A couple of years before I retired, I was off work on long-term sick leave with stress. I was getting bored at home because I didn’t feel well enough to go out or do much. Quite by chance I got into making jewellery. I’d always loved jewellery and finding that I could produce beautiful pieces myself was a revelation. It’s quite addictive, and when I’m making jewellery the hours just fly by. The creative process is not always a smooth one, and a couple of times I’ve hit a creative block for several weeks. Then something will spark it back into life and off I go again.
I’m very drawn to using genuine gemstones to make a lot of my pieces, and very drawn by the myth and legend attached to many of them. I particularly find myself drawn more to certain stones. I love Pearls, Rainbow Moonstone and Alexandrite, which are my birthstones, but I’m also strongly drawn to Jadeite which has an amazing feel to it, also Labradorite, Kyanite and Spinel. Many people believe that gemstones have individual properties like: –
Rose Quartz- for love and friendship
Kyanite – for communication
Turquoise – for healing
And many others. Also, each Star Sign is associated with one or more gemstones: –
January – Garnet
February – Amethyst
March – Aquamarine
April – Diamond
May – Emerald
June – Peral, Moonstone and Alexandrite
July – Ruby
August – Peridot and Spinel
September – Sapphire
October – Opal
November – Topaz
December – Turquoise and Tanzanite
I feel that my journey into jewellery making is one that will be ongoing for many years to come, and one I look forward to with anticipation.
I’ve done some selling of my pieces and I want to work on improving my self-confidence to get more into the selling side. It’s a great feeling when someone buys one of my pieces and is delighted with it.