Throughout cultures worldwide, mankind has held rare, attractive minerals, rocks and organic materials in reverence for thousands of years, and these objects, often polished and set into jewellery, are known as gemstones. Amber has been fashioned into beads since prehistoric times.
One of the most enjoyable parts of my working day as a fine jeweller, is opening the morning deliveries to the workshop. With a desk covered in intriguing unopened parcels of stones, my colleagues and I suddenly become competitive in a ‘Christmas Morning’ kind of way.
My work has benefitted from the experience and knowledge that qualifying as a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain has given me as I can now use these resources to inform my clients and my jewellery.
People are frequently amazed by the amazing range of gemstones suitable for jewellery, and it is natural to assume that certain gems only come in particular colours – for example garnets are red and sapphires are blue. However, nature has provided many of them with a multitude of colours. When designing and creating jewellery, there’s nothing I enjoy more than picking from the vast range of colours and effects given by various gems – it’s like working with an artist’s pallet! I can utilise their beauty, colour, transparency, depth of polish and sheen. Options in sizes, shapes and properties seem infinite, and added with the meanings of some in relation to birthdays, anniversaries and sentiments, I can take these precious raw materials and produce an end result that can hold meaning and give joy to the recipient.
