Month: March 2014

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Perfect Mother’s Day Gifts – Handmade Mother’s Day Jewellery

If you are looking for a special gift for mother’s day, what could be more perfect than a piece of handmade jewellery. We design a wide variety of styles of contemporary jewellery so we are sure there will be something she’ll love, such as handmade silver pendants, interesting drop earrings or unusual gold necklaces. A popular addition to our range is this gold plated hammered silver necklace.

If she wears silver and gold and you can’t decide which metal to choose, how about mixing the two in a pair of interesting silver and gold earrings; our current favourite are these random silver and gold nugget earrings made from individually handmade silver and gold beads. They look great and will go with both her silver and gold jewellery.

If you want something with an added personal touch then this silver angel pendant could be the perfect way to show her how much she means to you. This beautiful piece was designed by Dunstan Pruden from the Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, in Ditchling, and is still reproduced today by Pruden and Smith, run by Dunstan’s Grandson and third generation silversmith, Anton Pruden, and jeweller Rebecca Smith.

If you can’t decide on the perfect gift, why not go for the full Pruden and Smith experience and give her a gift card. Then you can visit us together for a coffee and a workshop tour, and she can choose something special from our gallery. All of our designs in the gallery are handmade in our onsite workshop in Ditchling, East Sussex, and we would love to show you where and how your special gift was made.

If you would like to purchase any of the above or need a few more ideas please give us a call on 01273846338, or come and visit us on the crossroads in Ditchling. We would be happy to help!

 

 

Categories
Birth Stones

The March Birthstone is Aquamarine

Aquamarine is the traditional birthstone for March and is one of our favourite blue stones. It is from the ‘Beryl’ family of gemstones (of which Emerald is also a member) and as the name suggests, it is from the Latin words meaning seawater. Aquamarine is primarily valued on its colour and can range from an almost colourless pale blue to a blue-green or teal. Aquamarine can be cut into any shape and due to its excellent clarity it is particularly stunning in rectangular or square cuts where fewer number of facets requires a high clarity gemstone in order to appeal to the eye. It is also relatively hard and durable which makes it an excellent coloured stone option in unusual dress rings.

Aquamarines are found in a number of countries including Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Russia. The largest aquamarine of gemstone quality ever mined was found in Marambaia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1910. It weighed over 110 kg, and neared half a metre in diameter. The largest cut aquamarine is the Dom Pedro aquamarine, now housed in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and is in the form of an obelisk weighing 10,363 carats (26kg)!

We enjoy designing unusual aquamarine jewellery and particularly love using aquamarine in our unusual diamond rings. Aquamarine also makes a fabulous feature in pendants such as the silver aquamarine cabochon pendant pictured above.

 

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Diamonds Recycled Jewellery Rings

Diamond Ring Commission – 5 Stone Diamond Rubover Ring

diamond platinum wave ring

Our latest diamond ring commission was designed to incorporate reclaimed diamonds from unwanted jewellery and was handmade in our workshop in new palladium. These diamonds were originally set in yellow gold but the client preferred white metal so we bought the scrap gold and the client put the money towards the cost of the new ring. Selling scrap gold is an excellent way to fund the redesign or restoration of a ring.

 

We love to recycle gold, platinum, diamonds and gemstones from old jewellery that our clients no longer wear and remodel the materials into a contemporary design. When people have old jewellery they no longer wear or inherit pieces of jewellery that are not to their taste, redesigning them is a great way to give the materials a new lease of life.

If you are considering having your old jewellery remodelled all you have to do it book a design consultation with our designer Rebecca Smith. In our gallery you can view and try on samples of some of the designs we do and Rebecca will guide you through the commissioning process.

Call us on 01273 846338 or email us at info@prelive.prudenandsmith.com to book your design consultation.