A busy February...

Copper bracelet with Brazilian amethyst and labradorite

These past six weeks have been all about making. In addition to creating the perfect look for my packaging/branding, I also wanted to take my designs to the next level. And I have been doing just that. I am pleased that say that, by mid-February, I was able to post 10 new pairs of earrings and a new necklace. Some sales of jewellery from the Aultbea Hotel meant a restock, including a stunning copper bracelet that was created completely by hand. When, in the past, I wanted copper chain, I simply bought it. That is no longer the case. I am now making all the chains, links, pins, etc., for each piece. So this bracelet, pictured here, was a real triumph for me. The copper bracelet is comprised of 27 hand-forged links, hand-forged clasp, and 81 hand-forged pins. The African amethysts I've used number 54 - two to each link, and the stunning labradorite, with its amazing flashes of colour, number 27, one to each link. This bracelet is now on offer at the Aultbea Hotel for the cost of £70. A pretty amazing piece of jewellery.

Copper post earrings with
bezel set peridot

I had a wonderful time creating my new pieces. One pair, which I've called "Celtic Swirls", features two separate pieces of copper, soldered together, and a bezel setting and decorative wirework soldered onto the face of the earrings. These earrings feature sterling silver posts and earrings backs. In my pledge to make everything myself, the earrings backs are the only things that I am buying in. As they are not an intrinsic part of the design, I am not as concerned about them being bought complete. But I will continue to make, by hand, all the parts of each of my designs.

Bronze earrings with handforged
chains, green fluorite, and
A-grade carnelian

These bronze earrings, which feature beautiful green fluorite and A-grade carnelian, are another pair of post earrings. The delicate chain of bronze wire that connects the hammered bronze round to the stones beneath, is, once again, completely hand made. The sense of achievement that comes with this sort of work is exhilarating. To see all the new designs, pop over to the website at www.selkieshaunt.com. You can also follow The Selkie's Haunt on Twitter and Facebook.

Finally, I just want to thank all of my friends and Selkie's Haunt followers for their good wishes. I have been dealing with a hand tremor for the past couple of years, but it had become much more prevalent and was causing problems with me doing my work. My GP put me on beta blockers and referred me to a neurological consultant. I had my appointment and I'm relieved to say that I do not have early Parkinson's Disease. I do, however, have a condition called Essential Tremor. It will be with me for the rest of my life and will have moments of making things difficult, but the beta blockers are doing a good job of easing the tremors and I will continue to find ways to work that will allow me to create my work without fear of setting myself on fire! So, thank you for your good thoughts.

Getting "the" look...

One of the things that plagues many artists is getting the look of the "brand" just right. Over the years, from the beginning of this business back in 2009, I have tried so many different colours and textures for my packaging. And while I wasn't unhappy with the look, I wasn't happy, either. Just as my jewellery has evolved, so has my vision of what the branding should be.

Finally, I have the look I want for The Selkie's Haunt. All Selkie's Haunt jewellery will now be sent out in beautiful brown kraft paper pillow boxes, accented by deep green raffia ribbon and the Celtic knotwork graphic I've chosen as my logo. The jewellery will be wrapped in gorgeous green mulberry tissue paper before being placed in the box. And once the package is tagged and bedecked with ribbon, bubble wrap will be placed around the box before it goes into a padded envelope. Even the mailing labels have been changed so as to give a consistent brand look.

The website has been given a makeover to reflect the new branding, as well. As I move forward with my new designs, they will continue to be presented on a white background with a green frame. So, it only took me seven years, but, at last, I have the look I have wanted for the brand. (And, yes, even this blog has been changed to reflect the new brand colours.)

I've been spending time in the studio working on new designs. I have the beginnings for three pairs of copper earrings complete now after a day of cutting, sawing, soldering, pickling, and tumbling. I will be working on some bronze earrings as well and hope to have at least six new pairs of earrings ready by mid-February. Some of the new earrings will have posts rather than hooks and these will be done in sterling silver. I am making the posts myself, as part of my quest to provide as much as I can that is handmade. The only thing I can't make by hand are the earring backs, so those will be bought in. I simply don't have the equipment or expertise for making those myself.

I recently purchased some beautiful 3.5mm cabochon pairs in six different gemstones. These will be adorning new earrings and I'm so excited about the prospects of more jewellery featuring set stones. I will be creating some rings and brooches along with the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings that I have offered for the past seven years. I hope you will love them as much as I will love creating them.

Finally, I am thrilled to announce that The Selkie's Haunt will be taking part in some of the very popular Poolewe Tuesday Markets, starting in April. I look forward to being part of this very successful market. In addition, The Selkie's Haunt will be featured in the Dornoch Summer Exhibition from May 21 to June 4. I'm looking forward to creating some very beautiful pieces for this exhibition.

Looking to the future

I have been a very poor blogger. I can't believe it has been as long as it has been since my last post. Of course, if you are a friend or acquaintance, you know that in November my husband and I were hit doubly when my mother and his father died within four days of each other. From mid-November, it was all systems go as we traveled to the States for two weeks for my mother's memorial service and in order to take care of her final business. We returned and immediately drove from Edinburgh Airport, where our car was parked, down to Sussex for my father-in-law's funeral. So, whilst my blogging absence is excusable, it is something that must be remedied.

In addition to going through all the family stuff. I have been very busy with my sterling and gemstone work and this page has been the main victim of my 'busy-ness' in other areas. But I am going to attempt to resolve that by making myself a schedule that will include the very important part of my business that is blogging!

If you have checked out the offerings on the Selkie’s Haunt website (www.selkieshaunt.com), you will note that I am continuing to work with the beautiful lampwork glass beads of Anita Lawrence. I love Anita’s work – the abstract use of colour to create amazing depth and intensity of colour and design. I have two large rectangular beads of Anita’s to work with and hope to be working with those very soon.  I also have some wonderful new focal beads of natural stone, so those will soon be gracing the pages of the website.  Look for new pieces that showcase ocean jasper and African green opal, amongst others.

I intend to work more with copper sheet in the months to come in order to create more geometrical and dimensional jewellery. Working with copper and bronze is very rewarding and whilst the stones aren’t as sparkling and enchanting as the AAA-grade stones of the Ailleas Designs by Martha Mawson, I get great enjoyment from the work. I can do more with the metal because I am not constrained by weight limits regarding hallmarks.

I also intend to create some beautiful bracelets in the weeks to come. At this point, there are no bracelets available on the website. I simply haven’t had time up to this point, but my scaling back on markets means I have more time to create. I couldn’t be more thrilled than I am with the proposition of spending more time in my studio creating beautiful jewellery.

I am going to close this blog by highlighting one of my favourite new pieces. This necklace with matching earrings is called ‘Purple Rain.’ The focal bead is a stunning rainbow fluorite with its shades of purple and green. The necklace is made up of A-grade amethyst cubes, deep purple amethyst rounds and beautiful green fancy jasper. The earrings are comprised these same stones. Be sure to see the listing on the website for full details and price. 

As always, I thank you for your interest in The Selkie’s Haunt and hope you will find a piece of jewellery there that speaks to your heart.