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Ring Sizes

  • Posted on June 30, 2010 at 4:41 pm

Sterling Silver Agate Ring

Buying silver jewellery online is quite a simple task; you select the piece you like, pay for it and wait for it to arrive.Buying a silver ring is slightly more complicated as, unless the ring is adjustable,  you first have to determine the ring size of your finger. In the U.S. and Canada ring sizes are on a numbered scale while in Ireland, U.K. and Australia ring sizes are specified using an alphhabetical scale with half sizes.

The ideal way to measure your ring size is to visit a jeweller who will use steel ring sizers to accurately gauge the ring size of your finger. A method you can use at home is to cut a thin strip of paper and wrap it around the finger you wish to be sized underneath the second joint and  knuckle. Make sure not to wrap the paper too tightly or the ring will not fit over the knuckle. Mark the spot where the paper meets with a pen or pencil and measure the distance with a ruler. This distance will give you the diameter of the ring required and you can then use one of the many online ring conversion websites to give you the relevant numeral or alphabetical sizes. All that’s left is to go ahead and buy your new silver jewellery.

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Silver Facts

  • Posted on May 4, 2010 at 11:29 pm

While most of us are used to wearing silver jewellery there is much more to silver than just jewellery. Silver has been mined for at least 6,000 years and man learned to separate it from lead around 3,000 B.C. Of all the elements silver is the best conductor of heat, used in solar panels and heated rear windows. It’s also the best conductor of electricity and is used in electrical circuits, hearing aids and pacemakers. A silver mirror can reflect around 95% of the visible light spectrum and because of it’s optical properties is used for components in telescopes and microscopes. An ounce of silver can be drawn into 8,000 feet of thin wire and one grain can be made into a sheet 150 times thinner than a piece of paper. The major producers of this precious metal are the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Peru, Russia and Australia. More than two thirds of the silver produced is as a by product of lead, copper and zinc mining and a third of the metal produced is used in the photography industry. Silver has incredible bactericidal properties; it’s salts chemically affect the cell membranes of bacteria causing it to die. The bacteria also can not build up a resistance, as they do to many antibiotics.
So the next time you wear your silver jewellery, remember there is so much more to this wonderful white metal.

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Hallmarking & Silver Jewellery

  • Posted on April 15, 2010 at 1:19 am

Hallmarking for silver jewellery was introduced as a way of proving that the jewellery contained the correct percentage of silver. Pure silver is quite soft and it is usual to add a percentage of copper to strengthen it. The normal ratio is 92.5% silver to 7.5% copper hence sterling silver is often referred to as 925 silver. As it is impossible to tell without analysis what the true content is hallmarking was introduced as a mark of quality and assurance.
Jewellery is hallmarked in the UK if the silver content of the jewellery exceeds 7.78 grams, if it is below this figure the piece is exempt. The relevant weight for gold is 1 gram and platinum 0.5 grams. The assay office is responsible for hallmarking, the pieces to be hallmarked are sent via post or courier or can be taken by hand to the office. Once there the item is tested and hallmarked if the precious metal is of the desired standard and percentage.
There are various types of hallmark; a maker’s mark, assay office stamp, standard hallmark and year of manufacture. In 1988 the regulations were changed to bring the UK into line with the rest of Europe. The old hallmarks were made non compulsory and standards were to be expressed as parts per thousand. So the hallmark for pure silver jewellery is 999, sterling 925 and 18ct gold 750 etc.

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Mens Jewellery

  • Posted on March 25, 2010 at 5:06 pm

The Silver Jewellery Workshop will soon be adding a range of mens jewellery to its collections. The exciting new range will include mens bracelets, pendants, necklaces and rings. Our wedding collection will also contain a selection of cufflinks to accompany our bridal jewellery. All our new pieces will, of course, be guaranteed sterling silver and competitively priced. Regular updates will be posted when the range is launched and as new products are added.

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Spiral Earrings

  • Posted on March 21, 2010 at 11:29 pm

Silver Spiral Earrings With Pink Crystal

Every woman at one time or another has lost a pair of earrings. the problem is that earring backs can be caught when putting on and taking off clothing and are easily pulled from the earring. Traditional ear wires can also slip from the ear if they are caught and there is nothing more frustrating than spending time searching for one of your favourite items of jewellery.

 A handy solution to the problem of lost earrings can be spiral wire earrings; the earrings are worn by winding the spiraled part of the wire through the ear making them easy to wear but almost impossible to lose. The design allows a variety of different shaped crystals, beads and stones to be used , add almost any colour and the possibilities are limitless.

The Silver Jewellery Workshop has  just added sterling silver spiral wire earrings to our collection, a collection that will continue to expand and grow in the coming year. To view our new spiral earrings just click on our store links found on the right hand bar.

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Pandora Style Bracelets Still In Fashion

  • Posted on February 26, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Pandora Style Sterling Silver Bracelet With Beads & Charms

Although the craze for Pandora style bracelets has been around for some time there is no sign of this particular item of jewellery going out of fashion. In fact, with the current trend for wearing multiple bracelets and bangles, these Italian style bracelets with the accompanying beads and charms have remained a firm favourite with all age groups.

The beauty of these bracelets is that any number of beads and charms can be combined to give varying styles and colours. They are also good value for money, a quality sterling silver Pandora style bracelet can be bought for as little as £24.99 and the matching sterling silver and glass beads for less then £5 individually. The choice of charms are  virtually limitless; animal charms, alphabet letters, beads with stones and crystals, dichroic glass beads, pearl and jade beads, gold plated beads and many, many more. Once you own a bracelet your options are limitless and the beads make an ideal birthday, Christmas or anniversary  present. They are also fun to collect,  I have two bracelets and have beads to match virtually every outfit and accessory that I own.
Sterling Silver Charm With Red & White Crystal

The bracelets can be bought in a variety of sizes and generally vary from the smaller six inch bracelets, suitable for children or those with small wrists, up to larger eight and a half or nine inch bracelets. Although the bracelets have been available for quite a while an exciting new development is the introduction of accessories to accompany your Italian style bracelet. Rings, necklaces and earrings that hold one or more bead are now the perfect partners for your charm bracelet.

So what are you waiting for? Why not join one of the biggest jewellery trends and start collecting now. To view a selection of bracelets and over 200 different charms and beads, all in sterling silver, visit The Silver Jewellery Workshop.  If you don’t already own a bracelet there are also a number of bracelet and bead starter packages available.

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Monday’s Jewellery making Class

  • Posted on February 23, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Jewellery Making Class
Everyone working hard on Monday

On Monday five ladies  from the Gran Alicant area attended a polymer jewellery making class at Tutti’s bar and restaurant. We started at midday  and after selecting the colours we wanted started making geometric canes for our jewellery. After forming our canes we shaped them into beads for bracelets. Whilst the beads were baking in the oven we formed pendants and matching circular beads. After 2 and a half hours we were starving so took a well deserved break and tucked into delicious sandwiches supplied by Sirus, the owner of Tutti’s.

After lunch the lesson continued using silver wire to make links for the bracelets and ear wires for earrings. Once the polymer beads and pendants were cool they were varnished and 15 minutes later we started to put our jewellery together. Five hours after the lesson began we were done, everyone had made a pendant with matching beads, bracelet with silver wire and polymer beads and a set of earrings. We even had time to make jazzy key covers and charms for our keyrings!

So at about 5 o’clock the ladies went home for a well deserved rest. My husband and I tidied up and had a quick coffee before heading home. In conclusion I have to say the lesson went really well and would like to thank Sandy, Sue, Denise, Jackie and Anne for being a great class and for all their efforts during the day. If you would like to see a selection of the jewellery they made it can be seen in the students gallery.

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Jewellery Making Classes

  • Posted on February 18, 2010 at 10:10 pm

I’ve spent most of this evening preparing for my upcoming polymer clay jewellery class which is on Monday. Five ladies are atttending the class at “Tutti’s” restaurant in Gran Alicant. The owner Sirus lets me use his upstairs room and supplies a delicious lunch as well. We are going to make geometric design polymer beads on silver wire;  bracelet, pendant and earrings. Everything is made from scratch, including the findings. The ladies have a jewellery class about once a month and have learnt, among other thing, jewellery making with art clay silver, silver wire and polymer beads. I always like to practice what I’m going to do beforehand as occasionally something crops up that I hadn’t thought about.

Tonight I had major problems conditioning some of the clay. Some colours are harder to condition than others and crumble a lot, my hands were really hurting afterwards. A good tip is to put just a drop of baby oil on your fingers when conditioning the clay by hand and this helps to soften the polymer. It shouldn’t be a problem on Monday as I am taking my husband and conditioning the clay is his job. Well enough of the talk, the beads are due out of the oven. I’ll post some pictures of the stuff we made on Monday.

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Mens Jewellery?

  • Posted on February 16, 2010 at 3:54 pm

Today I have been thinking about making jewellery for men. What jewellery would the typical man wear? Last night we were watching the T.V. series ‘Spartacus’ and most of the gladiators were wearing leather cord necklaces with various big, chunky pendants. My husband wears a thick leather cuff decorated with a big rectangular, beaten piece of silver. He wears it every day and his male friends are always commenting on what a great piece of mens jewellery it is.

So, I guess, leather is popular for mens jewellery but what else? Would men wear beads? What materials would be best for mens jewellery? I like the idea of some simple, clean, bold designs in wood or something similiar. I have been working with Polymer clay creating a wood effect so I could definitely incorporate that in mens jewellery. I also like the idea of using silver and/or bronze for mens jewellery. Tribal jewellery is another idea I would like to explore. I’m going to sit down at my bench this afternoon and start working on something. I’ve no idea where I’ll end up but I will keep you posted.

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