Grey winter morning

Bespoke piece featuring granite inclusions.

Seascape ring

This was a privately commissioned piece, where I was asked to capture the motion of a wave to reflect their coastal surroundings. A lot of my other work looks like it has been fused together over time, so it was great to try something different where there is a feeling of movement. I have tried some new techniques here by encrusting the rough edges with glass beading to create the foamy texture and bubbles. It is also set with white quartz and a white pearl for the seascape theme with granite inclusions for rocks and cliff faces.

The Bibelotphile

Many thanks to Maia Adams the Bibelotphile for posting on my Facet rings! If you haven't already, you should definitely check out her book Fashion Jewellery, Catwalk and Couture. It features cutting edge jewellery designers, insights into their work and of course beautiful images of their treasures.

For purchasing enquiries of Facet rings, or any other work you can email me directly info@jademellor.com

A collection of Facet rings are also available online and in store at Darkroom London.

The Beatles

As I said in my last post, I seem to have been making in pairs of late. I made these two little fellas after being inspired by an ancient Egyptian scarab amulet necklace I saw recently. There's a lot of great bug jewellery around at the moment, both vintage and current.

Researching the original Ancient scarabs, I found that the very early ones were very simple suggestions of a beetle form which I found very pleasing as if worn away by time until only the most basic features remained.

These two chaps I saw in the Museum of Natural History in New York are incredibly old (I can't remember exactly HOW old, but VERY OLD) and all that's necessary are a couple of marks to distinguish the two as representing human figures and even enough to give them personalities I think. (A small and surly character with a big, joyful friend, ancient predecessors of Ren and Stimpy??)

Dualling Brooches

The December Vogue has a beautiful Zodiac themed shoot as well as fun fashion horoscopes for each star sign. I'm a Gemini and and whether it's coincidence or cosmic influence, I have been working on jewellery pairs. Here's one of my new couplings, these Dual Facet Brooches which I've been pairing with some yummy fudge coloured items to bring out the rosey colour of the chain.

Big Cat

Animal print is a biggie at the moment, but here is the king of the jungle in a new asymmetric piece in rose tones.

Panthera Leo New Necklace

Panthera Leo is cast from an original 18th Century furniture embellishment.

A contemporary wearable for the fashion loving Antiques Roadshow viewer?

Boticca

If you wish to purchase you can buy directly from me via paypal or visit jewellery site Boticca to see a collection for sale online.

Smaug

Tolkein's 'The Hobbit' is talk of film town. Smaug is the sharp minded, smooth tongued, tricksy, terrifying dragon with a weakness for riddles and a jewel encrusted belly.

"As with most dragons, Smaug's scaly hide is nigh invulnerable, yet his soft underbelly is vulnerable to attack. However, centuries spent sleping atop his golden hoard has caused gold and gems to become embedded in his flesh, creating essentially an impenetrable armour."

Red and copper beading and moonstone.

SOLD

Facet Pendant Silhouettes

Today's surprisingly amazing sunshine led to some impromptu photographs of the new pendants in the Facet collection and some of the crazy shadows made by the profiles of the geometric rings.

Sunken treasure

Recovered from the foamy deep, this ring is a private commission encrusted with treasures including gold, silver, tahitian peals and diamonds. (Shell minaudieres from vintage sources including Trampgems)

The Return of The Button

October's Vogue has an article dedicated to buttons, good to see they are appreciated as I love them as a fashion detail and as an object of jewellery in their own right.



They quote Stephane Berthelemy, director of the House of Deruses, and button makers for Chanel as seeing "the button on a garment as a star in the night sky".



Paula Cocozza also writes,"a good button brings intrigue. It's slower than a zip, and that slowness makes us deliberate as we dress."

This makes me think of decadent ball gowns and ladies having their rows of buttons done all the way up by the delicate hands of their maids.

For my collars I take details of historical garments turning them into jewellery where each button is a jewel. This new collar is a private commission in ecru with grosgrain ribbon.