Who can resist the beauty of emeralds!
Last term, as you may recall, we had a visit from Maddy with her seductive array of unusual gemstones.
Moonstones, tuquoise, Mexican boulder opals, agates and quartzes of every kind -Maddy’s selection of stones are chosen for character and quirky beauty rather than for those high end standards that assume we all seek perfection!
An interesting stone can inspire the most exciting of designs; having irregularity, such a stone demands a very personal response – it simply will not fit into standard patterns, symetrical conclusions.
Stones with lesser ‘classical’ quality tend to be rough hewn, cut by hand to make the most of colour and inclusions. This is certainly the case with these delicious emeralds, which proved to be irresistable to students and the Flux jewellers alike…
Much as we love them, emeralds are tricky stones to work with. Emeralds have a notoriously brittle nature that makes them prone to chipping. So when it comes to designing jewellery to display their beauty, supporting the stone effectively is always the major consideration.
Daisy fell for the charms of a beautiful ‘square’ cut emerald, and this month we had a special request from her to assist in making an 18ct ring for it.
In true Flux spirit, returning student Daisy is always ready for a challenge!
Square it may look, but closer inspection proved otherwise for her pretty, facetted stone. This disregard for regimented form added an extra dimension of delight to the making of the basket setting.
Over 2 days She worked with great diligence to measure, cut, solder, file, bend and polish gold ready to accept her delicate stone.
Daisy’s emerald ring
Her beautiful ring has an ancient charm about it, entirely simple (and yet not), slightly rough around the edges – like a true treasure from the Cheapside Hoard!
Daisy, we are proud of you 🙂