Journal

Not all pieces that carry the word gold in their title are created equal. So what is the difference?  Gold plated objects have a micron thick layer of gold chemically plated onto the surface of a lower quality base metal (often brass). This layer is so thin that it will wear off quite quickly, especially if worn often or if the wearer has relatively acidic...

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There are many pros to online shopping. Endless choice from the comfort of your own home. Selecting brands that align with your values. And, when shopping online from a small business, the opportunity to connect with artisans directly, resulting in an even more personal experience than traditional customer/salesperson encounters. What’s not to love? Well sizing comes to mind! How do you go about ordering the...

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Lab grown diamonds have taken the jewellery industry by storm in the last couple of years. This popularity may lead you to think they are a relatively recent invention but in actuality the first lab grown diamond was grown in 1954. Their growing acclaim is due, in no small part, to the growing awareness of the human and environmental abuses so prevalent in the mined...

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Lab-grown diamonds, also known as cultivated diamonds, are created by duplicating the conditions under which diamonds develop naturally in the earth’s mantle.   Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds? Possibly the most common question people ask about lab grown diamonds is, are they real diamonds? The answer is a definitive yes. Lab-grown diamonds are chemically, physically and visually identical to mined diamonds because they are….diamonds. Just...

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Catharina reached out just after the new year with my favourite sort of email. It said that she and her boyfriend Erns really aren’t into jewellery but that our pieces had caught her eye. I count that as the ultimate compliment. If our designs resonate with non jewellery lovers as well, then we must be doing something right? It was an absolute treat to make...

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When most people think of gold they think of the sunshine yellow colour of 24 karat (pure gold). However, when alloyed with other metals the colour possibilities of gold are endless. It’s a little like baking a cake, the ingredients you use determine the type of cake coming out of your oven. For our bespoke pieces and our customisable jewellery pieces (like our wedding rings)...

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In 2011 I started this brand with a firmly entrenched idea about what it was to be a goldsmith/entrepreneur/designer and even more so about what it meant to wear all those hats. How wrong I was and how delighted I am in this learning over the last ten years. I began with the belief that being an artisan would mean a career working alone in...

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Sterling silver is a beautiful metal but being an element of the earth it reacts to the environment around it which can cause it to tarnish. While solid gold doesn’t tarnish or fade, it may still need a little pick-me-up from time to time. There are many commercially available chemical cleaners on the market but we thought we would share three eco-friendly alternatives using things...

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E-waste or electronic waste is a collective term for electronic devices (from aeroplane cockpit consoles to the cell phone you are probably reading this on) that are broken, unwanted or reaching the end of their ‘useful life’. E-waste is not a new phenomenon, we have been discarding electronic products since Thomas Edison patented the electric light bulb. In recent years however, e-waste has been getting...

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