Meet The Maker – Nicola Hurst

Nicola Hurst – Jeweller

Nicola Hurst, designer and maker of contemporary jewellery, has been hand making jewellery professionally since 1995, having completed a Jewellery BA (hons) degree in 1990 at Middlesex Polytechnic.

Silver Diver Cufflinks

Here at Heart Gallery we love Nicola’s new Iconic Collection – it’s the perfect gift for that special person in your life who loves to wear symbolic jewellery.

Silver Love Cufflinks

Each piece in this stunning collection of figure jewellery is individually cast in solid silver before being polished and hand finished by Nicola. Including gorgeous cufflinks for men and exquisite pendants for women, the Iconic Collection is a joy to wear. Whether you’re marking an important relationship or acknowledging a much-loved hobby, the Iconic Collection is for you.

Silver Woman With Attitude necklace

Nicola’s other ranges incorporate silver and gold with precious and non precious stones in some pieces, and simply silver or gold in others. All Nicola’s jewellery is beautifully elegant, contemporary and easy to wear. The inspiration for designs comes from Nicola’s fascination of architecture, clean and simple lines and her love of making the jewellery. New collections are frequently produced as well as many one-off pieces and commissions undertaken so take a look at her other pieces here.

Meet The Maker – Charlotte Bezzant

Charlotte Bezzant – Jeweller

Charlotte is a designer maker who works in silver and semi-precious stones, often incorporating etched text in her work. She did a degree in Fashion and Textiles, but after she fell into a non-creative job in the industry, she started studying silversmithing as a hobby.

Silver Arctic Twig bangle

After years of making for family and friends, Charlotte was persuaded to start selling her work, and was really pleased to find that it was well received by others.

Silver Arctic Hare with Moonstone necklace

Originally working on a bench in the corner of the kitchen, Charlotte now works from a lovely little studio at the end of the garden.

Silver Arctic Hare Pin

Silver Arctic Hare Brooch

She is at her happiest here, working away, especially when the sun shines and the doors can be flung wide.

Silver Arctic Twig necklace

Heart Gallery has some of Charlotte’s Arctic Twig and Arctic Hares collection. These were designed after a particularly beautiful and inspiring trip to the Arctic Wilderness, chasing the Northern Lights.

Silver Arctic Hare Necklaces with Aquamarine

The little twig was plucked from the snow and ice, wrapped in tissue and brought back to the UK to be cast in solid silver. The arctic hare however, proved elusive, the only sighting being of the lolloping footprints in the sparkling snow!

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost silver necklace

Call in soon to see Charlotte’s stunning range before the Arctic Hares hop out of Heart Gallery and into someone’s jewellery collection!

Meet The Maker – Anna Baldwin

Anna Baldwin – Jeweller

Meet Anna – I think she’s a little shy so we are showing you a pic of her hands at the workbench. This photo in itself just hammers home how handmade our jewellery really is actually so we are really pleased with this notion that you don’t have to see what any of our makers looks like but you do have to know that they are in fact skilled craftspersons in the discipline they work in.

Dappled bangle

Based in Buckinghamshire, Anna has been designing and making jewellery for over 9 years.

Wrapped silver pendant

She makes all her jewellery by hand, working mainly in silver, gold, and semi-precious stones, and loves creating beautiful, contemporary, wearable pieces.

Dimpled silver ring

Anna loves working with natural forms and texture. Her designs have an organic, tactile feel, and share a sense of delicacy and movement.

Wrapped silver long earrings

 Anna gains inspiration from many different sources including light, texture, and natural and fluid forms. She also gains many ideas from simply working with the metal itself to develop new forms. 

Wrapped silver ring

 We adore Anna’s gemstone set rings that she can make to order using gorgeous faceted semi-precious stones such as smoky quartz, light amethyst, blue topaz, citrine or green quartz. You can order your birthstone and create a bespoke ring just for you. Anna loves making the Gem rings – the setting really shows off the stone and allows the light to filter through it. So pretty!

Gem ring stacked with a dappled ring

Anna’s recently developed the Dimpled range – its hammered finish is similar to the wrapped range, so they complement each other well.  She has made the rings and bangles in two different widths, which stack together easily. The gold highlights in the range add extra interest and colour.
The Gem rings go really well with Anna’s Dappled rings – it creates a bit more impact and is great if you like stacking rings. 

Say hello to Alice Stewart’s new work

Alice Stewart – Jeweller

British jewellery designer Alice Stewart’s new Woodland Collection has now arrived at Heart Gallery and incorporates acorns, robin, deer and all the wonderful things found in the woods.

Acorn necklace

Alice grew up in three very diverse places, Dubai, Hong Kong and England. Despite this her ideas mainly come from the beauty she finds in English countryside. Having grown up in the Cotswolds when living in England, she would spend time outdoors taking in the small things that sometimes go unnoticed. Nature has always been one of her greatest inspirations; from the smallest insect to a flock of birds she finds fascination in all things natural.

Silver robin necklace

Alice’s pieces are designed and made by her in her workshop in the heart of the famous Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. Although based in the Quarter, she lives a little way out of the bustling city centre so she can still be surrounded by the countryside that inspires her natural pieces.

18ct Gold plated robin on a branch necklace

Alice creates jewellery that is both enchanting and sophisticated.

18ct gold plated Acorn ring

Silver and 18ct gold plated textured rings

Alice makes the original by hand, which gives her work an exquisite delicacy. She uses her skills to create pieces that are playful, but always very feminine. She uses a mixture of finishes on Sterling Silver and Gold plated Sterling Silver. Parts are satin finished as well as highly polished, to give a two tonal effect that highlights the delicate details and brings the pieces to life.

Silver Doves Necklace

 

 ” I aspire to make originally designed, great quality, wearable jewellery, which makes the wearer feel truly special. “

Meet The Maker – Emily Thatcher

Emily Thatcher – Jeweller

Emily graduated from Sir John Cass in London, with BA Hon Silversmithing & Jewellery in 2004 and now works from her studio nestled into the beautiful Sussex countryside.

Papila 3 drop necklace

Companion Rings

Led by her fascination of the microscopic world she uses electron microscope images of cellular structures, abstracting the organic shapes to create bold yet feminine collections that are easy to wear.

Amethyst Lamella T-Bar necklace

Hand made to a meticulously high quality, Emily’s jewellery is made from silver, gold and luscious gemstones. Playing with surface finishes and textures, she explores the creation of depth within her pieces, without making the pieces bulky or awkward to wear. 

Pink Tourmaline Lamella Necklace

With a love of classical history and the story of body adornment, she is inspired by the time-honored forms of these, which give her jewellery a modern classic look.

Pink Tourmaline Lamella Ring

Heart Gallery adores Emily’s new range and we are certain you will too x

Cleaning Silver

Hi there, this is a quick care post for cleaning the beautiful jewellery you buy from us!

Most of our UK based makers (I say most as we do have some that use recycled, ethical silver for their work) only use sterling silver, one of the most beautiful and lustrous of all metals and my personal favourite. With proper care, your silver will retain its beauty and character for many generations to come. But it can tarnish for many reasons so here is a quick guide for you:

Tanya Krackowizer silver bangle selection

What you need to know:

Sterling silver tarnishes, especially when exposed to salt air and some products containing sulphur, such as rubber bands, and some papers and products containing chemicals such as sun-creams, perfumes and body lotions. However, silver that is regularly used typically needs less care, so Heart Gallery strongly encourages you to wear your silver every day……why wouldn’t you? I don’t need an excuse do you? When you are not adorned with your silver simply keep it in the box we packaged your piece in. If you do use a jewellery box then please make sure you keep each piece in a separate place, perhaps wrapped in a fabric pouch or roll.

Elaine Jenkins – Silver and 18ct gold rings

Washing silver:

Heart Gallery recommends washing silver by hand in warm water with a mild detergent. Because many gases in the air and products that we use on our skin can have a corrosive effect, we suggest that you wash your silver immediately after use. Silver should not be left to soak in water. To avoid spotting, it is important to dry your silver immediately after washing and at Heart Gallery we place on absorbent kitchen roll on top of the radiator to ensure that it is thoroughly dry before placing back in the cabinet.

Emily Morgan – Heart Charm Bracelet

Our old-fashioned tip :

Regularly using this method will stop you having to use a more abrasive approach with dips and chemicals. Take a deep bowl and line with aluminium foil. Boil a kettle and add to the bowl with a couple of teaspoons of table salt and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Wait for it to dissolve and then drop your silver jewellery in to soak for a while. This is especially good when your jewellery includes pearls or gemstones as it is not harmful to them. Remove after about 20 minutes and rinse under warm soapy water then dry thoroughly as mentioned earlier.

Amanda Cox Silver and Freshwater Pearl Necklace

Gentle rubbing:

We sell a good quality silver cloth for only £3 which is impregnated with a compound to stop the silver oxidising. This can be used to gently rub over your silver once a week to remove any tarnish by using gentle back and forth movements so you don’t damage your piece of jewellery. These cloths can be used even if your jewellery contains stones or pearls as they are not harmful or abrasive.

Emily Thatcher Companion Rings Silver Onyx and Black Diamonds

Dips & Chemicals

These are quite harsh and should be avoided really where possible. By following our simple guide above you should not need to go down this route but if you do we recommend Silvex. This cleaner is not as abrasive as silver dip and others available and it’s not harmful to silver jewellery that also incorporates fresh water pearls or gemstones. You don’t need much and you can just apply with a soft cloth, small sponge or small soft bristled brush. Rub your piece gently but firmly using even strokes then rinse in warm soapy water, dry thoroughly and then buff gently with a soft cloth/silver cloth.

Alice Stewart Silver Doves Necklace

And there you have it, a simple guide to looking after your beautiful silver jewellery to ensure your pieces will become heirlooms of the future.

Love isn’t love until you give it away

Whilst researching for the new displays for the run up to Valentine’s Day it got me thinking about love of course so here is a little blog post of things I love that are now in Heart Gallery for you to love too …

Bear Hug – Julia Ogden

Original pencil drawings, giclee prints and cards based on Love, Friendship and Support by our very own super talented Julia Ogden.

‘And on’ partnership pair of silver rings with diamond

Diana Porter’s jewellery range includes her signature ‘and on’ partnership rings, ‘and on’ bangle and ‘I who is you who is I’ set of silver bangles.

close up of detail on the notebook case

Fabulous leather pieces concentrating on music lovers and bookworms by emerging local artist Rod Boyes.

Kindred Spirit

Andy’s etched glass work was a hit at Christmas and we are so chuffed with his new pieces. Perfect for homemade drinks such as damson gin, lemoncello vodka but these lab bottles work really well in the bathroom for shampoo and conditioner too.

Silver and 9ct gold heart rings

Karen’s popular silver and 9ct gold heart range now has a cute little addition of these rings.

Silk Scarf digitally printed from a hand-dyed original design

Sarita’s Reminiscence Collection of floaty scarves and lavender filled pouches and eye-masks will make a lovely gift not just for a Valentine but for a Mum too as Mothers’ Day is not that far away.

Ethical recycled silver jewelery

Ali’s ethical jewellery is inspired by her love of dancing and the dynamic lines of movements she creates whilst dancing.

Ceramic Hearts (can be personalised)

We love Laura’s ceramic hearts and they are certainly the perfect little love token at this time of the year. Our personalised service includes bridal favours matched to the wedding colours where possible with the wedding date stamped on as a great keepsake.

Ceramic Hearts (can be personalised)

And there you have it, a little snippet of new pieces we love and hope you love too….Love isn’t love until you give it away.

Speaking of love, I can’t end this blog post without an image from Kate Lycett though. A customer sadly lost her Dad recently and with a little bit of money he left her she really wanted something that reminded her of him and where he lived so every time she looks at this she will remember the years filled with love that they spent together:

Waterfront – Kate Lycett

Meet The Maker – Fi Mehra

Fi Mehra – Jeweller

Fi has been making beautiful silver and gold jewellery for over 20 years.  As she says, “I adore making jewellery and I’m never happier than when I am in my workshop.”

Silver and Gold Heart Studs

Fi started learning at evening class and then went to Birmingham School of Jewellers for 3 years.  She also worked in Jewellers in Bath, and at a trade Jewellers in Sussex, before moving to Wiltshire where she set up her own work shop.

Stack of text rings

Silver melted ring with peridot

Her hallmark is “FAB” which were her initials before she married, (Fiona Alison Berry).  Her dad actually registered her wrongly as she was meant to be Alison Fiona Berry! Her parents didn’t want her to be FAB, especially as this was the 1960s! But it worked out brilliantly in the end for her hallmark.

Gemstone stacking rings

Heart Gallery is proud to have been carefully chosen by Fi to showcase her stunning new range which includes silver houses and pawprint necklaces with little silver bones.

Selection of silver and gold earrings

Meet The Maker – Elaine Jenkins

Elaine Jenkins – Jeweller

Elaine creates unique quality handcrafted jewellery. Her Moss Collection combines earthy qualities with elegance and sophistication.

Moss pendant

Elaine is a Liverpool based jeweller/silversmith. After graduating from Liverpool Hope University in 2008 she set up business in her Liverpool studio making collection work for galleries across the UK and commission work for private clients. Her work is made predominantly from silver, gold, precious and non precious stones but she also uses platinum within her commission work.

Silver moss ring

Oxidised silver moss rings

Elaine’s inspirations are elements found in the natural world, exploring textures and contrasting materials to produce pieces that are truly individual and finished to the highest standards.

Small moss studs

Heart Gallery is proud to be showcasing Elaine’s Moss collection as part of our 7th Christmas Exhibiton. Her moss collection is based on moss formation and growth patterns. Combining earthy qualities with elegance and sophistication. Inspired by the natural world, focusing on texture and contrasting materials.

Silver moss banlge

This collection is available in silver, oxidised silver, silver and diamonds and silver with diamonds and rubbed back gold platting.

Silver and 18ct gold rings

Meet The Maker – Katharine Yelland

Katharine Yelland – Jeweller

Katharine first became interested in jewellery design and metalworking while studying on an Art & Design course at York College. Upon completion she attended a course in Silver Jewellery making for two years, taught by jeweller/enameller Rachel Gogerly, meanwhile becoming Rachel’s workshop assistant where she gained extra hands-on practical experience.

Eclipse triple pendant

Eclipse Small Earstuds

In 2000 she was offered a position at The Robert Feather Gallery in York, where she was fortunate enough to be both gallery and workshop assistant. She learned many valuable practical skills under the tutorship of Robert for seven years and exhibited her work in the gallery alongside many leading jewellers.

Eclipse Small Pendant

Eclipse Extra Small Earrings

Katharine has a progressive attitude to jewellery, preferring to design a range and offer it for sale for a limited duration before launching a new collection. This channels her focus of creation and ensures that nothing becomes static and is ever-evolving. ‘Eclipse’ is the her latest jewellery collection. The inspiration comes from a desire to capture how reflected light and shade can change a visual concept. Each individual piece depicts two moods, but one side never Eclipses the other – there is a sense of harmony and balance.

Eclipse Rectangular Pendant

Eclipse Small Square Earstuds