10 September 2009

Recycled silver wedding rings

Recycled silver wedding rings

It finally happened! After much searching I found the US bullion dealer Hoover and Strong, whose Harmony metals range includes 100% recycled silver! Just the small matter of putting up with extraordinarily good customer service, swift DHL delivery and general fantasticness and friendliness that the Americans seem so good at, and my first order of recycled silver lay on my workbench.

The silver arrived!

It was no different to work than non-recycled silver, and the section was particularly nice, having a slightly different profile to my usual bullion. The rings looked lovely once they were made, hand forged using simple tools and elbow grease, and having the trademark Glasswing Jewellery hammered texture and warm soft polish.

My customers were over the moon with their rings, and by the look of the fabulous photos of their big day, with each other and the way the whole thing went.

The bride looked lovely, and she wore a pair of Glasswing stacker sea glass earrings.

Glasswing sterling silver stacker sea glass earrings with pale blue recycled beads

I was honoured to have made their wedding rings for them, and to be able to offer them environmentally responsible jewellery in line with their desire to have an eco wedding extraordinaire! Being keen photographers, they were both particularly pleased to know that as a lot of recycled silver comes from the photographic industry, that the metal in their rings may have once been involved in the production of photographic images - from who knows where?

Friday, 12th June 2009

My first recycled silver orders

Evening sun over the bay

Wow, has it been that long? With summer weddings, spring sunshine and Mother's Day, work has been hectic, and blogging seems to have taken a back seat . It's a cruel irony that the return of the summer sun has heralded an upturn in jewellery orders for me, so instead of basking in the rays, I'm nose to the anvil, in my thankfully cool, but rather shady subterranean workshop. But I'm not complaining, not one bit of it...what an honour to be doing what I love as my living.....

Green sea glass hoop earrings

So anyway, what's been going on? The latest and most exciting development is a move to start using recycled silver in my designs. One of my lovley customers is planning a summer wedding with the fabulous remit of having the smallest carbon footprint possible - an eco-wedding with all the trimmings....using vintage charity shop bought, re-donateable crockery (with a price tag of a mere hundred pounds or so...compared with hiring boring old wedding crocks at way above that...)... to sourcing local beef from the farm down the road....and trying to source vintage wedding clobber...and of course, ordering bespoke, locally hand-made wedding rings of 100% recycled silver, from Glasswing Jewellery.

Cube sea glass earrings

I have offered recycled silver jewellery for a while now, on the Glasswing website tentatively I have to say. The will has very much been there, as the mining of precious materials for the manufacture of jewellery, certainly leaves a lot to be desired....what industry doesn't in this day and age? I would eventually like to turn over completely to recycled metals, to fit comfortably with my policy of sourcing recycled/fair trade and ethically produced beads and materials wherever possible. Glasswing Jewellery strives to be an ethical and environmentally responsible company as far as possible. The main component of my work, is sea glass, - beautiful, magical, tumbled glass from the ocean - the product of yesteryear's litterbugs essentially! It's hand picked, local, resourceful and fun.

Satin finish 8mm band

Frankly though, I had little idea where to source 100% recycled precious metals, particularly in all the shapes and sizes I'd need .

So anyway, nothing ventured.... I figured once an order came in I would have no choice but to find some, and quick! It did - a set of recycled silver wedding rings by July? The hunt was on and my mission began, to fulfil my customers brief, and to learn a lot more about these issues in the process.

First stop - my usual bullion dealer, but I drew a blank there... although of course all milled silver contains a certain percentage of recycled material from the scrap returned by jewellers and collectors alike, they were unable to say how much (I guess it fluctuates), and certainly didn't know where to suggest I look for a reliable source of 100% recycled silver.

Deep oxidised heavy sterling silver ring set (6mm and 10mm)

Thankfully, there is a growing awareness and concern amongst a small number of metal smiths, jewellers, suppliers and consumers worldwide, striving to establish a more equitable and sustainable supply chain of everything jewellery related - gems, beads, tools, metals and findings for our industry.

I have to say though, there is a serious lack of resources and information, particularly in the UK. There are no companies here (at least none that I have found) supplying 100% recycled silver stock for example. My hunt will continue, and I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Thursday, 11 June 2009

Rings for summer weddings

4mm hammered sterling silver band, left work oxidised and lightly brushed.

I am honoured when customers come to Glasswing for their wedding rings. I love to think that the rings I make, often as a pair, will be so significant, so lasting and precious. I have met some wonderful people too, through making those special rings.

Satin finish sterling silver wedding ring set.

4mm D-section band, and a 6mm D section band.

Friday, 27 March 2009

Around and Around

Forged sterling silver wrapped vine earrings.

I absolutely love the wrought iron look of these.

I forged the wrapping wire really flat and soldered it to the hoops,

then wound it round fairly randomly, listening to the Rolling stones

in my workshop....Around and Around....

Deep red copper patina czech beads, and recycled turquoise glass beads

hang in the centre of sterling silver oval hoops on roomy earwires.

I've left the heat patina on the sterling silver, as it's a delicate
oxidisation, (rather than a chemical oxidisation), and
then tumble polished them for hours for a deep shine.

March 20th 2009

Signs of (summer?) life

Stamped sterling silver ring pendant with freshwater pearl

Coming up from the workshop last week, after much activity (including installing proper spotlights - Hooray!) down there, I was greeted by weather that looks suspiciously spring like. Since then we've even ventured down to the beach WITH WETSUITS a couple of times, and with the kids back in their favourite rockpools we have been able to sit back for a minute or two and reflect on the glory and the promise of Cornwall in the sunshine.

This week though with Mother's Day fast approaching, there have been lots of orders to complete so I've been back in the workshop again. The orders are bound for Mums all over the world, including two in New York. I love thinking about my jewellery being made by me here in Penzance, and then being worn by lovely customers in far flung places.

This influx of orders, and the onset of spring has left my blog (and website) decidedly neglected, so here's just a quick update on new work and special orders.

January 31st 2009

New year, new creations

New for 2009 Stackable Sterling silver rings

I love these simple Glasswing stackable, personalised rings at the moment! They can be hand stamped with names, sentiments, dates, or left plain in glorious forged textured sterling silver.

January has been marked by a definite creative flurry in my jewellery workshop. Orders for Valentines and summer weddings, and the arrival of my long coveted, new stainless steel shot (tiny stainless spaceships, sausages and ballbearings made from lovely smooth stainless) means I am busier than ever, and I can now offer a wider choice of finishes. These rings are available in a high polished finish, as well as the oxidised and natural brushed finishes.

With the stainless shot, after soldering and shaping the jewellery, I can polish pieces to perfection in little more than 6 hours of tumbling. This is done by placing the jewellery and the shot in a tumbling barrel that then rotates and burnishes the silver. It's noisy, but worth it :)

The wonderful feedback that has been coming in from my Christmas customers has really given me a big boost, and it's been quite an exciting time at Glasswing HQ.

Glasswing Jewellery has been getting a lot of interest recently, especially from those planning a wedding in Cornwall. Wedding jewellery made by local artists and craftspeople is always special, in Cornwall our artisan jewellery tradition like the many other design and crafts is strong and vibrant. Bespoke jewellery, custom made adds a wonderful personal touch for the special day, and for the years to come.

Glasswing Jewellery uses Cornish materials as far as possible, and I always use local suppliers for my business whenever I can. There has been an amazing upsurge in the trend for ethical jewellery, recycled jewellery and green jewellery, and eco jewellery. Cornish jewellery in hand crafted sterling silver by Glasswing and sea glass pieces incorporating recycled materials found on local Cornish beaches is an lovely choice for a Cornish wedding, or as reminder of a fabulous holiday.

I love the soft right angled edges created by the forging of round wire, and the way the rings look stacked together. You can hide the words on these rings, or display them.... and these messages can be added to as time and events move on...a wedding, the birth of a child, a 21st birthday... the possibilities are endless, and the result is a gorgeous and unique collection of very personal jewellery.

November 27th 2008

Love Cornwall x

'Gwedren an Mor' literally means glass from the sea in Cornish, a language which has had a recent revival in Cornwall. This is a lovely chunky forged sterling silver circle hung with a purest white rounded nugget of sea glass. Available with 18 or 16 inch sterling silver smooth snake chain.

November 19th 2008

Winter sea gems - new designs

Sterling silver forged and stamped ring pendant. "Marazion" - beautiful beach, beautiful name, where I found this sweet, perfect nugget of green sea glass.

Like the Mermaid earrings, only shorter.

Photographed in some bonus winter sunshine.

Sea glass drops (teeth?). Drilled and wrapped in thin sterling siver wire.

October 30th 2008

Autumn Greens

As I was packing these up to post out to a lovely (returning) customer, I thought I'd take a few pictures, because I just really love these. The different shades of greens are great, and they catch the last of the garden's autumn sun so well.

Glowing sea greens

Green sea glass and forged sterling silver hoop earrings.

Press release

Going green, and gorgeous.

24/10/2008

Glasswing's designer maker, Kate Laity is continuing to develop her range of simple forged sterling silver jewellery using sea glass she has combed from the beautiful beaches of Cornwall in the UK where she lives. This season is all about sustainable luxury - and Glasswing's collection of glowing glass gems from the sea, some of them more than 100 years old, salvaged, polished then lovingly drilled, hung and set in 925 sterling silver certainly fit the bill. Look out for Glasswing's new collection of pendants and cufflinks, due to go on sale in time for Christmas. If you are looking for something unique, why not contact Kate who would be delighted to work on a special commission.

October 1st 2008

Autumn Blues

Sail Boat in Penzance Bay

Sea Glass Pendant on Sterling silver bead chain

Aqua sea glass necklace

Feature:Alternative Lifestyle

Friday, August 29, 2008

glasswing jewellery - seaglass meets butterflies

by Maureen @ 9:56 am 1 comment »

I don't know if you've ever touched seaglass but its smooth surface feels quite soothing.

Check out Cornwall UK-based artist, Kate Laity's beautiful, handmade sterling silver jewelry made from two recycled materials — seaglass and silver, as well as her beaded butterflies and forged silver rings. The designer's cool collections are flavored by a fusion of the windblown natural beauty of her native West Cornwall, and her background and family heritage as a blacksmith.

glasswingjewellery.com

There is 1 comment.

Gail Rhyno Aug 30, 2008

I really like her lightly textured rings! And the sea glass, of course.
Gail

July 17th 2008

Sea Glass Jewellery

There's nothing quite like the gentle glow of a piece of sea glass. It is the chemical changes that occur whilst the glass is tumbled against rocks, sand and seashells in the salty ocean that make the glass glow in that unique way.

These earrings combine sea glass and recycled glass, the latter I have salvaged myself from bottles and jars we have used at home. I have tumbled them in my trusty rock tumbler, a giant piece of engineering that I imagine was the height of technology at the time (? 1970's) for the serious lapidary hobbyist. The contrast is noticable between the sea glass and the recycled glass.

Seaglass and recycled glass sterling silver stack earrings
( seaglass found on St Ives Harbour beach)

Seaglass and silver spiral hoops
(seaglass found on Pentewan beach)

Mermaid's seaglass earrings

(Seaglass found on St Ives Harbour beach)

As sea glass becomes ever rarer, and the interest in upcycling and found objects means that its use in jewellery becomes more popular, some companies are 'manufacturing' sea glass, and passing it off as such, using tumbling techniques. Recycled glass is obviously beautiful in it's own right, however if you are keen to own a genuine piece of sea glass, it is important when buying to determine that you are buying the real thing. Many of the really special pieces can be over a hundred years old, discarded during another era, and painstakingly combed from the beaches after decades of smoothing in the deep, with all its history and magic evident in the sea glass glow.