Today we're thrilled to introduce you to one of our very talented customers and jewellery designer, Lauren Griffiths from Little Joy Jewellery!
We invited Lauren to take part in a project using our beautiful opals - read below to find out what she created with these gemstones and find out more about life as a busy jeweller.
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We adore Lauren's minimal creations and you may have spotted her in our blog post - 8 Minimalist Jewellers To Follow On Instagram Right Now.
Here at Kernowcraft we have also created The Minimalist Collection - an array of jewellery supplies perfect for designing simple, elegant pieces that can be worn every day and we hope this project helps to spark some inspiration!
Lauren Griffiths is an artisan
Naturally seeking harmony and quality through her craftsmanship, Lauren applies traditional methods manipulating raw materials to produce modern, contemporary jewellery design. In her aspiration toward the creation of sensitive, subtle, and minimal pieces, Lauren crafts a delicate and unique aesthetic that is evident throughout her whole range of jewellery and bespoke designs.
As well as offering a comprehensive range of unique Little Joy Jewellery pieces, Lauren offers a bespoke commission service and carefully creates beautiful, modern jewellery design suitable for any occasion. Lauren is a Fairtrade-Certified Jeweller
It's important to me that each material I use within each piece of little Joy is responsibly sourced and to a highstandard. - Lauren, Little Joy Jewellery
Opals are a popular gemstone, from opalescent precious opals, yellow-red fire opals to the common opals - there are many stunning variations to choose from and incorporate in your jewellery designs.
You can shop all of Kernowcraft's opal selection here.
Here at Kernowcraft we gifted Lauren from Little Joy Jewellery, two opals to create a design with and share some inspiration with you! Keep reading to find out what this minimalist jeweller designed...
"The beginning of a studio day begins with lists! I make
"After having two babies my making time became quite limited and to save working all throughout the night to finish orders, I started timing myself on how long it took me to make certain
"On receiving these beautiful opals I estimated they would take a full day in the studio so here you can see what I got up
"The stones are accurately measured. I wanted to make two alternative pieces with these stones, so I decided upon a ring and a pendant to add to my layered pendant collection.
"Both pieces look beautiful against a golden glow so I am going to show you how I use fairtrade gold to make the pieces.
"First I spend a long time sketching and relating this idea to the body, thinking about the longevity of the designs and how they would be made and how they can be worn.
"After measurements are taken and a design reached, I commit to this idea to stop my self procrastinating which is a habit I fight with on a daily basis. I think it's more to do with confidence and the courage to commit to an idea.
"If it doesn't challenge me there no point making it - I love to learn and develop with each piece."
"Using gold sheet I produced the collets and refer to the stone at all stages to make sure it's a good
"I don't want to over complicate the pendant as I want to show the tiny stone off to its full
"For the ring
"I want the pieces to sit well next to each other so I decided to make it the same style collet
"The ring shank is very fine 1.2mm and once attached to the collet I added a nice gentle planished finish to it with my lovely hammer 'Beatrice' - yes I name my
"Then for my favourite bit... a spin in the
Once the stones are set I burnish all the edges for quite some time to perfect and strengthen the pieces
"Once they are complete I will try pieces on and make sure they are
"All the tools used above can be found at Kernowcraft apart from 'Beatrice' the hammer.
If you're a beginner in jewellery making, wishing to make a similar design to the one above, our pre-notched setting are perfect.
At Kernowcraft we offer a whole range of pre-notched settings, for those wanting to create rings, pendants or earrings with their favourite gemstones. With pre-notched settings, all you need is your chosen gemstone and a pusher to gently push the claws around the stone.
Sterling Silver Pendant Setting With African Amythest Marquise
Sterling Silver Ring Setting with Opal Trillion
Sterling Silver Earstud Settings with Garnet Trillion
Discover opal and the many different variations available. We also discuss how to take care when setting your opal within a setting, looking after opal jewellery and also the myths behind the gemstone.