brand new website & blog

Head on over to my brand new website where I will be continuing to post new blog entries from this day onwards!

You can now also shop online from a selected range of my ring, bracelet, earring & necklace designs. 

Exciting times!

ribbon torque bangle

I've lost count of how many of these bangles I've made since developing the process in 2007, they just never seem to go out of fashion. But if I had dollar for every time I've been asked how they're made...

Well, here's a snippet of some of the stages the silver goes through to end up as the super strong forged bangle that it becomes.



Here the silver strip is twisted to form an old school straw shape.

The "straw" is annealed with flame and forged over with a cross peen hammer. This is a repeated process. Then the "straw" is untwisted to reveal the form.

The strip is then measured and rounded up to form the bangle. The ends are riveted in place with three strong silver rivets, each one hammered into place over my trusty cobbler's shoe anvil. Then all cleaned up and polished and voilá!

portraits

I have finally succumbed to the idea that I needed some professional studio shots and portraits, as opposed to the random selfies I have on file and on my website (solitary worker problems).

I mustered up my courage and asked the fabulous Harriet Claire Tarbuck to capture me at work and amongst the more interesting nooks of my beautiful original industrial Collingwood studio.

 

Some of these will eventually be featured on my newly renovated website (currently in progress, don't worry, I'll keep you updated).  But for now they are at least recorded for posterity, which is nice.

a mere coincidence

I've now made these earrings in both 18ct yellow gold and oxidised sterling silver.  They are so incredibly comfortable and easy to wear, I have some of the gold ones and I wear them almost everyday. 

 

 

Upon making them for the first time I encountered a vague familiarity in the form - then it came to me.

Grug. 

Now any self respecting Aussie from Gen X or early Gen Y will know exactly what I'm referring to.  For those who can't quite remember or are indeed not from Australia, you'll be forgiven for needing this explanation:

(Excerpt from Wikipedia) Grug is a fictional character appearing in a series of Australian children's books by the author Ted Prior.  They were published between 1979 and 1992.
Grug began his life as the top of a Burrawang tree that looks more like a Grass tree.  Resembling a small, striped haystack with a face, he is fascinated by the world around him and solves everyday problems creatively and without fuss.  When dancing instructions are too difficult to understand, Grug invents his own dance and calls it "The Grug".

Brilliant piece of Australiana right there.  I think we can all use a little Grug in our lives, solving problems "creatively and without fuss".

long time between drinks

There are no excuses, I just simply do not have the time that I used to since my little bundle of cuteness came into my life.  However I have certainly been making lot of orders and commissions over the last few months, and have been rather prolific with my Instagram feed too. 
We're building up to that crazy time of year again and to kick off the present buying we're having another POP, BANG, SPARKLE Pop-up shop on November 30 for all you Melbourne peeps.

Here's a little progress of some stacking rings that I made for Arbor from one of their customer's old diamond ring and earrings:

Instagram

I've finally discovered the fabulous-ness that is Instagram.  Follow me @susan_ewington_jewellery

 

grain set granule ring

Here's a new addition to the collection at Arbor.  Rubies and 18ct yellow gold, what could be better?