Featured item. Jewel Enamel Hearts.

My featured item this week is an item which is one of the items I do in more then one colour. There my Jewel Enamel Swirl Heart Brooches.

Jewel Enamel is a type of Ultra Thick Embossing Powder (UTEE). They come in a granular form which, when melted at 120 - 140 deg C become a viscous fluid of glorious colour and iridescence.

I make my brooches by pouring the Jewel Enamel into a mould of a heart and then hold the brooch back on the liquid with some pliers because the brooch fastening can get very hot while the Jewel Enamel set. Luckily this process doesn't take long.

My favourite part of making these is the melting process, it's mesmerising watching as I sprinkle a small heap of granules into the melting pot and see that very quickly turn to liquid.
I make lots of these to take to any craft fairs I keep the price low on them so the children who see these and want them can afford them. Of course it's not just children who buy this beautiful little heat it is the adults to.
Every piece with jewel enamel is completely unique, I could pour 3 of these brooches from the same mix of jewel enamel and each of those 3 would be different.
Here are some pictures of the Heart Swirls Brooches I have for sale at the moment. I think my favourite is the multi coloured heart brooch, see what you think.

 Yellow And Gold Heart Brooch

 Multi Coloured Heart Brooch

 Purple and Green Heart Brooch

 Red and Gold Heart Brooch

Black and Gold Heart Brooch

 

These little brooches are £2.50 with £1.95 from my Fashion Magpie Jewellery Store on Folksy.com.
As with all pieces I'm happy to post aboard.

All items come wrapped and in an organza gift bag.

You can find Fashion Magpie Jewellery at the below links

Folksy Website www.folksy.com/shops/fashionmagpiejewellery

Etsy Website www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FashionMagpieJewels

Facebook www.facebook.com/fashionmagpiejewellery

Pinterest http://uk.pinterest.com/fmjewellery/

 

Folksy Friday. Valentines card for your Valentine

The first major event in the western calendar is coming up soon, and whether you love or loathe it Valentines Day is nearly here.

So it's time get all romantic and gooey and search for Valentines cards for that special someone so why not buy handmade this year and check out this list of cards I found on folksy.com.

My first card I picked out is for the single people who have to endure all this loved up stuff whilst being single. The cards called Valentine's card - anti Valentine's - Happy Singles Awareness Day and is by Dickins ink. I love the idea behind this card, why should it be only the couples who get a card?!

The next one I picked because I love the swirling pattern of the design. Its not your typical valentines day card but I love the imagination in Maps of My Heart valentines card by Sylvie Howlitt Papercuts.

This next card is one I think my fiancé would like. He loves dragons, our mantel piece is covered in them. I like the way the dragons kissing creates a heart, it's something different from the tradtion swan picture. This card is called Dragon Valentine's Day Card - Red Dragon Card - Welsh Dragon - Valentine by Teeth and Claws.

Thought I'd go more traditional with this next card and pick one which just says I love You with a bit of red sparkle. This card is called Love You Printed Cards and is by photographer Allana Morrison Photography and Handmade Crafts.

Lastly something for someone with a sense of humour. You've found Him/her at last and you're hunting for a card for valentines day to tell them just that. Why not go for this funny card called You're Nice Valentines Card and tell it like it is. Straight to the point!
This quirky card is by Dig the Earth and is 100% biodegradable as well as the envelope. So you get to make your loved one smile and help to save the planet!

If you would like to buy any of these cards for your Valentine you can click on the coloured link.

 

Thursday throwback. Beauty comes in all sizes

Don't normally feature watches on my Thursday throwbacks but when I saw this one I thought I'd make an exception.

It's a German watch from around 1630-40 made by the watchmaker Johann Possdorfer.
 

                       

The case of this exquisite piece is made of rock crystal and gold with enamel and the clock it's self is enamel on gold with a single gold hand. Lots of hours must have been devoted to making this watch which only measures 3.2 X 2.2cm which works out at 1~1/4 X 7/8 in inches.
 

                        

The watch is considered special not only for its beauty but also because of how it was made to work. It has something called an cross beat escapement. This piece worked by transferring energy to the timekeeping elements which allowed the locking action to be counted. This action made it one of the best ways to keep time while on the move until the invention of the balance spring.

The watch is now kept in the Grunes Gewolbe in Dresden.
 

                      

Featured item. Amethyst Necklace

Recently I took it upon myself to go through all my photos and re photo some. One of those to be photographed was the Amethyst Necklace.

This necklace is made with chips of amethyst strung onto tiger wire with various charms and beads in between. Bead cones hide where the chain meets the three strands of Amethyst.

 

Amethyst is a purple Quartz found in South America and Africa as well as the Ural Mountains in Russia. 

Amethyst is one of the most popular stones for healing.

If you think you would love to own this piece, It is £12.50 with £3.20 UK post and packaging. Of course with all my items I'm also happy to post aboard.


All items come wrapped and in an organza gift bag.

You can find Fashion Magpie Jewellery at the below links

Website www.folksy.com/shops/fashionmagpiejewellery

Facebook www.facebook.com/fashionmagpiejewellery

Pinterest http://uk.pinterest.com/fmjewellery/

Folksy Friday. There's a storm coming..

Great Britain has shivered this week in the snow but fear not because I have for you some of the best in hat, scarves and gloves so you can stay warm this winter.

First one for the men, some fingerless gloves by Stripy Kite. I love how cosy these gloves look and the mix of reds and yellows make me think of a fire which makes me feel even warmer. I should mention if you'd like these, the maker also has a matching scarf to make this a set.

 

For the ladies I found these wonderfully purpley (is that a word?!) crochet mittens by Crochet By Nina. Crocheted with various shades of purple and plum these mittens look divine.

 

Now we've got the gloves sorted out it's time to wind a scarf round our necks. There is literally thousands to choose from on Folksy (2153 to be exact!) which is fabulous. So much talent to choose from!
Diving into find you a scarf I came back out with this Red, Green Blue and Purple scarf. It's fun, it's vibrant and best of all it should help you stand apart from all the dark and monochrome colours of winter and be happy. Well done The Crafty Bride for a cheerful scarf.

 Next up time to don a hat, apparently we lose about 45 percent of our body heat through our head (depending on which scientist your talking to.)

Firstly (because I couldn't resist it) is this novelty hat which is available in all sizes for any age minion lover! I love despicable me, perhaps a little to much I'm very close now to being able to quote it as they talk. Sad I know! If despicable me isn't your thing Coolnannie also do other novelty hats such as the Gruffalo or Monsters Inc among others.

 

Personally I love this Woolly beret I found, the colours and pattern are perfect. It's made with Shetland wool by Mezzanluna Bags and Berets. Looking through the shops other pieces for sale I may have just fallen in love , I love the Scandinavian feel of their items.

 

 

As always if there is anything you would like to buy please click on the coloured links and you'll be taken there. If you would like to visit folksy and take a look for yourself the web address is www.folksy.com.

Thursday throwback. The life and jewellery of Philippe Wolfers

This week I've again returned to the art nouveau period to explore the life and work of Philippe Wolfers. What I love about his work is how delicate and intricate it looks, I could easily imagine myself wearing it.

Born the son of Louis Wolfers, the jeweller to the Belgian royal court as Wolfers Freres, Philippe trained in sculpture at Isidore de Rudder and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts before going to work at his fathers company.

 

In 1892, with his brothers Max and Robert, he took over his fathers business making jewellery, gold smithing and vase making. His designs were influenced by nature and Japanese craftsmanship.

1889 saw him move away from his family business with some of his jeweller and set up at La Hulpe.

He was mainly concentrating on his jewellery now and in 1897 started to work with a new material, Ivory, which was beginning to be brought in from the Congo to Belgium.

 

He spend years to 1905 studying the nature around the grounds of La Hulpe and created a series of 109 unique jewels. These jewels where modern and drew inspiration from the nature making them at the cutting edge of art nouveau.

 

His business was doing well, so much so that in 1909 he commissioned Victor Horta, an art nouveau architect to build him soon headquarters in Brussels.

He began to make more sculptures and furniture, he experimented with geometrical and abstract designs.

 

In 1925 he travelled to Paris to exhibit along side the big names of the period such as George Fouquet at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition. This was the pinnacle of his career and he has went down in history as one of the most important artists of the entire Art Nouveau movement.

 

Featured item. Joined leaf

This week my featured item is one of my newer items called Joined Leaf Bracelet. It's also one of my favourite items in my shop, Fashion Magpie Jewellery.

I made the coloured leaf a long time ago when I first got my first pack of Ranger patina inks. The pack had 3 inks in it, (verdigris, jade and moss,) and I used this leaf to experiment on with the colours.

 

It wasn't until last month I re discovered this piece in a stash of bits and pieces and decided it needed to be made into something.

First I attached another leaf to my coloured leaf with jump rings and then bent them both slightly to form a curve which would sit comfortably on the wrist.

Next I matched some beads up to the coloured leaf but to contrast I attached them to the non coloured leaf. Then I did the same with some filigree bronze beads to the other side.
 

I love the contrasts in this bracelet and how it curves around the wrist.

If you think you would love to own this piece, It is £10 with £3.20 UK post and packaging. Of course with all my items I'm also happy to post aboard.


All items come wrapped and in an organza gift bag.

You can find Fashion Magpie Jewellery at the below links

Website www.folksy.com/shops/fashionmagpiejewellery

Facebook www.facebook.com/fashionmagpiejewellery

Pinterest http://uk.pinterest.com/fmjewellery/

Thursday Throwback. The Fouquet Legacy

The Fouquet Legacy begins with a man named Alphonse Fouquet, a Parisian who studied as a apprentice at a workshop in 1839. His abilities soon led him to set up his own shop in 1852 and so started the Fouquet legacy.

Alphonse Fouquet

 

Soon Alphonse Fouquet had his own jewellery company and in 1878 attends the Exposition Universelle which cements his creditability among the jewellery world. The Exposition Universelle was an exposition for people from around the world to showcase there talents, among the pieces on show the same year Alphonse was there was the completed head of the Statue of Liberty which now stands on Staten Island outside of New York City.
The fair was held on the banks of the River Seine in a specially built palace and had over 13 million people attend.

Exposition Universelle 1878

 

By 1891 George, Alphonse's son had joined the company making jewellery and would go on to eclipse his fathers success. Alphonse later retired in 1895.
George surrounded his self with the most famous of jewellers and collaborated with them on several occasions. It was his collaborations with Alphonse Mucha that he is most famous for and over many years they worked together. Mucha would design the pieces and George would make them, this formula worked well and they got many high level commissions from the elite.

Designed by A Mucha, made by G Fouquet

It was this alliance with the artist that would take George to the Bosnia- Herzegovina pavilion at the world fair in Paris, then to the Expostion Universelle, the fair his father had gained so much acclaim with earlier.
George Fouquet and Alphonse Mucha where on a high and decided to move to a new headquarters in 1901.

In 1914 up until the start of world war 1 on 28th July George Fouquet was busy collaborating with designers like Charles Desrosiers making pieces such as the picture below.

Designed by C Desrosiers, made by G Fouquet

 

After World War 1, George's son Jean joined the family legacy and joined the Fouquet company. As a former student of Classical Literature jean became interested in a new movement of modern design which would be shown in all it's glory in the 1925 Expostion des Art Decoratifs et Industriels. It was at this fair the term Art Deco was first used to describe the period.

The Fouquet's knew they had to exhibit at this fair and ended up getting significant mention for being there. Especially Jean who with his Egyptian themed pieces fitting in perfectly with the art deco movement.

Designed by J Fouquet

Unfortunately after a disastrous teaming up with the couturier Jean Patou, which saw Fouquet Jewellery displayed along side Patou's fashion, the Fouquet business had to file for bankruptcy in 1930. The financial crisis of 1929 the year before had been just to much for the young business venture.
However this isn't the end of the Fouquet's jewellery and in 1937 the French government ordered two bracelets with earrings from George Fouquet. These items can be seen today in the musee des Art Decoratifs in Paris.
After World War 2 jean continued to outsource his talents as a designer and as a maker of jewellery and George continued to work until his death in 1957.
Jean became a lecturer in 1952 for the Ecole Nationale des arts Decoratifs.
He continued to exhibit pieces until a severe illness stopped him.
Later in 1961 at the Victoria and Albert Museum's exhibition of international Modern Jewellery 1890- 1961 exhibits where made of both George and Jeans work and featured as an important part.

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Folksy Friday. The Best of a marathon

Now that Christmas and new year is out of the way, I thought I'd do a Folksy Friday about the pieces I've listed for sale recently. Through out December I worked really hard and had marathon listing sessions, so if you missed any of my newer pieces, here they are for you to browse through. As always the links for each piece will be coloured so if you click on them it will take you over to that piece in shop on folksy.

 Burgundy Jewel Enamel Clip On Earrings

£4.50

 

Blue Bead Embossed Earrings

£6.00

 

 Long Dangling Earrings

£6

 

 Embossed Multi Colour Bead Earrings

£6

 

Three Disk Embossed Bracelet

£10

 

 Laurel And Peach Rose Necklace

£12.50

 

 Bright Red Jewel Enamel Necklace

£12.50

 

 Diamante Autumn Bracelet

£10

 

 Pale Blue Beaded Bracelet

£10

 

 Jewel Enamel And Bead Brooch On Felt

£4.50

 

 Purple Jewel Enamel Necklace and Stud Earrings

£19.99

 

Memory Wire Bead Bracelet

£3


You can find Fashion Magpie Jewellery at the below links

Website www.folksy.com/shops/fashionmagpiejewellery

Facebook www.facebook.com/fashionmagpiejewellery

Pinterest http://uk.pinterest.com/fmjewellery/

Thursday throwback. The $18,000 doorstop

I love this story.

When is a door stop, not a door stop? When it's the largest black star sapphire in existence, that's when.

In 1938 a young boy called Roy spencer was playing in Queensland, Australia around the Anakie Sapphire Fields where his father, Harry Spencer worked as a miner. It was here the 12 year old found a palm size gem, black in colour. He ran home to show his father the find. 

Upon examining it Harry Spencer didn't think it could be a sapphire just a worthless black gem. Unfortunately he didn't know at the time that sapphires could be black, so the sapphire was used as a door stop for the next decade.
 

Over time Harry Spencer learnt more about sapphires and decided to take another look at his door stop. He had learnt that sapphires can in fact come in all colours, except red which is a Ruby. Sure enough he discovered the worthless black gem was actually a sapphire and weighed 1156 carats which made it very expensive. Suddenly realising its value it was now taken care of, it was washed and stored safely until a buyer could be found for it.

Then in 1947, Harry Kazanjian flew from Los Angeles to view it. After examination Harry Kazanijan decided he wanted the black sapphire of Queensland. Harry Spencer sold the gem for $18,000 and used the money to build his family a new home.
 

Harry Kazanjian carried the black star sapphire back to Los Angeles where he studied it for two months. His years of experience told him that this black sapphire was special it had a star effect locked within it. 

The star is caused by an abundant microscopic inclusions aligned in a three fold pattern inside the stone that reflects the light entering the dome shaped face, into a six rayed star pattern.

Kazanjian cut the stone into a cabochon, sacrificing 423 carats to make the gem come to life in 733 carats and worth $1 million.

The Kazanjian family fortune and business blossomed after the purchase and they credited their good luck to black star sapphire of Queensland. In 1969 the family leant the stone out to the Natural History museum to be displayed with the Hope Diamond.

It would be many years before Harry Kazanjian would sell the gem, but eventually a buyer brought it. The buyer was anonymous but his story is wonderful. The buyer first saw the gem on display in the window of the Kazanjian's jewellers as a young man and told his mother, one day he'll buy her it. Then fast forward a few years and the man did just what he said and brought the black star sapphire of Queensland for his mother. No one knows how much for but that was one very happy mother, I'm sure.
 

The gem wouldn't be up for sale again until 2002, when the fourth buyer brought it for an estimated $100 million. In 2007 the gem was again loaned out, this time to the Royal Ontario Museum of Canada for exhibition.

The cabochon gem was now mounted in white gold with 35 pear shaped small white diamonds.

The gem is now up for sale again for an estimated $88 million.

In 2008 the black star sapphire hit the headlines when after loaning it out to Harry Winston, the Beverly Hill jeweller took it hostage forcing the owner to sue the jeweller asking for $5 million in damages and a whopping $20 million for punitive damages.
 

I've loved writing this blog post and hope you enjoyed reading it. To share it you can use the links below