Camali Design Jewellery Blog

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…

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!

Just thought I’d share a couple of pairs of earrings I made recently. They are very representative of the kind of work I do now, I am really into using silver sheet in my designs. I also love texturing, so stamping and dapping feature strongly in many new pieces. I still use my passion for gemstones by combining the two in almost all designs.

The first one is a pair of earrings that I made to match my Garnet Tab pendant necklace, and so I called these Garnet Tab as well. These earrings feature a thick hand cut silver tab that has been slightly domed and oxidised, together with rondelles of flashy labradorites and beautiful high quality deep red garnet nugget. The garnet is from a new supplier I found recently and are of a truly stunning quality (AAA).

The second pair of earrings are called Moon Flash after the pendant that they match. Again a hand cut rectangle of silver sheet has been stamped with my “grunge” stamp (my favourite!) and oxidised for character. A next to perfect Champagne Citrine was wire wrapped to the bottom and the earrings are hung on ball and post style earrings. I love the contrast of the perfectly clear and richly coloured citrine briolette and the industrial looking silver.

Unfortunately both of these earrings are now sold, but can be requested again as can most of my designs. I usually do something that isn’t exactly the same so that every piece is different.

The last piece I wanted to show you today is a new bracelet I made the other week. It’s an all silver piece, which is a little unusual for me, as I don’t do many of those. I like gemstones too much! Anyway, I have used large ovals of sterling sheet that I hand stamped with my “grunge” stamp and then domed slightly to make them lie snugly around the wrist. The ovals were then assembled together using oval silver jump rings. The clasp is also a first for me, it’s magnetic! I have never used these, wasn’t sure it they were going to be strong enough, but I am now confident that these are. They are oval and quite chunky and matches the silver ovals perfectly. This bracelet is very comfortable to wear with it’s slightly domed ovals and looks brilliant on. This bracelet is still available to buy in my online shop.

It’s been quite a while since I last wrote a blog posting! I have been very busy in the past 3-4 months. We have finally relocated to Boscastle in Cornwall where we now live in an old Cornish cottage from 1750. It needs a lot of work and we will slowly make this 2 flat house back into a large family home again. So far we have met a few neighbours and are slowly getting to know the village, the people and the surrounding areas. We are thoroughly enjoying living here and I feel the stress of our “previous lives” lifting more and more each day. I know it’s not going to be an easy ride, but we are now both completely self employed and in charge of our own destiny, good and bad!

I have also done a few shows down here since we moved; Newlyn Fish Festival, Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta, and coming up are Boscastle Food and Craft Festival and the Falmouth Oyster Festival, to mention a few. I have really enjoyed meeting new people, seeing new places and have had good sales so far, which is very encouraging. Soon we are on to the Christmas events and if you want to check where I will be selling, have a look at my events page.

I am now busy making autumn and winter jewellery and while that’s in progress I thought I’d show you a few of the last of the summer earrings. Many of them I sold before I had a chance to photograph and upload, but the ones I will show you here are all listed in my online jewellery shop.

First up are a favourite of mine, Ruby Grunge. I love making stamped silver components and incorporate them quite a lot in my jewellery these days. There will be a lot of it in my autumn/winter collection. These little beauties feature sterling silver rectangles hand cut and stamped with a stamp that I call “grunge” which is quickly turning into my favourite stamp! The faceted hearts are ruby in zoisite and I think the grungy pattern of the silver complement them prefectly. I am not usually very keen on pink, but I love the shades of these stones and the pattern makes them “non-cute” which I really like. I will be offering a few new designs with this stone, in larger sizes for pendants.

I make a fair few of this next type of earrings. Simple wire wrapped stones on hand made earwires are very popular as they are so easy to wear and versatile. I have a few customers who have bought several pairs of this same style, to go with various outfits and colour schemes. These two pairs are called Just Peachy and Flashy Kites, made with heart shaped faceted Pink Moonstone and flashy Labradorite Kite shaped briolettes. I like really like these kinds of earrings, they are great staples and can be combined with all my jewellery. I don’t usually like matchy matchy jewellery and these earrings make it possible to have earrings that go well with other jewellery without being too much. Many more to come later in the year, so watch this space!

Lastly, the Silvery Blue earrings are made with gorgeous dagger shaped kyanites hung on tiny patinated disc chains. These earrings are just stunning, the stones are beautiful and they swing gently on ball and post style ear findings.

You will find many more styles of earrings in my online jewellery shop. Next time I write I will hopefully have autumn and winter goodies to show you! Until then…

Hi all,

I just thought I would let you all know that I will be doing my first event in Cornwall this weekend. On the 6th-7th of July I will be in Falmouth on the south Cornish coast. I am thrilled that I managed to get in to this one at fairly short notice since events are usually planned and booked a year in advance. I was expecting to do very few events this year since I am just relocating to Cornwall and it usually taking a while to get to know the area and the events on offer.

So, I will be offering my hand made silver and gemstone jewellery at the Falmouth Event Square this weekend with the aim of doing more of these events with the same organiser. I have another booked in Fowey in December. Check out events I will be attending on my jewellery web site.

See you in Falmouth?!

Carin