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 the string you want from the Aladdin’s cave of glittering wares, a bit like buying books I suppose…

So here are the first items I have made with some rather lovely rock crystal briolettes I bought on that trip:

They’re very simply designed, but I didn’t want to complicate these pieces as these pretty gems ought to be the focal point. I used just use two materials: Sterling silver and gemstone.

Rock crystal is sometimes also used for the April birthstone, as a substitute for diamond. I can also see this set being used as a wedding day jewellery.