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.

The promise and potential of a new year!

There is something incredibly inspiring about turning the page on a whole new year; a blank page that is limited only by the imagination, ready to fill with dreams and aspirations. I love the idea of a new year, new ideas, and new goals.

I have been working very hard over the last year, trying to perfect new techniques and skills. Some of those you can already see amongst my offerings – metalwork that allows me to create organic shapes and soldering metals for even more three-dimensional designs, amongst other new designs and techniques. And I intend to keep going with these to create even more sculptural pieces of jewellery. In addition to more and more sophisticated metalwork, I will be working with set gemstones and cabochons. I look forward to bringing more innovative designs to you in the coming year. I will be working with even larger pieces of metal and will be creating my own chains and clasps. My goal is to create pieces that entirely handmade - without anything bought in already complete. In the past, I have used already-made chain, clasps, jump rings, etc. But that will no longer be the case. It may take me a little longer to make pieces, but I will be so proud, knowing that I created every single part of the design (excluding, of course, the stones used). I am having a great time creating interesting clasps, so look for more in the future that take on the appearance of leaves, flowers, and geometric shapes.

Speaking of stones used, you may have noticed the inclusion of small faceted gemstones in some of my designs. I have been including small A-grade stones as accents for several months now and intend to continue doing so. These stones come to me from the same gemmologist who supplies the highly graded gemstone beads I use in my fine jewellery range, Ailleas Designs by Martha Mawson. I felt and still feel that just because the metal is base, the stones needn't be basic. So more beautiful gemstones will be showing up in the jewellery from The Selkie's Haunt. In addition, the cabochons and cut stones that will appear over the next year are being sourced from a respected London-based gems specialist and a fellow member of the National Association of Jewellers. While I adore the colours and earthy feel of the less highly graded stones, and they will continue to make up the majority of those stones used in the bronze and copper jewellery, I see no reason not to include some really dazzling stones as well.

Health issues continue to slow me down, but certainly not in the area of creating my jewellery. Christmas was an exceptionally busy time for me and I need to create more to give my clients even more choice in choosing their piece of bronze or copper artisan jewellery. The website will be continually updated to share new pieces with you. In addition to continuing to sell from the website and from events,  I would like to make my jewellery more available to stockists on a wholesale basis. I will be seeking out new stockists, reaching farther out in Scotland and beyond. I would certainly welcome any recommendations my customers might make regarding local shops or galleries that may be interested in carrying my work. So, please do get in touch if you have any ideas or suggestions.

The Selkie’s Haunt had a good 2015. I hope 2016 will be even better!

A (very) short and concise history of gemstones

The Selkie's Haunt website is fully transactional again. Please visit to see the latest creations in bronze and copper.

I wrote this piece for www.handmadeinwesterross.co.uk and hope you will enjoy reading it. Thank you to Handmade in Wester Ross for including the wonderful photographs with this piece.

Over 100,000 years ago, a young woman or man living in the area of Mount Carmel is what is now Israel, pierced small holes int seashells and created the first known necklace or bracelet. Jewellery - the adornment of one's body with jewels or shells - was born. It had no value beyond that of beauty. What captured the eyes of that person when they saw the shells? Did they like the pattern? The colour? The size and shape? Jewellery is completely subjective. We love what we love and sometimes we are at a loss of words to explain why we love a particular piece of jewellery. Over the millennia, our love affair with the process of adorning our bodies with stones and shells has not abated. It anything, we have fallen in love more and more with the beautiful gifts of the Earth. And while early man and woman often believed their jewellery have significance relating to their gods or powers, and while specific pieces were worn on specific festival days, modern jewellery is more about the desire to own something beautiful and, often, expensive. Yet, we still follow traditions, like wearing birthstones, pearls for a bride, an engagement ring set with a stone that has some significance. And at the heart of the jewellery is the gemstone.

Ancient archeological shell beads of Nassarius kraussianus from Blombos Cave, along with a hypothetical reconstruction of the shell necklace that they were strung on. 

Photo credit: Blombos Cave

Some gemstones, like lapis lazuli, have been around forever. Other gemstones, like tanzanite or larimar, are relative newcomers. Some of our favourite stones of the past are no longer favourited due to over-mining or a decrease in popularity. Diamonds used to captivate us with their crystal clear sparkling facets, for their reputation as the hardest, naturally occurring substance on Earth, and valued for their relative rarity. But today, diamonds are no longer our gemstones darlings. The socio-economic implications involved in procuring diamonds have tarnished their reputation. But, in their descent from on high, diamonds have made room for other stones that are now as adored a diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires - those stones classified as precious stones.

 Lapis lazuli gemstones dangle beneath a spiral and accented by more lapis lazuli and vesuvianite.  
Lapis was the favoured gemstone of Cleopatra.

Earrings:  Ailleas Designs   Photo credit: Mark Appleton Photography

Gemstones come from geological "families" or species. There are over 130 distinct species of gemstones. Some stones stand alone, such as andalusite, peridot, and tourmaline, while others belong to a family that contains many known gemstones. For example, rubies and sapphires are both of the corundum family. Emerals, aquamarine, and morganite are members of the beryl family. For some common semi-precious stones, you have feldspar (amazonite, labradorite, moonstone, and sunstone - some of which have a chatoyant, or "tiger's eye" effect) and quartz (amethyst, citrine, smoky quartz, chalcedony), amongst many others. Some "gemstones" aren't even listed as gemstones, as they are considered minerals or organic substances such as amber, jet, lapis lazuli, or pearl.

  Inspired by the artwork of French Illustrator George Barbier,

olive quartz topped with a trio of London blue topaz - Deco Divine pendant.  

Pendant: Ailleas Designs  Photo credit:  Mark Appleton Photography

In fact, it was the mineral lapis lazuli that was one of the first favourites. It was mined for use in adornments as early as the Neolithic period. Not only was this mineral carved and faceted, like a gemstone, for use in jewellery, it was crushed into a powder that was used in cosmetics and in creating the pigment ultramarine - the most desired and expensive of the blue pigments. There is even a reference to lapis in the book of Exodus. And we know that ground lapis was a favourite eye shadow of the famous Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. Lapis remains a very desirable and treasured "gemstone." An organic "gemstone", amber, is petrified sap and often contains bits of insect and plants, and is another non-gemstone that has great value and is highly desirable for everything from teething necklaces to gold jewellery (but sadly not for extracting dinosaur DNA). Jet isn't even considered a mineral, but a mineraloid and a precursor to coal, but that doesn't detract from its beauty when used in jewellery.

Lapis lazuli with pyrite. Afghanistan. Photo credit: Dr H Grobe

Perhaps the most well-known and most highly desirable organic "gemstone" is the pearl. Pearls are the result of an oyster (or other living mollusk) coating an irritant with nacre; the more coats of nacre, the higher the lustre of the pearl. Pearls come from living organisms, giving them a singular place on the hierarchy of "gemstones." Even the word "pearl" has come to mean something extremely rare, beautiful, and desired. This is because a natural pearl that occurs spontaneously in nature is so rare. The value of a highly graded pearl can go head to head with the value of the most precious gemstone. A black Tahitian pearl of the highest quality can command a price equal to that of a rare diamond.

Tahitian pearls in bulk.  Photo credit: Rémi Jouan

Mother Nature has provided us with a huge jewellery box of sparkling stones with which to adorn ourselves. Not to be outdone by the Earth, mankind has taken some of those stones and copied them in laboratories and factories. Some synthetic stones are very lovely – cubic zirconia and some of the lab-created diamonds are fabulous – but the buyer has to decide whether they want natural or manmade. It is a veritable minefield when buying loose gemstones or gemstone jewellery. It’s important for buyers to do their homework. There is nothing worse than discovering that that gorgeous emerald ring Great-Aunt Agnes left you is actually green-coloured glass or dyed quartz!

Our millennia-long love affair with sparkling stones is unlikely ever to end. But, unfortunately, the Earth's supply is limited. Buying a piece of gemstone jewellery or a loose gemstone should be seen as an investment. But an investment made with the heart.

Photo credit: Mark Appleton Photography

www. selkieshaunt.com

October and the colours of Autumn...

I was always aware of opal being the birthstone for October, but when I started designing and making jewellery, I discovered that tourmaline is also an October birthstone. What a terrific stone and what a terrific combination of birthstones. Boths stones provide so many different colours. And tourmaline, especially, presents itself, particularly in the lower graded stones, in autumnal shades. Indeed, the yellows, greens, and rose hues are stunning together or separately. I find I used a lot of tourmaline in my copper and bronze designs. And during the month of October, they are particularly relevant and popular.

This design, called Ovals and Scrolls, is a bronze necklace featuring ovals of A-grade tourmaline.

"Ovals & Scrolls"

These stones are nicer than the lower graded stones, but as A grade, they offer a wider range of colours and a more opaque appearance. I've combined the stones in all the beautiful colours of the falling leaves of the season. If this necklace tickles your fancy, just drop me an email at sales@selkieshaunt.com and use the subject line "Ovals and Scrolls". If you wish, I can create earrings to match. The necklace is priced at £66 and matching earrings would retail for £24. If you wish to buy both, the earrings will sell at half price, making your total £78.

I recently spent the good part of week - 20 hours in all - creating a new and really detailed necklace and earrings set. Called "Make a Wish," this set comprises a necklace 56 inches in length, so that it can be doubled or worn very long. With beautifully marked hand-wrapped beads of Red Creek jasper and tourmaline, hand-forged copper jump rings, and "coins" of copper cut from copper sheet, then drilled and polished, it most definitely a labour of love. I adore the way it looks and I've included photographs of the set here in a more formal photograph and also on the display bust. When you consider the time it took to make this necklace, it's cheap at £100. The earrings are £24, but the set retails for £110.  Again, if you are interested in this set, email me at the address given above and use "Make a Wish" as your subject line. 

"Make a Wish" copper necklace with Red Creek jasper and tourmaline.

"Make a Wish" earrings.

"Make a Wish" set on display.

Branding and packaging

Over the last month, not only have I been creating new pieces to add to the collection, albeit briefly, as they have sold the first time they have been on offer, but I have been working to perfect and polish my brand. It was in the last month, while realising it was time I reordered my business cards that I had my "Eureka" moment. While I was moving the graphic around on the business card layout, I came upon the idea of placing the graphic to the side and using only half of the image. I loved it. I had finally cracked the way I wanted the branding to appear. Rather than floating my text on top or beneath a perfectly round example of Celtic knotwork, the knotwork would now provide an off-centre image. And with this final piece of the puzzle in place, I have added this graphic to my other business stationery. What customers will receive from this point on with be a consistent and unmistakable The Selkie's Haunt package - from the business card to the copy of the Terms & Conditions. I am very pleased.

In addition to the new business card and the other ancillary business materials, I have put together new packaging for The Selkie's Haunt. In the past, I have used organza bags for my jewellery, but I felt that I needed to do more. The main reason is that sending jewellery in an organza bag is just about the norm in this business - from cheap tat to  higher quality work. I wanted and needed to do something that was different and more polished. I found a great source for very small ivory pillow boxes. So my jewellery will now be placed in an organza bag, but that bag will be placed in an ivory pillow box of the correct size and then finished with beautiful pale copper organza ribbon. I am so very pleased with the outcome. This also means that if you have purchased some jewellery as a gift, it comes ready to be presented to the recipient. No gift wrapping required on your end! I am working on incorporating the Celtic knotwork design into the packaging as well, so stay tuned.

I have made the decision that I must up the price of my postage costs, however. Because I feel it is important that my packages be insured and trackable, I've always, and will continue to, send my jewellery by Special Delivery. This costs me just over £6. But, for me, it is worth the extra money because I have the peace of mind in knowing that the package can be traced, and, most important, I've never had a package go missing. I am simply not willing to compromise on that. I've only charged £2.50 for shipping, but I hope you will understand the reasoning behind my increasing this to £3. I am still covering over half of the cost of the postage, but I think this is a more equitable split.

I continue to create new pieces that will be showcased at events and in the new e-catalogue available by making a request by emailing catalogue@selkieshaunt.com. I am doing more work with mixed metals and will be transferring that skill to new designs for my sterling silver, gold, and gemstone designs. It's all moving forward for my businesses and I couldn't be more pleased with the progress I am making.

Thank you for your continued support of The Selkie's Haunt.

New designs . . .

I've been working busily on some new designs for The Selkie's Haunt. As the website is now informational only, it is important that I share some of these designs here on the blog and also on the site itself. Sales are steady and I'm very pleased with the reception my designs have had, both at events and through my stockists.

So, without any further ado, here are some of my new designs. I can't list all of them here, so if you are interested, drop me a line and I will send you the e-catalogue!

NEW BRACELETS

This bracelet is called "Red Creek Coins" and features beautifully marked Red Creek jasper, carnelian, and hand-forged "coins" of soft golden bronze. The bracelet measures 8.5 inches and sells for £42.

"Lavender Smoke" is the name of this lovely copper bracelet that features A-grade smoky quartz and A-grade amethyst, with beads of pure, bright copper and a copper toggle clasp. This bracelet 7.5 inches and is priced at £50.

NEW EARRINGS

These lovely copper earrings are called "Morocco" and feature focal beads of bayong wood, accented by rings of copper and bright blue stabilised turquoise beads. The drop on these earrings measures 1.5 inches and they are priced at £22.

These beautiful bronze earrings are named "Jewels Beneath a Full Moon" and feature hand-forged and planished disks of bronze. A dangle of AA-grade pink topaz and A-grade chrome diopside complete the design. The drop on these earrings is 1.5 inches and they sell for £24.

NEW NECKLACES

This lovely necklaces features round beads of Robles wook, with fluted beads of copper and faceted beads of A-grade rhodalite garnet as accents. This necklace measures 18 inches and sells for £64.

This necklace, also featuring wooden beads, is called "White Sands." The wood here is natural, untreated white wood. The beads that separate the wood are pure copper beads and A-grade amethyst and carnelian. This necklace measures 18 inches and is selling for £68.

These are just a handful of new designs currently available. To see all current offerings, please drop me a line at catalogue@selkieshaunt.com and I will forward the e-catalogue to you within 24 hours. The catalogue will arrive as a PDF, so you will need Adobe reader on your computer in order to access the files.

A new blog for a new way of doing things...

As of yesterday, June 1, the website for The Selkie's Haunt has changed from a transactional website to a catalogue request/information website. And because the brand's presence on the web is going to change, the necessity to blog more frequently is obvious. I have become pretty good about blogging for Ailleas Designs. I must put that same resolve to work for The Selkie's Haunt.

So, the change. The reason I have changed the site from transactional to information is very simple. My jewellery sells best from events and stockists and it makes no sense whatsoever to tie up my stock in hopes of web-based sales. I sell a great deal of the copper and bronze jewellery over the course of the year. But I sell where people can see the jewellery for themselves. I have long held that jewellery is best marketed where and when it can be seen, held, even tried on. Of course, for those who do buy from the web, they have always had my assurance that if they change their minds, a return and refund are without question. I am so sure of my work that I am happy to offer a return period not of the required 14 days, but a full 30 days.

The website will be updated from time to time with new pieces, but the main source for finding the newest designs will be on the brand's Facebook page, through this blog, and through the brand's newsletter. I've included a link to the newsletter registration at the bottom of this blog. I highly recommend you subscribe. New designs will show there first and you will be able to purchase pieces once they have been unveiled. It is my hope that my loyal customers, and any new customers, will find this a better and more personable way to purchase my handcrafted bronze and copper jewellery.

Over the past three months, I have been working hard on new designs - drawings at first - that will be made into reality during the months of June and July. I am very excited about these new designs; they will be far more complex than designs I have made thus far. I am very excited the new direction my work will go. I am hoping that I may be able to secure a gallery for an exhibition once these pieces, and similar pieces for Ailleas Designs, are available.

As with any art, we evolve as time passes. I look back on early designs and find that I have strayed from the original sculptural aspect of my work. This is something I wish to revisit, but with the added skills that come with six years of creating unique and bold designs.

Please do visit the website, sign up for the newsletter, and subscribe to this blog. You won't miss a moment of what is happening with this brand of beautiful bronze and copper jewellery. As an added bonus, I will be making a bespoke piece of jewellery for a subscriber chosen at random when the number of newsletter subscribers reaches 150. So, subscribe to not only be kept abreast of what is happening, but to have a chance at owning a piece of jewellery made with your choices of metal and stone and your input on the final design. Now that is an awesome prize!

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