Back in October I went on a course with Sarah King at West Dean. I enjoyed it very much, but I also really liked her necklace.
It's one she had designed herself and sells on her website. And I wondered if I could make myself a version of it.
So in the final term of jewellery class this year, I bought lots of silver wire and made some tiny glass beads (more about them in a minute) and set out making myself a silver necklace.
First I had to make some giant jump rings (easier said than done). Then I had to solder them all together which again was more tricky than you'd think it would be.
I made a clasp and then had to tidy all the solder joints, before shaping and hammering all my jump rings. All the time having to make sure I didn't break the tiny glass bead sitting on one ring.
The glass bead was made from recyled wine bottle glass. I love this colour sooooooo much! Of course there is a bit of a process to follow to get to the final bead and it's not as quick as just buying some glass rods. But I do love the fact that bottle isn't going into landfill or whatever they do with them right now.
So with a necklace looking good and a little time and materials left, I decided to make some matching earrings. Soldering the posts on was painful, but I got there in the end. Some shaping and hammering later and a matching pair of earrings were ready to wear.
I'm really pleased with this project. I think I might make the rings a little smaller in furture to help them sit better when wearing it. But it is definitely a contender for next years big event!