It’s been quite a while since my last workshop update, mostly because I’ve been very busy in the garden now that the weather has turned spring-like. I have managed to spend some time working on new designs over the past few days though, and here is the result.
The inspiration for these delicate little designs is the flower of the morning glory, convolvulus, or ipomoea.
This is a variety called heavenly blue (you can see why), which I grew for the first time last summer. They did really well, and were covered in these magnificent blue flowers for weeks. I thought at the time that they’d make lovely designs for jewellery, but it’s taken me a while to get around to it.
The thing that really prompted me into action was experimenting with adding 9ct gold accents to some of my silver designs. I have used a tiny disc of gold in the centre of each flower, which contrasts nicely with the silver of the flower.
For the pendant, the single flower has been soldered to a polished rectangle of silver, which has been rolled over at the top to carry the chain. The earrings feature delicate little curling tendrils of silver wire, together with simple handmade wires. Both are available in my online shop now.
These designs used yellow gold, and I also have a little rose gold, so I’ll be experimenting with that too in the coming weeks.
If you’d like a splash of heavenly blue in your garden this summer, I got the seeds online from Higgledy Garden, which sells a huge range of traditional cutting garden flower seeds.
Love the jewellery and love morning glory. It’s grown everywhere in the Languedoc and once we move there will be cultivating it. I love that blue
Do give Higgledy Garden a go if you fancy some of the seeds. It’s one chap growing his own in Cornwall, and he ships to France. I’m not on commission or anything, btw!
Sounds good. I will put that in my little book!
beautiful flower and jewellery
Gorgeous design!