Bespoke jewellery requirements
The beauty of purchasing jewellery from a designer-maker is that individual items can be tailor-made to ensure they fit your requirements. With the necklaces, the sterling silver snake chains come in either 16” or 18”, and there is the option to add an extension chain to most other necklaces.
Bracelets with a clasp tend to fit a 6”-7” wrist size, however a smaller or larger size of bracelet can be made upon request.
Whether you’re a bride who is looking for bespoke jewellery ideas for bridesmaids or other members of the bridal party; or if you’re looking for a unique present for a birthday or anniversary, do get in contact and we can chat about ideas.
What’s the difference between pure silver and sterling silver?
Sterling silver is a type of silver which has 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, most often copper, with other metals used to improve various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as zinc and platinum. Pure silver is 99.9% silver.
Silver is a steady metal and currently on a sharp rise in value, partially due to the increasing demand of countries like China, but also due to the worldwide shortage of silver due to lack of mining. It seems unlikely that silver will be in plentiful supply worldwide in the foreseeable future and likely will remain in high demand. The price of sterling silver is still on the increase – so now might be a good time to check your valuables with your insurers!
About Freshwater Pearls
The pearl is one of the most treasured natural resources in human civilisation and for more than 80,000 years, the pearl has become a symbol of beauty, purity, femininity and wisdom.
A pearl develops when a tiny foreign body is trapped in the tissue of an oyster or mollusc. The oyster or mollusc then reacts to this irritation and ejects nacre (also known as mother of pearl), which is a mixture of calcium carbonate and organic substances which cover the foreign body layer upon layer. During the course of a number of years these nacre layers shape a pearl. Generally the thicker the layer of nacre, the more precious the pearl.
The characteristics of a pearl such as the lustrous shimmer, the colour of the nacre and the pearl itself are determined by the amount and strength of the different nacre layers, as well as whether the layers of nacre overlap each other. The pearl’s size, shape and colour are also determined by the size and shape of the intruded foreign body, the geographical region in which the oyster or mussel lives and whether the oyster/mussel grows in fresh or sea water.
The colour of the body of the pearl is the main colour and can be white, cream, silver, golden, green, blue or even black (although this is very rare). The ‘overtone’ is the invisible shimmer that can be seen over the body colour of the pearl, which creates rich and bright nuances.
The strong lustre of a pearl is the result of the amount of nacre layers, and pearls with a strong lustre are usually much more precious than pearls with a weak lustre.
Since pearls are naturally-grown organic substances, it is near impossible to find a pearl that is exactly the same as another, so I spend long time selecting the pearls that go into my Suzie Jasper pearl jewellery.
In the holistic domain, the pearl is considered to be an important source of positive energy, and these attributes are maintained irrespective of whether the pearl is natural or cultivated as the source of all pearls is in water.
The pearl is one of the birthstones for June.
