamond Cut Curb

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VVT CHAL

11 Rope VV3 60H

VVR AHA

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Only £6.07 All chains: 18" 450mm. Prices are intended as a guide. They are based on precious metal prices which vary on a daily basis.

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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AOR D

61 PL L

PL L

A dazzling shade of blue that contrasts quite wonderfully with the calming, paler shade. Highlight with the purity, clarity and sheer serenity of

sapphires.

fire opal. 61 F

Only £3.46 2 Belcher

VV4 01H

A rich,deep orange creating a great sense of warmth and positivity like the comforting flames of an open fire. Add a further touch of radiance with the glowing embers of

OA O

1.2mm Ball Necklet

Compact 1mm Snake

Only £1.43

Only £1.66

rhodolite garnet.

So here are those hot new couture colours - and the dazzling gemstones that go with them!

12/20 Trace

6 1Y

(AND THE JEWELLERY THAT GOES WITH THEM)

SR D1 5

A rich caramel cream provides a highly approachable neutral that works wonderfully well with the Spring green and makes for a beautiful cool combination with freshwater

cultured pearls.

6 1 S A A DK s

A DK N

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Earrings featuring a rubellite centre stone, pink sapphires and white diamonds set in 18ct rose gold

Interview

The Bench gains access to Fei Liu to discover the unique philosophy behind a highly individual yet totally accessible style rooted in a wide-ranging fascination for the cultures of both East and West.

ur indefatigable reporters tracked down the effervescent, intriguing and hugely engaging Fei Liu recently on his breathtaking stand at the Jewellery and Watch Show Birmingham. In a frank, thoughtprovoking and revealing interview, Fei recalls his grandmother’s garden in China, explores the diversity of his cultural influences, explains his passion for all things British and describes scaring the pants off the ceramic artists at Wedgwood!

Fei, you grew up in Chong Qin in China. How has that upbringing influenced your work? A great deal of course. I grew up with a fascination for Chinese art and culture. Chinese art is all about intricacy and an amazing attention to detail. It’s also about investing an object with a philosophical meaning that goes much deeper than the object’s surface qualities and its functionality. Of course that very unique Chinese cultural influence is something I can never shake off. Not that I’d ever want to, of course!

And how and where did you develop such a distinctive style? I still remember my first day of studying here at Birmingham Jewellery School. It had a huge influence on me. Arriving in the West opened

Cascade large pendant in sterling silver, finished with pavé set cubic zirconia

my eyes to all sorts of exciting things I wasn’t aware of in western culture, such as contemporary art, the Bauhaus, Art Deco and post modernism. And, of course, I learned about all the great landmarks in jewellery history such as the work of John Donald. The western cultural heritage is so rich. But by that I mean specifically that of Europe. I could never work in the United States. The culture there lacks that richness and depth. Britain in particular is very open, not at all like Italy or France. The British have always been aware of how big the world is and it’s that open-mindedness that I think is so important. It’s such a rich melting pot of multicultural influences. It’s just so inspiring to be here in the midst of it all!

Is the fusion of East and West an important element in your work? Of course but in some rather unexpected ways. I mean, for me it’s not simply a case of merging oriental and western motifs in an overt or obvious way but it’s much more subtle than that. The abstraction in western art fascinates me. It’s something we don’t have to the same extent in the East, where precise representation is the key. So the idea of abstracting familiar themes from Chinese art is one that really appeals to me. Funnily enough, I’m seen as primarily a Chinese designer in the West and a very western designer by my Chinese clients!

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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Rock crystal carved by hand to form a glacial cuff adorned with platinum butterflies with pavé diamonds

Large domed ring cradling a deep blue tanzanite, with pavé diamonds, sapphires and garnets in 18ct white gold

06/03/2014 12:11

‘Window of Heart’ is perhaps the design most obviously influenced by your Chinese heritage. Is the Forbidden City in Beijing a particular source of inspiration? Yes the Forbidden City is certainly an amazing and inspiring place and of course it did directly influence this particular design. However, normally I actually prefer my influences to be a little more subtle, less obvious as you might say.

Born: Chong Qin, China Studied: School of Jewellery, Birmingham Founded Fei Liu Fine Jewellery: 2006

There’s a strong floral theme running through your work. Are flowers a particular passion?

Yes, absolutely. From a young age I was fascinated by observing the plants in my grandmother’s garden. Chinese art is based upon a keen eye for nature and acute observation and I think I learned a great deal by observing the intricacies and delicate details of all those beautiful flowers. I think that really does reveal itself in my work.

We’ve always imagined you have an amazing garden at home. Are we correct?

my ‘Whispering’ collection so much that she’d bought it in three different colours and she told me that she liked the intricate detail that made her feel as if it was actually a part of her body that could be viewed in 360 degrees.

If you were to choose one word to describe your designs, what would it be? I’m a little greedy so can I have three words? In which case, I would say feminine, intricate and exquisite.

Your work certainly has a distinctly curvaceous feminine quality. Is the female form also a major influence? Yes, of course I design for the female form but I wouldn’t say the female form is my inspiration as such - more the essence of femininity and a woman’s spirit.

Which, if push came to shove, is your favourite design? With so many beautiful creations to choose from, is that even possible?

You’ve been showered with awards in recent years. How important has that been in building the Fei Liu brand?

As you suggest, it really is impossible for me to say as I give the same amount of attention and care to all of my designs as I am creating them. However, I have to say that some of my bespoke, oneoff creations were some of the most memorable and challenging and I hope they will stand the test of time. Some

Awards are always a great privilege and an honour but the first award I ever won in the year 2000, the Goldsmiths award, has a special place in my heart. To be recognised by your industry for great design is always a boost to the team, the brand and gives the customer confidence.

Actually I carry my ‘garden’ around with me all the time because it is all in my head. But it’s no less real for that!

And which flower is your favourite? Well, as you can see from my collections, peonies from my Chinese upbringing and the quintessential English rose are amongst my favourites. The peony is a traditional symbol of China, known as ‘flower of riches and honour’. But you will also find orchids and jasmine. However, the quintessential Englishness, the purity, delicacy and intricacy of lily of the valley have a particularly strong attraction for me. It’s hardly surprising that Kate Middleton chose this particular flower for her wedding. It has such depth of meaning in the culture here and I love that kind of symbolism.

You clearly believe in giving your jewellery a deeper, more philosophical meaning. Can you tell us what jewellery means to you? Well, it’s not just about large rocks that’s for sure! For me, it’s about decorating your body. I actually asked a customer why she liked

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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are in private collections, others in museums. And one piece was recently sold at auction by Christie’s in Geneva. Some even incorporate ancient and rare fragments of Chinese porcelain or jade to forge a link with our cultural history. While the kingfisher feather hair ornaments I used in one very special piece were actually made for the royal concubines in China hundreds of years ago. We still have this piece in pride of place in the office. Drawing on the history of the culture and combining these elements is a classic example of what I believe in. But also, at the other end of the spectrum, knowing our engagement and wedding rings will become a symbol of love and the special place they will take in peoples’ lives and hearts makes the design of these very special to me as well.

Which award has been the most satisfying? Oops! We do believe you’ve just answered that! Don’t worry because I actually have a different answer which I think might be even more relevant to the work I do and what we are trying to achieve. Because my designs are all satisfying in their own right but what is most satisfying is a customer choosing to buy and wear our jewellery!

And presumably making the ‘Professional Jeweller Hot 100’ was another big step? Yes again it is an honour to be judged by the industry as somebody who has shaped and added value to the jewellery world.

In the light of all these successes, it’s certainly fair to say that your rise as one of our most celebrated jewellery designers has been nothing short of meteoric. Any tips for readers who are starting out on the same path? Have one eye on staying original and true to yourself, the other on the needs and demands of the market. You might be aiming for the mass market or at high end customers but the principle is exactly the same. The

Peony bangle in sterling silver with 18ct rose gold plating

retailer needs to sell your products, he needs to do business, so there’s literally no point to what you do if the retailer doesn’t buy it. You need to be acutely aware of wearability. The designer needs to explore his creativity within the confines of that space. So listen carefully to what people need and make sure that what you create meets their needs and is accessible. A designer can’t create if he can’t eat after all! He must sell his work and have a natural instinct for what will sell. It’s achieving this balance that’s all-important. In my own work, for example, I think I have a distinctive, recognisable style but equally I like to think that I know what the market wants and, of course, what will sell. That’s the key. Take ‘Cascade’, for example. In some ways, it’s quite crazy and it’s certainly immediately identifiable as one of my designs. And yet even the larger examples in the range are completely wearable! So... be distinctive and be accessible. The point is, you can be both!

And any things they should avoid? The ‘bubble’. Artists can exist in a bubble of pure self-expression, expressing their thoughts and doing their own thing with little or no regard for the ‘market’. Designers cannot. As I say, designers must be accessible in order to survive in a real commercial

world where their work either sells or it fails to sell.

So your advice would always be: choose access over excess! That’s actually a great philosophy for life! Yes, accessibility is so important.

When it comes to sourcing materials and components, how useful has Cooksongold been over the years? Invaluable. Coming from China, it was amazing to me from day one to discover a single source for all my materials from precious metals and gemstones to tools and equipment. It was certainly very different from what I’d experienced back home in China! Not only that but that very first Goldsmiths award that I won back in 2000 was actually 5 ounces of gold that had been donated by Cookson, as it was then. And, of course, from my earliest days as a jewellery student, they were right on my doorstep here in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter!

Returning to the subject of China, with its economy booming these days is the Chinese market one you’ll be looking to explore? Absolutely. We’re doing that already. But, as I say, in China I’m seen as a ‘western’ designer. I guess they must wonder how I acquired such a Chinese name!

And, finally, East or West, Confucius or Freud, Ming or Wedgwood, sweet White gold tanzanite cocktail ring set

18ct white gold with 3ct of trailing pavé white diamonds and large turquoise drops

and sour or a Sunday roast with all the trimmings? Both of course! I really do feel blessed that I can be both of the East and of the West at the same time. I feel that being one or the other would actually cage my imagination so I like to keep myself open in that way. For example, I actually worked closely with the ceramic artists at Wedgwood to shape the Chinese porcelain I used in one of my bespoke pieces. They were very reluctant to handle such precious works of art at first. In fact, they didn’t really want to touch them at all but they ended up doing such a wonderful job! I adore Chinese porcelain and jade, but I also adore Wedgwood and the Bauhaus equally. And, of course, also Chinese and western food.

Fei, thank you so much for demonstrating that jewellery can be not just about exquisite beauty but also about deep cultural resonances and philosophical ideas as well as being completely accessible. Food for thought indeed... not to mention thought for food! 9

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Product feature

Appy days!

Take great photos of d n u i n o l e your work and you’ll be on c e ud Dom o l C phy s a r u Nimb lery Photog Jeweler Set ud Start bus Clo

im s the N 97 Include phy Dome (9 a r o me g D to d Ph o ). e Clou th d n 7 1208 1206) a phy Base (99 ly b ra em .* Photog ires part ass u q Item re 9 07 O 997 12 *iPhon

6 On l

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changed. Because the digital world has brought previously unimaginable levels of convenience to taking great photos in the comfort of your own home as well as bringing that allimportant cost right down!

The smart way to take professional quality photographs. The amazing portable Dome is designed to help you take superb professional quality pictures of your favourite jewellery designs using a smart phone, eliminating harsh shadows and strong lights, while the Base helps enhance lighting options and provides a perfect white background for the item you’re photographing. And don’t forget that taking a photo with your phone gives you amazing flexibility in terms of what you can do with the image. A lot of phones take photos good enough to be used in print at a small size, but they’re also perfect for using with apps and uploading to an online shop, etsy or blog, facebook or twitter.

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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Filterstorm. Use with your iPhone or iPad. Gives you editing facilities on a par with a Mac OS X or Windows. PhotoGene. Also for editing on your iPad; comes with a whole host of amazing features and effects. Photoshop Express. For basic editing, image correction and eyecatching filters on your iPhone or iPad. Camera+. Works with your iPhone creating lighting effects such as backlit, sunset or cloudy. Best Camera. Works with your iPhone enabling you to add, and share, effects quickly and easily. iDarkroom. Works with your iPhone. Particularly good for textured backgrounds.

Once upon a time, to take a good photograph of your jewellery making creations at home you’d need all sorts of complicated stuff: different lenses and tripods, not to mention rather a lot of money. Especially when you consider the difficulty of capturing the ‘fire’ in your gemstones and the richness of your precious metals.

And the very latest aids to achieving precisely that are the Nimbus Cloud Photography Dome (item 997 1206 on page 557 of your new Cooksongold Catalogue) and the Cloud Dome Photography Base (item 997 1208).

to help take p rofe you of your ssional pictu res jewelle r y design using a s sm This po art phone. rtable elimina d o me tes har s h s ha and str d ow s ong lig hts. Ite require m s p ar t as s em bly. 997 12 0

It’s amazing all the things you can achieve on your iPad or iPhone these days. You’ll have fun trying out all the different techniques and you’ll end up with some pretty snazzy effects!

(Well, Cloud 997 1206 to be precise)

N Photogimbus Cloud raphy D ome Design ed

Here are just a few of our favourite photo manipulation apps.

Why not enter Design of the Week? Here’s another great idea. Why not upload a picture of your jewellery making masterpiece to one of Cooksongold’s competitions on Facebook and have it crowned Design of the Week, like these two?

TiltShift Generator. iPad and iPhone versions. A really cool effect that makes everything look miniature! Instagram. A sharing and networking app with photo-editing features. Check out instagram @cooksongold.

Reading list

Jess Holt

Aiston Finnegan

Scan to see the Cloud Dome in action!

NEW Photograph Your Own Art and Craft by Sussie Ahlburg

Covers all the essentials such as use of lenses, backdrops, lighting and locations. Shows both practical techniques and finished work. 999 A130

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06/03/2014 12:11

ydia, we’ve heard you talk about your childhood digging up shards of china, old coins and bits of metal in your parents’ back garden. Is this what first inspired you? And how did your dad take to you digging up his dahlias? Some of my earliest memories are of visiting the National Museum of Wales and I remember being very excited by the idea of finding treasure or fossils. But when it came to digging things up, it wasn’t a problem because I had my own little patch of garden! I think my mum thought I would catch her love of gardening but I was more interested in what I could find when digging. I kept any ‘treasure’ in an egg box.

Can you dig it? Lydia Niziblian. How digging up dad’s garden inspired this exciting young jewellery maker from Wales.

You came to jewellery making by a roundabout route. What finally convinced you to ‘take the plunge’ and go for it? I first tried working with silver when taking a City & Guilds at night school. I was working in television production and missed doing something arts related. I totally fell in love. After I’d left my job, moved back to Wales and had my children I was left with a fair bit of free time. I dug out my tools (digging obviously being my thing!), started experimenting with silver clay and then more traditional silversmithing. I soon realised I couldn’t stop if I wanted to! Within 8 weeks of dusting off my torch I was registered as self-employed, and was renting a local studio to work in. We see you’re back in your home town now. Is that sense of place important to your work? I love Cardiff. Physically, how the City, the coast and the mountains are all so close. There’s no lack of inspiration here! My three favourite places when I want to clear my head ready for a new project are still places I loved as a child: the Museum, Forest Farm Nature Reserve and Llandaf Cathedral. I love the community in the workshops where my studio is (The Printhaus) and the markets and open studio days we have there mean meeting plenty of locals. Cardiff has a thriving creative community, and working next to people who are working in different disciplines has always been inspirational to me. In our workshops alone we have painters, sculptors, print makers, graffiti artists and textile designers - it’s fab!

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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Meet the designer - Lydia Niziblian Your pieces often have the look of ‘found objects’, like treasures from an archaeological dig in some lost continent. Is that the feeling you’re aiming for? Absolutely! Ultimately I want them to be artefacts to be discovered by the wearer. To look like they have a past and a story. We’re back to that word ‘treasure’ again, but that’s what I want them to be: little treasures. There’s also a science fiction dimension to your work (the ‘Your Satellite’ pin for example). Where did that come from? Ooh… nicely spotted! I love science fiction - books and films… and being an astronaut is another of my thwarted early ambitions. I’m still fairly disappointed that we’re in 2014 and the hover-cars and robots are a bit thin on the ground. Space is an incredible inspiration. I can easily lose a day looking at photographs from the Hubble site. Literally aweinspiring stuff. The satellite pin is an easy one: I really enjoy reticulating silver and have a day of it every now and again as a treat! Reticulated silver always looks like topography to me, and reticulated discs always remind me of little moons hence the satellite reference.

One of my favourite descriptions of a piece of mine was that “it was the necklace of a beautiful alien princess” (the ‘Talisman’ necklace) And a subversive streak? The ‘Keep your Diamonds’ cocktail ring for example looks like it’s thumbing its nose at the ‘establishment’! I do use simple, traditional techniques but sometimes the finished pieces

W: niziblian.com E: lydia@niziblian.com F: facebook.com/niziblian

don’t look very traditional! I really enjoy crystals and minerals, and have used both in jewellery, as well as uncut gemstones. Nature doesn’t get it wrong and some of the crystal forms are beautiful enough to include with minimal preparation. The KYD ring was made around a natural iridescent apophyllite crystal, which is beautiful in its own right. You don’t necessarily need diamonds! We love some of the poetic names you give your pieces, ‘Rolling with the Small Gods’ being our favourite. Do you like to give your pieces a story? I’m constantly torn between not naming pieces at all, and giving them a fifteen page back story! So, one piece might have a title like the ‘small gods’ necklace, another might be simply ‘uvavorite ring’. It depends on my mood - I should be more consistent! Incidentally, the necklace got its name as the piece of prehnite I used looked like a green eye which reminded me of the title of the Rudyard Kipling poem ‘The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God’. The titles are usually a bit tongue in cheek. If you’re going to name something, it might as well be a bit full-on! What hints and tips could you give our readers for building a successful jewellery making business from scratch? Well, all mine come from finding confidence in what you do. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Find your own path and your own style and don’t be afraid that you’re doing it ‘wrong’ or asking for advice. Finally, how has Cooksongold helped you get established? Well, I’ve recently started using the Cooksongold forum. It is absolutely invaluable. People are very generous with their time, advice and experience. Being able to talk with other people in a similar position is just great. And, in practical terms, Cooksongold means I get the materials and tools I need as quickly as I need them! Sounds like you’re on your way to the top... and ‘rolling with the big gods’! I hope so... my work seems to be attracting a lot of attention in all the right places these days. Thank you Lydia. Fab hair by the way! Thank you!

06/03/2014 12:11

Towers Flowers

Is it an earring, is it a necklace? Nope. It’s jewellery but not as we know it, Jemima! One of the show’s showstopping highlights was undoubtedly jewellery that dared to go where jewellery had never been before with earrings more like, well, earcuffs, creeping up and over the ear and the extraordinary 1920s-inspired Gloriole shoulder piece (5) from, yes, who else could it be but those crazy wild things at Tresor Paris!

Animal instincts. 5

Glittering pieces, glittering prizes

The Bench reports back on some of the highlights (some very high indeed) at Jewellery and Watch Birmingham 2014. ewellery and Watch Birmingham at the NEC is always a fantastic barometer of the jewellery making trends that are going to be making the news, and shaping our views, on what’s hot and what’s not throughout the coming year. At this year’s event, as The Bench discovered, the accent was very much on confident, even ostentatious, designs that say: ‘Hey, look at me! I stared down the recession and now I’m ready to have some fun!’ And talking of ‘Look at me’, we’re pretty sure no one at the show attracted more attention than Tresor Paris and its amazing (not so) mini Eiffel Tower (1). Here the accent was very much a French one. An Eiffel ‘eyeful’ indeed!

Metal petals. Giving the Tower a good run for its money as undisputed star of the show was the flower, with jewels nestling coyly in dainty petal settings, fun floral shapes and pretty English rose pinks, rose gold and orchid purples. Maree London was one of the design houses leading our way up the garden path with its pretty but highly contemporary precious metal flower rings and necklaces (2). Natalie Harris favoured cherry blossoms to decorate rings and bracelets.

There’s no bigger bolder statement of self-confidence, bravado and sheer chutzpah than flaunting that flashiest, most flamboyant of materials: yellow gold. And this year yellow gold emerges from the shadows of the gangsta ghetto to bring some much-needed bling to the world’s catwalks. Check out Mark Milton’s sleek woven gold chains: elegant works of art about as 3 removed from Grandmaster Funk as it’s possible to get!

If you want to be seen as the height of fashion this year, be square, be round, be triangular... be hexagonal if you have to but whatever you do make sure you’re wearing the latest too-coolfor-school geometric designs such as Anna Byers’ signature perspex cuffs.

Understatement’s certainly out this year and we’re certainly not overstating the case! 2014 is the year of the rebel yell, not the timid whisper. For putting the risk on your wrist and taking a chance on big bold statement bracelets in leather or precious

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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Gold metal winners.

Overstated? It’s an understatement.

One of the highlights of the show is, of course, the awards given out in recognition of the year’s most outstanding designs. The accent this year was on the precious moments of relationships, delicate observations taken from nature and some truly fabulous optical effects.

metals, either worn singly big, bold and beautiful or stacked for the max effect and textured with charms, beads and fabric.

While Two Skies demonstrated how the most gorgeous jewellery could be created from beautiful real leaves (3).

And talking of wild things... this really was the show that roared... and growled and twittered and squawked! The fact

is, the animal kingdom was literally everywhere at Jewellery and Watch Birmingham, whether it was feathers and paws or animal heads and claws. Notable pieces with an animal-inspired theme included Laura Gravestock’s talon earrings (6), Claire English’s magpie swag necklace (7) and Chavin Jewellery’s jaguar head pendant.

Geometric is back. Be square and be there!

Fei Liu’s love affair with the West (see pages 6-9 to find out more) continues unabated with his gorgeous piece Aurora (8). Unabated maybe but not unrewarded, as this stunning and delicately sculpted piece, inspired by the beautiful Northern Lights, carried off the prize in the highly competitive £1,500-£3,000 category.

This year’s Bridal Design of the Year in the £3000-£5,000 category, sponsored by Houlden, went to Siobhan Maher for her piece Treasured Moments (9), an exquisite bridal set taking its inspiration from those special unforgettable moments in any relationship. The set features a row of grain set diamonds, adding secret detail to each side of the ring. Here at The Bench we simply love the idea. What a wonderful, personal way to celebrate the true meaning of a special relationship through jewellery!

Rosie Sanders’ Kaleidoscope Cocktail Ring (10) worked its optical charms to win the British Jewellers’ Association ‘Cocktail Rings on the Catwalk Competition’ in the Precious category. The ring is a spectacular showpiece design that features her trademark Renaissance Rebel collection scroll motif in an eight pointed star arrangement. At its heart is a beautiful princess cut London Blue Topaz stone that contrasts with 18ct. yellow gold vermeil. The Renaissance Rebel collection is itself a tribute to the life and style of iconic 18th century courtesan Madame De Pompadour and currently resides in the prestigious Wallace Collection museum in London.

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the majority of whom just want to try something creative or to learn further techniques if they have studied jewellery making in the past. Once they have completed their first term the majority of our students continue to study jewellery with us as they simply love the creative outlet. We even have a number of students who have started up their own business.

Piercing an intricate silver piece

Just as importantly, what does it cost? An 8-week term costs £290 and includes three hours per week at the bench. Sunday classes cost £80 for a five-hour class.

We interview Martin Hopton and Tracy Furlong, principals of the fast-growing St. Albans School of Jewellery. i Martin and Tracy. Could you tell us what first inspired you to establish the school? Well, we often spoke about setting up a studio and school together closer to where we lived in Hertfordshire. The opportunity arose in 2009, when we found the perfect location in St Albans. We knew then that we just had to go for it! It took us nine months to restore the old dairy barn and to create our perfect studio. Our first class started in January 2010 and our classes have grown in popularity ever since.

When the saints go

Was Central St. Martins a great experience for you both? We both loved our time at St Martins. It’s just such an energetic and inspiring environment; there are great tutors with a wealth of experience and a huge creative energy generated by so many students and disciplines. Martin has taught at St Martins since graduating in 1990 and is an associate lecturer there today on the BA (hons) and MA Jewellery Design Course.

Would you say you’re traditionalists or modernists in your approach? We are contemporary designer/makers who enjoy using traditional skills and modern techniques to create beautiful, considered pieces.

What’s the range of courses like? Presumably from beginners to advanced? Students learn techniques from setting stones to forming bangles

All of our classes are for the complete beginner through to the more advanced. We always suggest that a complete beginner attends a Sunday class as a taster before committing to a whole term.

W: stalbansschoolofjewellery.com T: 01582 799040 16

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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What’s the length of the courses that you offer? We offer a variety of courses to suit the diverse needs and commitments of our students. We have a five-term structure: each term is eight weeks long. Our courses run on the following days: Wednesday 10am-1pm, 6pm-9pm and Friday 10am-1pm. Also, Sunday classes every other week.

What are the learning environments like at the School? We are tucked away in the Old Dairy, approximately ten minutes' drive from the centre of St Albans, Hertfordshire. Our workshop is a beautifully restored old dairy barn, with rustic wooden floors and beams with industrial fittings. There is a small kitchen area for refreshments, a cosy wood burner and a comfy couch where you can look through a plethora of jewellery and design books for inspiration.

The workshop is fully equipped and each student has their own bench. It is the perfect creative environment both for us and for our students. And what’s the average class size? Do students get a lot of oneto-one tuition? We have a seven student limit for each of our classes to ensure a significant amount of one-to-one tuition for each of our students. Between us we have combined experience of over 35 years designing and making and we know that the group environment with one-to-one guidance is the best way for our students to learn.

What do you believe your students get out of the experience? We have a diverse range of students,

What are your ambitions for the School? Any exciting plans in the pipeline? To keep moving forward - onwards and upwards and to continue to spread the art of jewellery making.

Has Cooksongold been useful to you in setting up the School? Of course! Not only that but they are a great source not just of materials, tools and equipment but of advice and expertise for any student making their way in jewellery making. Their knowledge really is second to none.

On a personal note, as jewellery designers yourselves, which are the pieces you’re most proud of? This is difficult to answer as we really do enjoy designing and making all of the pieces we have made to date. We really enjoy collaborating with our clients and their delight when the piece is finally worn. Our own collections are constantly growing and evolving and it is always exciting to see them develop and take different twists and turns. The commissions we have completed together as H&F have been both diverse and interesting. Here are just a couple of examples: A princess cut  diamond and 18ct gold ring for a private client and a silver and leather belt buckle and sapphire ring for dub step DJ and producer artist Flux Pavilion.

Any advice you’d like to give to anyone considering doing a jewellery making course? Give it a go. You never know where it will lead!!

Thanks guys. We think it’s fair to say that nothing’s too cool for this jewellery making school! 17

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JEWEL SCHOOLS

Make these beautiful pearl earrings with the ultimate jewellery making tools from

The UK really is blessed with some of the world’s leading jewellery schools. Which explains why luminaries such as Fei Liu come here to study from all over the world. Here’s a brief overview of some of the very best.

Tutorial Feeling like someone out of The Great Gatsby in this pair of achingly romantic pearl earrings is an absolute breeze with the help of Dremel and our easy-to-follow instructions.

What you'll need:

Mastered (online) Mastered offers online jewellery making courses for designer-makers, from home casting and silver metal clay working to beading. Bringing expert teaching from such prestigious institutions as Holts Academy to the online webosphere for the first time ever, Mastered means you can learn just when it suits you. All courses involve personalised feedback, access to your own personal coach and future opportunities to share your work with the media and potential buyers. You can try out courses for free then, if you decide to book the full course, you’ll have access for life plus a full money-back guarantee. mastered.co T: 0207 490 7178 E: hello@mastered.co

STOP PRESS Mastered are currently running a promotion where the first 500 students to enrol become one of ‘Mastered’s Founding 500’, providing access to exclusive offers, a chance to win a personalised lesson and £250 to spend on supplies!

School of Jewellery, Birmingham Institute of Art & Design Check out what celebrated alumnus Fei Liu has to say about this place. ‘Nuff said really! The School of Jewellery on Vittoria Street has been based right in the heart of the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter (not far from Cooksongold in fact) since 1890. schoolofjewellery.co.uk T: 0121 331 5940 E: info@schoolofjewellery.co.uk

York School of Jewellery York School of Jewellery is an independent school and the largest provider of jewellery, silversmithing and design classes and courses in the North of England. The school offers tuition in jewellery and silversmithing for people of all abilities. york-school-of-jewellery.co.uk T: 01904 674767 E: enquiries@york-school-of-jewellery.co.uk

Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery Based in a beautiful country setting in Cornwall, Mid Cornwall offers the opportunity to learn new skills in metal clay and jewellery making in a purpose built, fully equipped workshop. The school has particular expertise in metal clay.

Dremel 4000 plus Flexshaft & 45 Dremel accessories Includes the Flexshaft attachment for detailed work in hard to reach places and 45 Dremel accessories including speedclic mandrel for quick and easy keyless changes. 999 3202

Cut off Wheels 409

999 3327

Multi Chuck 4485

999 3314

Speedclic Polishing Wheel 423s 999 3335

Speedclic Mandrel SC402

999 3326

Silver Sheet 0.5mm fully annealed soft CSA 050

Hook Wire 20 pack, with bead and loop NVK 022X

Large Pearls natural white 5.5 - 6.0mm round, 40cm strand 61PL F064 Head Pins 100 pack

N2R 121X

Plus Aluminium Oxide Grinding Stone 952*, Multi Chuck 4486*, Drill Bit Set 628* and Polishing Compound 421*. *Available in kit form

mcsj.co.uk T: 01726 817989 E:info@mcsj.co.uk

Step 1: Draw the shape of the earring onto a sheet of 0,5 silver. Using a Dremel Clamp, secure the silver to the Project Table. Step 2: Use the 4000 Series Multitool together with the Flexshaft for more precise engraving. Attach the cut-off wheels to the mandrel and cut the earrings out. Step 3: De-burr any rough edges with the Aluminium Oxide Grinding Stone. Step 4: Clamp a piece of wood onto the Dremel Project Table and secure the earring with tape. Use a punch and hammer to mark the points to be drilled. Step 5: Using the 4000, the Multi Chuck and the 1.2mm Bit fitted to the Flexshaft to drill the holes in the earrings, top and bottom. In the centre, drill three holes. Step 6: Engrave a pattern onto the earrings with the Dremel Engraver and Diamond Engraving Tip 9929. Step 7: Use the 4000 Series, SpeedClic Mandrel SC402, SpeedClic Polishing Wheel 423S and Polishing Compound 421 to clean and polish the earrings.

The Precious Metals Workshop, Edinburgh Based in the city’s fabulous community arts hall ‘Out of the Blue’, this school has four workshops and houses a number of resident jewellers and silversmiths.

Step 8: Attach the hooks and thread the pearls onto head pins, cut away the excess metal and bend the end into a loop with pliers. Thread pearl onto the earrings.

preciousmetalsworkshop.com T: 0131 553 4551 E: info@preciousmetalsworkshop.com 999 3203

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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Tutorial hen you think about it, Precious Metal Clay (PMC) is a pretty magical material! For example, with PMC you can design and make the most beautiful silver stud earrings in less than an hour with just a few grams of clay. Take your time and go through our stepby-step guide and you'll find you can make two pairs of earrings out of a 7 gram pack of Precious Metal Clay. Or should that be Pretty Magical Clay?

Step 1: Rub some badger balm on your hands and on the brass plate. Remove the clay from the pack and roll into a ball in the palm of your hands. Place on to a piece of Teflon and roll into a slab using roller and spacers. Step 2: Place your 2mm spacers

either side ON the brass plate and roll out your clay to create the texture on the front of your earring.

Step 3: Use the small heart shaped

cutter to cut the left earring. Turn the cutter over and cut the right earring. Gently smooth the edges using a damp paintbrush. Leave both hearts to dry completely.

Step 4: Gently sand the edges of both hearts using fine sandpaper.

Step 5: Take some clay and roll into two equal sized balls using your fingers. This way you will know that once you roll each piece into a thin coil, they will both be the same thickness and length.

Step 6: Use a snake roller to roll each

Step 1

ball into a long thin coil.

700 591

Step 7: Attach each coil to the bottom of the earring with paste. Leave to dry completely before carrying on with the next step.

How to make these fine silver stud earrings with our Pretty Magical Clay

Step 8: Turn the hearts over and dab some paste onto the area where you want to attach the post. Step 9: Press the earring post into the paste and neaten the edges with a damp paintbrush. Step 10: Leave to dry and fill in any gaps with more paste.

Firing.

NVJ 061X

Place a kiln pillow on a torch block and press the earrings into the kiln pillow. They should be face up and close together. Fire both earrings for 2 minutes using a standard Butane gas torch.

Ta dah! Two sweetheart earrings to go:

Alternatively, fire the earrings on the PMC3 Fast Programme (700 degrees C/10 minutes). Quench when fired, irrespective of the metal clay used. This will help remove some of the firescale that may appear on the sterling silver posts. If you need to remove further firescale, place the earrings in lemon juice or Picklean.

Precious Metal Clay

Step 8

Step 2 700 505

What you'll need:

Make these beautiful earrings in under an hour with our step-by-step guide

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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PMC 6.3g silver 855 019 Badger Balm 700 575 PMC3 paste 855 030 Brass plate 700 505 Work mat 700 601 Heart shaped cutter 700 541 Paintbrush 870 614 Sandpaper 975 090 Roller & 2mm spacer set 700 591 Snake roller 700 584 Sterling silver peg NVJ 061X Pearls 62SW P616

Reading list Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find full colour, step-by-step instructions for simple stud earrings in the essential book Stylish Metal Clay 999 A109 available now from the Cooksongold website. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find that this helpful, practical guide features a whole host of projects to help you design and make a range of beautiful metal clay jewellery in silver, copper or bronze.

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A whale of a catalogue

The new Cooksongold Catalogue

The onestop-shop for all your jewellery making needs

Furthest country we posted to

copies in circulation:

Slim line

we can’t actually remember anything QUITE so big. And we mean big. Consider this: over 640 pages, over 2,500 new items, the crème de la crème of Cooksongold’s amazing and unbeatable stockholding of over 17,000 products!

New product ranges... and two whole new categories.

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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994 202-5 See page 603

W1B 107 See page 237

Everything but everything for the jewellery maker.

Copies in circulation stacked on top of each other would be the same height as

11 Eiffel Towers

new findings, chains, rings and so much more. In fact, with so many new products, Cooksongold have had to add two entirely new categories: Base Metal and Jewellery Craft.

Cooksongold’s famous promise to supply ‘Everything for the jewellery The biggest thing since... er... maker delivered next day’ has Inside, you’ll find lots of new tools never been more true to its word For Cooksongold, the new Catalogue including the exciting and all new when you see everything the bods is the biggest thing since... er... well... Heimerle + Meule professional range, at Cooksongold have crammed inside, from their A giveaway price plus a giveaway hamper! best selling kits, tools Cooksongold’s giveaway price for all this is a measly £10. Order over £75-worth of kit and they’re and accessories to beads, quite literally giving it away because it’ll be completely free! Not only that but, when you order the Catalogue, you’ll stand the chance gemstones, stringing, packaging, gorgeous of winning the biggest giveaway of all: a fabulous hamper of jewellery finished jewellery, books, making goodies worth £2,000. See back page for details > Pebeo and metal clays.

That's as many as the number of specimens in the Natural History Museum!

999 7156 See page 433

Positional

That's as many as the entire population of Reykjavik!

70pages million printed:

VBQH 040F See page 264

Anyone in the big wide world of jewellery making is sure to be stopped in their tracks by the amazing one-stop-shop that is the new Cooksongold Catalogue!

Cooksongold Catalogue is the one-stop-shop for all your jewellery making needs that's sure to be an indispensable tool on every serious jewellery maker’s bench with all the improvements, additions and fabulous shiny new products you’ll find inside.

FIJI (4,783 miles)

998 1420 See page 566

(And the one-shop-stop!)

he exciting new

120,000

2,685

NEW products That's over 7 new products to try out every single day of the year!

Laid end to end they'd be the same length as FSR 231 See page 87

To run the length of them laid end to end it would take a cheetah

999 EZ01 See page 381

120 23 Blue Whales

Minutes

YSL 034H See page 107

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Your new Cooksongold Catalogue

Everything for the jewellery maker delivered next day Order your new Cooksongold catalogue now

and win a jewellery making hamper

worth £2,000!

That’s right. A superb jewellery making hamper could be all yours and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning it is to order the fabulous new Cooksongold Catalogue.

Plus much more!

But Cooksongold’s biggest giveaway ever won’t last for ever!

The competition must close on 31st March so our advice is to order your new Catalogue now. *Full terms and conditions online at cooksongold.com.

Call: 0845 100 1122 Click: cooksongold.com Visit: Birmingham + London

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