At the beginning of this year I was lucky enough to convert an old storeroom into my very own workshop.It is really wonderful to be able to work in my own creative space that I have designed to suit my working style and needs. Here is a peek into the space where my work happens…

I had my bench custom made by a wonderful carpenter in Muizenberg…I designed it so that it would fit the space and be the perfect height for me to work comfortably.

Hanging on the wall in front of my bench are three beautiful artworks. The illustration at the top was a graduation gift, it is a beautiful print and it also has words from my favourite Dr Seuss book…Oh, the places you’ll go! In the middle, a beautiful acrylic painting that was done by my talented grandmother, Kathleen, in Scotland. Lastly, a hand coloured etching that I received from Colleen Ross, my artist neighbour. It’s wonderful to have such beautiful work to stare at when I feel the need to daydream!

Probably my favourite piece of equipment…my roller. I felt like a serious jeweller when I invested in this one.

This is where the soldering happens.

Even though I find all my jewellery equipment beautiful to look, I thought it necessary to decorate…I got this wreath from my creative friend who is the owner of Pandula Studios.

These money cats were given to me as a gift many, many years ago. Apparently they are meant to face the door in order for them to do their job, mine face the window but they look good on their shelf.

And lastly, what would a workshop be without a fox hanging in the window?

In my graduate year I created a ring which was inspired by the city skyline that I saw in the early mornings as I made my way to college. I recreated the skyline by piercing out the shapes of buildings in the setting of the ring and then I set a round, faceted moonstone into this setting. I received a commission to remake this ring as a gift for a couple who celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this year. Here is the new ring which I made for Karen…

To celebrate their anniversary, Karen and Mike decided to take a three week holiday to Iceland (apparently Karen is a fan of Icelandic crime novels). This weekend they sent me the following photograph…

Karen’s  moonstone ring chilling in Jokullsarlon, Iceland! I loved receiving this beautiful picture as it makes me happy to know that the jewellery I make gets to go on such amazing journeys around the world.

This range of clasps has been designed so that they can be worn at the back of the neck to show off the semi-precious beads that make up the necklace, or the clasps can be worn at the front or side of the neck as a feature of the necklace.

  Sterling Silver Angel with Blue Agate beads

  Sterling Silver Stars with Moonstone beads

 Textured Sterling Silver Drops with Freshwater Pearls

Sterling Silver Bird and Leaf with Garnet Beads

 Textured Sterling Silver Drops with Included Quartz Beads

Here is a selection of some of the necklaces I made for Design Indaba. I designed each one so that the chain holds more than one element, as opposed to a chain with just a single pendant. This way I have created a complete landscape which tells a story.

Each necklace is made from a combination of sterling silver with 9 carat gold or copper. All of these can be made to order.

The dog pendant range consists of six different dog designs (for now). The pendants are not supposed to represent any particular breed of dog but instead they are meant to express the playful, lovable essence of the wonderful creature that is ‘dog’. Each one is handmade from sterling silver and copper and is sold with a sterling silver chain. I have numbered each one in order to make the process of ordering easier. Oh and if you happen to be a cat person then stay tuned as a range of cat pendants are in the pipeline!

 Dog # 1

 Dog # 2

 Dog # 3

  Dog # 4

 Dog # 5

 Dog # 6

All of these pieces are made from sterling silver, 9 carat gold and copper. Other materials include semi-precious stones such as amethyst, prasiolite, moonstone, topaz, garnet, tourmalinated quarzt and aquamarine as well as blue mussel shell.

These pieces can be made to order.

It’s that time in the year when so many important things need to be done and completed! With less than a week until my final college assessment I am really feeling the pressure but as somebody once told me the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So eat I must! I look forward to finishing my ‘elephant’ so that I can get back to making the jewellery that I love to make…oh and figuring out how to make this a beautiful and informative blog!