How I made this Diamond Engagement Ring…….

February 9, 2012 Nikki

3-Stone Diamond Ring

My Name is Nikki and I am a Goldsmith/Jeweller I set up my own business NB Jewellery having worked in the jewellery trade for 20 years.

I was asked to design and make a Diamond Engagement Ring, after a few idea’s and rough sketches and drawings I came up with this design and it was approved by my lovely customers.

I started by ordering in the raw materials, starting with the three diamonds, which weighed 0.25ct in total from my Diamond merchants. Then I ordered calibrated settings and a bar of white gold which would be the shank.

Materials for Engagement Ring

I then set to work in my rural jewellery workshop – which is on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, (and  in January is very cold) so once the heat had kicked in I sat down at my bench and began to construct the setting, which meant extending a few claws.

Setting in construction

Next was to cut the shank to the correct length, thankfully I have a very old graph which I was given when I served my apprenticeship, then to create the curved bit of the shank I tapered each end, as shown below, along with a match which is there to show perspective.

Setting and cut shank

Once I had shaped the curved part of the shank so both sides where the same I bent the shank round and soldered it to form a complete ring. I then went back to the setting and made a base bezel which is what the main shank will attach to.

Shank & Setting

I sawed open the shank at the point where I had joined it and then soldered it onto the base of the setting, once I was happy that it was correct and straight I pickled it to clean off all the borax.

Filing and sanding the complete mount was the next stage, tidying up and preparing for polishing, I always polish any mount at this stage as it makes the final finishing easier.

Polishing the inside of the ring

I start off by polishing the inside of the ring then the outer.

Polishing the Ring

With a quick clean in the Ultrasonic I began the task of diamond setting.

Setting the Diamonds

Then with one final polish and rhodium plating the ring was completed and I had one very happy customer!

Finished Ring

I would just like to say a Massive thank you to my lovely man who very patiently took the photographs of each stage of the making of this ring – Thank You Richard – Saxon Images

 

 

 

 

 

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Valentines Day Idea’s

February 7, 2012 Nikki

Well its not long until our thoughts turn to romance ……

heart

So how about treating that special person in your life to something as long lasting as your love…….

Nikki has collected a few idea’s to help you along the way :-

Silver Heart Earrings

These are part of the Heart Full of Love Collection available in the shop  at www.nbjewellery

Silver Heart Pendant

 

The pendant and the earrings are made from sterling silver which have been oxidised to enhance the heart

Sliver Heart Necklace

 

I love this necklace its an oxidised dome sprinkled with various sized hearts and a really cute little heart hanging at the bottom, the pendant is on a black silk cord.

Silver Bead Bracelets

These Bracelets are Really popular, they are pretty and practical made from sterling silver 3mm beads with a silver heart charm attached.

Silver Bead Bracelet

 

All of these pieces of jewellery are made by Nikki of NB Jewellery in her jewellery workshop on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.

Please contact me for any orders and Happy Romancing

 

 

 

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Silver Daisy Jade Bracelets

February 2, 2012 Nikki

www.nbjewellery.com

 

I have been busy designing new stock pieces again and just Love these colourful pretty bracelets!

They bring a touch of cheer to this grey cold start to the year and put me in the mood for spring and summer.

They are 10mm Malaysian Jade, beads which I believe have been dyed to enhance the colours, I have then added two 6mm sterling silver beads and a very pretty sterling silver Daisy charm, they are threaded on elastic for ease.

Here are the colours close up

Turquoise -

Turquoise Jade Daisy Bracelet

This is a soft blue not too artificial.

the next is the Fushia – a vivid pink very striking

fushia jade daisy bracelet

 

And finally the Lilac -

lilac jade daisy bracelet

The bracelets are all 18.5cm long and can be shortened or lengthened to order.

I will endevour to get these into my shop soon but in the meantime if you would like to treat yourself or a loved one just drop me an email.

 

 

 

 

 

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Silver Ball Bracelets

January 31, 2012 Nikki

Well New Year and new designs being produced by NB Jewellery so here are a couple of new prototypes I have created and have already had orders for!

These silver bracelets are made from 4mm sterling silver beads with 2 rings inbetween then alternating with genuine Swarovski Crystals.

Three Silver Swarovski bead bracelets

 

I got my lovely Fiance Richard who just happens to be a pro photographer of Saxon Images to take the pictures for me, and I am really pleased with the results!

I have done at this stage three colour ways, but new colours can always be customised if required.

There is the Aqua bracelet (below)

Aqua Bracelet

 

I love these colours they always remind me of the days when I was at sea, and we would dock in the azure sea’s :o )

The next colour way is the Pink which also has a smokey grey crystal with it which I think adds a touch of class to the look of the bracelet

Pink Bracelet

 

And finally the Black colour way, this is always of course a classic choice and is consistant in matching any outfit. This colour way graduates from black to clear crystal with the lovely smokey grey again.

Black Bracelet

 

All the bracelets are 18.5cm long and have a ring and bar clasp in sterling silver. The cost of the bracelet is £45.00

I intend as soon as I can to get these up and in my online shop but until then if you would like one just email me with an order and I can send you a paypal  invoice for payment. :o )

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Hello Kitty Cake Pops

January 17, 2012 Nikki

I know this isn’t jewellery But I wanted to share this one with you. I took a day out of my Jewellery Workshop to make these…..

Its my niece’s 6th birthday this week and she is Hello Kitty crazy! So as a surprise I have decided to make her some Cake pops.

Hello Kitty Cake Pop

I came across cake pops on the internet, it seems to be the latest thing? And being creative was itching to have a go I have patiently waited until Charlottes birthday and here are the results ….

I will show you from start to finish

Firstly I baked a victoria sponge tray bake ( Mary Berry recipe) and used approx half of it

sponge cake

Then I crumbled the cake half into my mixing bowl

crumbled cake

Then instead of buying ‘frosting’ I decided to make an alternative – so I made traditional butter icing and added this to the crumbled cake to bind it together

butter icing in the crumble

then after that I had to start and bind the crumble and butter icing together and form the kitty head shape, I decided also to make the shape of the ears using the cake mixture instead of putting chocolate drops which is how I have seen some methods

head shapes

then the next stage is to make sure the lolly stick are secure, so I melted some of the white chocolate and dipped the stick in before inserting it into the head shape, after that I put the heads and sticks in the freezer for approx 20/30mins to harden up

sticks in head with chocolate

Then I tempered the white chocolate, and began dipping the heads into the melted white chocolate, leaving it to drip then gently tapping any extra chocolate off before standing them upright in polystyrene to dry and set. I actually left them overnight as it was evening when I did and was getting tired.

White chocolate heads

Then the next stage was decorating the faces, I used little heart sprinkles for the bow and some very small coloured sugar coated drops abit like m&m’s but smaller for the nose and then I used coloured icing paste to for painting the eyes and whiskers

decorations

I started with the nose and bow attaching them with very small dots of melted chocolate applied with a cocktail stick and tweezers

bows & noses

I laid them flat so that nothing slipped off while the chocolate was setting then painted on the eyes and whiskers which was quite tricky as you need a steady hand and very fine brush, I bought an edible black pen but it didn’t work on chocolate it must just be for icing.

so here are the finished Kitty’s hope you like them and it may inspire you to try them yourself

MEOW xxx

Hello Kitty Cake Pops

 

 

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Back after my blogging absence

January 8, 2012 Nikki

A big apology for not keeping up with my regular blogs.

I will now (one of my New Years resolutions) try to keep regular with news for you.

The reason for my lack of blogs has been down to – not a brilliant year for health, but now after a major operation at the very end of November I am ready to get back up and running and I am already planning a few idea’s for 2012.

So will be filling you in with them as and when they happen.

So watch this space………..  :o )

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GINGER ANGEL JEWELLERY PARTIES

January 2, 2012 Nikki

The start of 2012 see’s the Launch of NB Jewellery’s Ginger Angel Jewellery Parties.

This is an ideal solution when you have exhausted all avenues for the birthday girl. Ginger Angel Jewellery parties will come to your own venue and entertain the children by teaching them new skills and working with them to create their very own piece of Jewellery!

You will get your own personal Ginger Angel invitations so you can invite all your friends, for the perfect childrens party.

They then can choose from hundreds of beads to make their own jewellery.

      

For more information please check out the Ginger Angel page on the main NB Jewellery website


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Macmillan cancer Support Jewellery

March 22, 2011 Nikki

Its been nearly two years since I had my initial idea…………..

Support design

I wanted to write to you to tell you about a range of silver jewellery I have designed and made for Macmillan cancer. I have waited until now to share the news as from the end of last week I am now officially on the main Macmillan website in their ‘shop’.

http://shop.macmillan.org.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/Macmillan/MCSNBJEWEL/83861

And its come at a great time too as Macmillan is celebrating 100 years this year!

I took a break some years ago from the workbench and was lucky enough to work on four cruise ships as their jewellery manager, great as I got paid to travel the world, I had an amazing time onboard the ships and would highly recomend it to anyone!

While I was at sea my mother was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, she went through radiotherapy and had a hysterectomy – and I am pleased to say she has now recovered, we are very blessed. I also have now had two narrow escapes of pre-cancerous cells on my cervix and only through regular checking have been able to eliminate it.

When I got home I felt like I wanted to give something back, so I got my thinking cap on and decided to create a piece of jewellery to sell for charity, but, I wanted a significant donation, not just a small percentage.

It didn’t take me long to decide on which charity, Macmillan are amazing, they support every aspect of this horror of a disease, from medical, emotional and financial.

I needed to keep the design simple so I could re-produce it easily as I intended that each piece should be handmade.

I also wanted the design to portray what Macmillan are about, they are a massive support network, so this was important I got this across in the design. After lots of sketches and ideas (even through the night I was sketching when I woke with ideas in those early hours). I came up with the drawing above, which to me is somone hugging, holding and supporting. I then wanted to incorporate the Macmillan ‘Green’ so I have used a Green Onyx bead in the centre.

My initial idea was to produce a pendant…..

Macmillan Support Pendant £25

But then I realised that I was limiting the chance of donations for Macmillan, and of course its not only women who suffer from cancer, or relatives, so I introduced some more pieces…..

Macmillan Support Earrings £40

Macmillan Support Lapel Pin £25

Macmillan Support Cufflinks £50

Every piece is completly handmade in silver and for every item sold £10 (inc VAT) is donated to Macmillan cancer.

So if you feel you would like to ‘Support’ Macmillan please click on the link below to purchase, spread the word and tell your friends and relatives. Thank You for your support!

http://nbjewellery.com/index.php/macmillan-collection

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Wedding Fair

March 7, 2011 Nikki

Well I am fresh back from my very first wedding fair or wedding fayre – take your pick

Here is a picture of me with my stand……

Me at the Wedding Fair

Its was at East Riddlesden Hall which is a beautiful National Trust property, I have taken out an advert in their new wedding brochure and as a result was invited to exhibit at their wedding fair. I was very excited and decided to start making some wedding rings to showcase, I went for some traditional styles and some more unusual, I feel its always better for people to touch and see the real thing rather than showng a lot of photographs, so I made a small selection which proved very sucessful.

Tower of Rings

The above picture is a few of the rings I had on show. I found that alot of brides had shaped engagement rings which will require a wedding ring to be made especially to fit around it, you can buy ‘off the peg’ shaped wedding rings but nothing fits more perfect than one that has been handmade to fit exactly.

Shaped Wedding Ring

I also found some couples were drawn to something a little different, and something that would compliment each other, so the ring below was a great example and created alot of interest, it can be made in various ways, ie – two colour gold, matt or shiny, the sample is a dazzle finish with a polished centre.

heart wedding ring

Also I added a small collection of Bridal Jewellery, I wanted to keep the pieces delicate and subtle which will compliment the dresses and the day. I intend to add the Bridal Jewellery to my website shop, but in the meantime you can always email me and order a piece.

Bridal Earrings

Bridal Heart Earrings

Also I have made some necklaces too, see below….

Freshwater Pearl and Silver Heart Necklace and Bracelet

Silver Swarovski and Pearl Tassle Necklace

Single drop Necklace

CZ Briolette Drop Silver Neckalce

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Elements Collection – Semi Precious Gemstone Jewellery

February 23, 2011 Nikki

Well excitement…….At long last I now have images for my new collection – thank you to Richard Berkenbusch – Saxon Images. Not that I’m complaining they are well worth the wait. And look great against the natual wood background.

I have been designing and creating this collection for a few weeks now, and this is something I didn’t need to do in my main workshop, this I could create in the comfort of my home.

Elements Collection Brown

I wanted to embrace natural stones, I am not a fan of the word semi precious – as anything that mother nature throws our way is precious and far from semi!  There seems to be a trend for natural stones again, which is great news for the jewellery trade.

Elements Collection Pink & Green

So my collections are all made from natural stones and freshwater pearls, and all made on sterling silver. I have designed 5 colourways to cover various fashion trends and personal colour preference. The main gems I have used are various shades of Jade, Lava, Labradorite, Agate, Aventurine, Smokey Quartz, Rose Quartz, Amazonite, Fluorite, Amethyst and Jasper, along with various colours of (dyed) freshwater pearls to compliment. I have made a bracelet, necklace and a pair of drop earrings in each colourway.

Elements Collection Purple

I have yet to upload them onto the web site – thats the next job so I will keep you posted on that one – in the meantime you can veiw all the collections individually on my Face Book Page for NB Jewellery where I have put all the pictures up.

Elements Collection Green

I hope you like the background for the images – to let you into a little secret it was my twin sisters idea – so can’t take full credit for that one !  I think she came up with a good one?

I took a while deciding what to call the collection, and eventually by process of elimination came up with Elements, as the collection represents 3 of the four elemnts – Earth, Water &  Fire. I could find a way to incorporate the last one, so I figured 3 out of 4 was enough, the fire one by the way is represented by the main stone in the Teal & Brown colourway by Lava. Its a fasinating stone, very light in weight and a real focal bead for the piece.

Elements Collection Teal & Brown

I love this collection and I am very excited about launching it, let me know your thoughts and I will let you know when they are available on the website shop, in the meantime you can always contact me for any information

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