Camali Design Jewellery Blog

Hello all!

Still here, no baby yet, so here are those new summery long pendant necklaces I promised in my last post!

First up is a long pendant featuring 2 hand forged sterling hoops with a gorgeous azur blue Druzy suspended below. The stone has rough crystal like inclusions giving it sparkle and it is really stunning as a summer colour. A twist cut apatite also joins in at the top of the pendant. This one is hung on a long 30 inch ball chain and hangs quite far down on your tummy, perfect summery length!

Next up is a pendant with one of the gorgeous turquoise pendant stones I have managed to pick up - lucky, I know! This one has the most  gorgeous pattern with black, brown and blues. It is one of those I had almost though I might keep for myself! It’s suspended below a marquis shaped hand forged sterling component and joined by a smokey quartz onion shaped stone that picks up on the brown in the turquoise. Yet again a long chain, 24 inches of thick rolo chain.

Black turquoise I call this pendant necklace because of its black matrix inside vibrant blue turquoise colours. It’s hung on a simple handforged hoop with some silver granules and small turquoise rondelles as decoration. This is the blue turquoise was meant to be! Hung on a 24 inches long thick rolo chain, it is yet another great summery necklace.

Last but not least another unusual turquoise stone, this time in muted khaki greens, looks great on tanned summer skin! Suspended below a hand forged sterling drop shape decorated with a little cluster of peridot and vesuvianite, to pick up on colours in the beautiful turquoise. Hung on a patinated 24 inch ball chain. Would love to lay my hands on some cabochons in these colours, would make fabulous rings!

As usual all of these and more is available in my online shop, under the pendant section.

Next time I will show you some more Limited Edition Pieces made with silver clay that I have completed recently.

Until then, enjoy the sunshine!

Carin

Hi all!

While waitng to go into labour (!) I am keeping busy updating my web site with new products and so I thought I’d add a post or two here as well with some new pieces. This time I want to show you a couple of new sterling “tab” necklaces I made recently.

The first one is an addition to what I call my Graffiti range which features grungy textures and square shapes with contrasts such as vibrant blue topaz. This one is a dog tag style with rough patterns and lines plus various sized holes and silver granules, along with a beautiful set Swiss Blue topaz. The tab is hung on a funky bar chain which closes with a handmade hook clasp. I love the contrast of the rugged metal with its gunmetal grey patina and the pristine and bright topaz. Hope you like it too!

The second one is an addition to my Allium collection featuring cutouts in the shape of Allium flowers. I have previously made a pendant on omega chain, stud earrings and a chunky bracelet and wanted to add in a necklace, so here it is. A sterling tab was cut into giving it the Allium flower motif, then a silver granule was added before setting a 6mm Brazilian amethyst as one of the flower heads. Again, all the silver is patinated to give depth and mellowness. The bar chain closes with a handmade hook clasp.

Both necklaces are available to buy in my online jewellery shop!

Nex time I will post a few summery long pendant necklaces that are new for this summer. Some of them featuring one of a kind turquoise pendant stones, lovely!

So, for those who don’t know - I am actually due to have a baby today! But since nothing seems to be happening I am carrying on as usual with my online shop etc. If I go into labour I will of course not be able to ship orders, so bear this in mind if you want to order anything. I will still take orders and ship when I am back again.

Off to drill some beach pebbles!…

Hi all!

Today I want to share some pictures of a few new silver clay (PMC) pieces I have recently finished. I have invested in a Paragon electric kiln at last and this allows me to design and make larger and more three dimensional pieces. I have had lots of fun recently experimenting with this and am planning to combine the PMC with traditional silversmithing methods in future designs. Some designs will be part of my normal range but the majority will be one of a kind pieces, that little bit extra!

The first one is a long pendant necklace that has a fine silver (PMC) scroll with an Aboriginal pattern and a gorgeous large Peruvian Opal marquis cut stone drop. The pendant is hung on a rolo chain, interspersed with Labradorite and Amazonite, which closes with a handmade hook clasp and measures over 30 inches long.

The second new piece involved dry slab construction which means that I created all the pieces flat first and then assembled the whole thing before firing. This necklace is a short necklace with a box style pendant (it doesn’t open!)  featuring a Japanese tree motif in a flower pattern frame with a carved edge. The back and sides have the same flower pattern and the back has a Camali Design plaque attached. The pendant is hung from 2 bails that were fired in place, onto a very opulent and luxurious strand of juicy Ruby and cool Tanzanite along with an array of fine silver beads, most of which are Thai made. This necklace measures about 17 inches and extends another inch and a half and closes with a figure 8 lobster clasp. I have taken a few more photos of this one to show the different sides of it:

Both of these pieces will shortly be available to buy in my online shop under the Limited Edition section and they will mostly be made as one of a kinds but some can be replicated.

Many more new PMC and sterling designs will come over the coming months, so watch this space! Until next time…

Finally, here they are! I have promised pictures of these vibrant blue summery brangle bracelets for a while and here they are:

Handmade using sterling silver, Greek silver beads and awsome glass by Isabelle Anderson, these are set to be a hit now the summer is finally showing some promise of arriving soon. I always get a lot of attention for this style of bangle and with these gorgeous colours who can resist them?! They are both available in my online jewellery shop on the bracelet page and there is only one of each, so get in quick if you want one of these. I will be making more and they will be very similar but never exactly the same, the beauty of handmade and artisan produced materials.

Hi again!

I decided it was time to clear a little bit of space for new designs and so I am having a BIG SALE on my web site! There are necklaces, pendants, bracelets and earrings and they are all around 40-50% off. There is only one left of each item so get in there quick if you are set on something in particular.

This is a great opportunity to grab yourself some bargains or maybe get a brilliant present for someone! They are all shipped in gift boxes ready to give away.

PLEASE NOTE: Discount codes are not applicable to sale items, as they are already reduced substantially. If you would like to buy items from both the SALE section and other items from my shop please make separate purchases and I will refund double shipping charges after you have made your purchases.

BIG SALE on my web site

Hi all!

Just to let you all know that I was featured in the Western Morning News on the 19th of April. It is a local newspaper covering Cornwall and Devon and comes out once a week.

I was called by them a couple of months back, and was asked if I would like to have a feature on my jewellery to appear in the paper and of course, I said yes! I got interviewed and sent through photos etc. Then I waited to hear back about when it would be out, and to my great surprise a lady called me yesterday to ask if they could come by to view my jewellery. So that’s how I found out that I had been featured which, although a bit unexpected, is very nice indeed! Any publicity is obviously greatly appreciated and if I am lucky it will lead to a few more sales as a consequence.

Unfortunately there were a couple of little misunderstandings in the article which I hope won’t cause too much trouble. It makes out that I use antique silver in my jewellery, when what I actually do is use new silver that is then antiqued for a gunmetal grey patina which gives the silver a slight vintage or industrial look. They also mention that I use etching, which is not actually true. I only use stamps and hammers for texture and although etching is bound to be included in my techniques at some point I don’t actually use it currently.

Anyway, here is the article online (no photos as there were in the actual newspaper though) , for you to read

Jewellery is designed to be an eye-catching combination of both the old and the new

Oh, and those brangle bracelets are coming soon, promise!

I have been making so called brangle bracelet for a while, previously using beach pebbles and handcast silver beads. These proved to be very popular and so I have now made a new design of these using pebbles and Greek silver beads instead. I also have recently aquired some absolutely stunning handmade glass tumblestone beads from extremely talented Welsh glass artist Isabelle Anderson, so I thought I’d show you 2 of these new ones.

Firstly though, here is the Cornish pebbles brangle bracelet which is made using very thick silver wire for the base and the swan clasp. I have drilled pebbles and combined these with handmade silver coil and Greek silver spacer beads. These Greek beads are also a new addition to me. They are actually high fired terracotta dipped in pure copper and then fine silver which means they are coated in a very thick layer of fine silver. They take patina really well as well so that’s a bonus as I use that in all my jewellery.

Now for the new exciting ones! These two are made using handmade glass tumble beads in aqua blue shades. They were combined with Greek silver spacers and silver coil and made on the same thick silver frames and swan clasps. The beads are absolutely stunning, gorgeous detail and vibrant colour. They are perfect for summer

The first one is called Aqua Pebble Brangle Bracelet:

Next up is the Azur Pebble Brangle Bracelet:

They are both available to buy in my online shop, but they are one of a kinds, so you need to get in there quick if you fancy one.

I am also going to make more of these in cobalt and indigo blue and greys/purples, so keep looking back! Until next time…

I am often asked for stud earrings and so recently I have introduced a bunch of new ones, some in just silver and some with set stones.

The first pair is called Starburst and are made using PMC, precious metal clay, and feature a starburst pattern. Pretty everyday pair!

Second are a pair of long earrings with stud fittings called Grunge Tab Trio. These feature handcut silver tabs that have been given a grungy look by stamping with a dot pattern. The oxidised silver gives them a slightly industrial twist, a look that I love.

The next pair is in a similar style but a shorter solid stud with silver granules adding more dimension. These are called Grunge Studs.

Lastly here are 2 pairs of studs with set gemstones and a textured rim. The first one has set faceted labradorite with a stripe pattern and the second faceted rainbow moonstone with a dot pattern. I will be making more similar styles with set stones soon.

All of these studs and many other earrings are available in my online shop www.camalidesign.com - check it out!

Next time I will show you some cool brangle bracelets, until then!

Some exciting news!

I thought I’d let you know that I am advertising in BRIDES magazine September/October 2008 issue!

There is a CD-rom attached to the magazine, which in this issue is a Flower Special with a Product and Services Directory. Camali Design will be featured as the exclusive jewellery supplier for Cornwall in the Jewellery section of the product directory.

I do wedding jewellery mostly as commissions, but also usually have a few items (necklaces, bracelets and earrings) in my online jewellery shop suitable for bridal jewellery. I also make jewellery for bridesmaids and flower girls and also get commissions for wedding anniversary jewellery, which is lovely. My jewellery is also great as gifts, for example as thank you’s to bridesmaids. As presents for the mothers of the bride and groom, it makes a nice change to flowers - and it’s permanent!

For commissions please see my web site for contact details. I will happily discuss any requirements and I work closely with clients from design concept to finished jewellery.

Here is a sneak preview of the advert that will appear in BRIDES, click the image for a full size image (opens in same window):

So, it’s about time I join the ranks of bloggers worldwide! Blogs have been around for a fair while now and I have read and posted enough on them to know that I would benefit from having one too. The fact that they apparently also do wonders for your search engine rankings is a great bonus! I shall keep you posted on that topic…

I see my blog as an accompaniment to my jewellery shop, where I can talk about my work and selling efforts in more detail and hopefully get feedback from others. Also, as I guess blogs were intended, it will be a diary in which I can write down my thoughts and experiences and create a bread crumb trail that I can later look back at and remember my continuing journey through the vast topic that is jewellery making and jewellery business. I’d like to think that when I look back at this first posting, maybe a year from now, that great things have happened and that I will see the benefit from having this blog.

I plan to post about my jewellery, commissions I make, new products, my online jewellery shop, events that I attend, along with all sorts of information about jewellery making and selling jewellery in general. I will also hopefully put together a list of links to great online jewellery resources for other jewellery makers and jewellery lovers to peruse.

Most of all I welcome your honest views, comments and suggestions and hopefully even encouragements as that’s what it’s all about really - to share experiences with others all over the world and make new friends.

So, cue drum roll!!…. I hereby declare the Camali Design Jewellery Blog open for business! Feel free to join me when you can and feel the inclination to do so.

Cheers,
Carin

PS. To read a bit more about me, please check out my profile.