Handmade eco silver jewellery
To me there is nothing better than a piece of handmade jewellery. Of course I would say this as I create handmade silver jewellery, but it really is true.
I’ve always been interested in handmade items. And when we’re on holiday I often manage to find a market or small shop selling handmade jewellery. Knowing that someone sat down to come up with the idea, gather all the materials and put time and effort into creating something unique gives the item a special touch. Ever since I’ve started designing and making silver jewellery myself I’ve come to appreciate handmade items even more.
From start to finish a lot of effort, love and passion goes into every piece I create. It often starts with an idea I get looking at something. A building or ornament in a garden, plants or flowers and films set in a certain period are some of the things that inspire me. Drawing is not my talent, but I do always sketch something quickly. It helps me to think more about the details and about what it would exactly look like and what I need to do to make it work.
Over the years more materials have become available and I’ve moved over to using eco silver now. Some items have an added splash of gold or a gemstone and I make sure they’re fair-trade and ethically sourced too. I look into the suppliers first and check what they do to guarantee this. My aim is to create timeless, unique and lasting jewellery and so it’s important this is done as sustainable as possible.
Some pieces are a one off creation and others are part of a collection that I make more often. I’ve also made some commission pieces for customers. The time it takes to create something obviously varies. And especially when designing a piece with a customer I want to take my time to make sure it’s exactly what they want. I especially love sawing patterns which can be very time consuming. It’s a very precise job and it takes a lot of patience, but once they’re finished it’s so rewarding. No piece will be exactly the same and that’s one of the things about handmade jewellery I love. Every piece is unique.
So many steps go into creating a piece of silver jewellery. Designing, picking materials, maybe learning a new technique, thinking about the order in which you need to work, sawing, soldering, bending, stone setting, polishing are just part of the process. And when you finish the piece and your customer picks it it’s such a great feeling. Receiving positive feedback from my customers or the lucky recipient they bought the jewellery for is the best feeling in the world.
Do you have a favourite piece of handmade silver jewellery? I’d love to hear the stories behind all those lovely personal pieces.
Klaar x
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