January birthstone - Garnet The birthstone for January is a garnet. The word ‘garnet’ comes from the latin word ‘granatum’ which means seed or seed-like referring to the form of the pomegranate. The reference is understandable, as the small garnets look a lot like the red seeds found inside of a pomegranate. Garnets are usually recognised as a dark red colour (Almandine and Pyrope), coming from a rich palate of oranges, pinks, deep purplish-reds. However, some garnets come in greens (Tsavorite and Demantoid) and blues too, these are more rare. Garnets are found across all continents as small pebbles in streams, inside metaphoric rocks. Green garnets are also found in metamorphic rocks, howev
Rose Gold Over recent years we have found rose gold making a comeback and have been creating with it more often. It originally turned fashionable around the 19th century, especially in Russia. It is a striking metal that oozes a more vintage and romantic appeal. To create the ‘rosy’ effect copper is added into the mix, the more copper added, the redder the metal will be. On the same note, a higher carat will contain more pure gold so there will be less copper added, making the pigment of the metal a lighter shade. A lower carat will contain more copper, resulting in a redder metal. What are the positives of rose gold? There are many answers to this question, some of them being that rose
Keum-boo (also spelt Kum-boo or kum-bu) is an ancient gilding technique originating from Korea. This is created by applying sheets of 24 carat gold to pure fine silver, using heat and pressure causing a silver-gilt. During the fusion bonding of the two metals, atoms will exchange in a collision combining them permanently into one. #ancient #jewellery #whitleybay #whitley #whitleybay #engagement #jewelry #making #maker #art #artist #artists #arts #fineart #metal #metals #metaldark #silver #silvers #gold #golds #palladium #korea #korean #techniques #technique #kumboo #kumbu #puregold #finesilver #heat #pressure #fusing #bonding #twometals #northumberland #north #northeast #handmade #bespokerin
Discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston, palladium is becoming increasingly popular within the jewellery industry. This chemical element is a rare, natural, lustrous silver-white metal and does not need to be plated. As palladium is a part of the platinum group of metals, it shares many of the same chemical properties as platinum, one of them being they are both naturally hypoallergenic materials. It is a hard-wearing metal and does not tarnish. However unlike platinum it is softer and a more dense material, similarly to gold it can be beaten to become extremely thin which can allow bigger and more bold jewellery designs. Palladium is an affordable metal and a great substitute for wh
