I was shopping in Barcelona recently, and these days that means completely ignoring the clothes shops and opting for those narrow little streets in the Gothic Quarter and old Jewish quarter which are a treasure trove of gem stores and jewellery-making supplies. Although it’s possible to beat the prices they have (by buying online), it’s still kind of nice to handle the gems and pick... 

Diamonds are for…girls born in April! Yes well, diamonds come with a pretty steep price tag and as someone who was born in April, I can tell you that the only piece of jewellery anyone has ever bought me was my engagement ring! Perhaps this is due to the popular notion that diamonds look vulgar on younger women? Actually I find all these popular notions or “traditions” fascinating-... 

March Birthstone It’s March and the Birthstone for this month is Aquamarine, Bloodstone, Jasper or Jade- depending on which tradition you’re using. Personally I don’t stick to just one tradition for birthstone jewellery, I use whichever stone best suits the wearer and my pocket! In March we have the following options: Month Traditional Birthstones Modern Birthstones Mystical... 

Mother’s Day Date In the UK and Ireland it’s linked to Easter (4th Sunday in lent) so it changes every year. In 2009 this will be March 22. I live in Spain and it’s al little easier to predict here, being the1st Sunday in May- in 2009 it will be on May 3. The US, along with dozens of other countries are just a week later with the 2nd Sunday of May so Mother’s Day will be... 

Continuing in the bridal theme from last time, I made a pendant necklace to go with the earrings and bracelet. I continued with the heart theme and used the same Crystal Silver Shade crystals combined with ivory freshwater pearls. “Briony” Crystal Silver Shade with Freshwater Pearl The main pendant is 18mm so big enough to make an impact but not too large. This weekend I was at... 

Yesterday and today the weather has been pretty bad here in the north of Spain, Bilbao had the worst flooding in living memory. Here in San Sebastian it wasn’t quite as bad as all that, but still, the rain was enough to ensure that I stayed tucked away in my studio with plenty of cups of tea! Apparently I was in a rather romantic mood because I made a set of bridal jewellery! I have a range... 

It seems that April has its fair share of birthdays! Thursday was Paula’s turn, she’s a super-charged tornado of energy, an ex-athlete who used to compete at international level (for Spain) and who speaks with as much energy and speed as does everything else. (For a foreigner like me she can be tough to keep up with sometimes!). Anyway, it was her birthday and as we had been invited...