Latest from Soldering-on.co.uk

Large silver ovoid necklace

2009-07-12T17:34:00.001+02:00

Finally making stuff again ....

kitsch experiment

2009-06-12T16:34:00.007+02:00

I've been wanting to make some kitsch jewellery with a sense of humour and have been playing around with throwing different materials together.

This ring is made in aluminium and silver with a large synthetic ruby.

It was also a bit of an experiment in setting and turned out to be impossible to set neatly.
The "first go" had to ba abandoned: originally each claw was independent, but with the aluminium giving rather that the thick prongs bending it ws never going to sit still.

So I cut the number of indenendant parts in half, and made the claws on each side out or one peice of silver instead. This helped somewhat, but it was still a real pain to get sitting still.

Still experimenting was fun, and it's always useful for kicking off more design ideas.

Pink Tourmaline ring

2009-05-19T21:50:00.002+02:00

Said goodbye to this ring today which was picked up from the workshop by it's new owner.

This is a good example of why I need to do more "real world" selling: because it really needs to be handled (played with).
It was snapped up at my first show I've done in Germany.

Some new stuff

2009-04-06T13:18:00.004+02:00

I've been sidetracked for an awful long time with the HCJ Project, but need desperately to get back on track experimenting and making.
My partner has cajoled me (rightly) into actually stepping out into the "real world" and doing a show. So I'm in the process of flailing around seeing what I can come up with which is (hopefully) appealing, but doesn't break the bank in the current financial climate.

This is the first prototype of something I've been toying with for ages. Made in nylon with a handmade magnetic catch in aluminium.

There will be other examples with a silver catch for people who want a little more "finery", but I like the ways the materials are working together currently.

Hello Udo

2009-02-24T22:33:00.002+01:00

I'm no longer alone in the workshop (at least sometimes not).

This is Udo, hopefully spelt right, who has joined me as a sub-tenant.
The main reason Udo's arrived is the finacial crash caused by doing too much "unpaid" work, but it'll also be nice to have some "life" in the workshop and should be good for my German too!

Present in the post

2009-02-15T14:58:00.003+01:00

I was delighted to receive a copy of Metalsmith magazine in the post.
The magazine itself looks very readable: I'll be devoting some time to it when I have a quiet moment.

What delighted me about it's arrival wasn't the magazine: but rather what it signifies for me personally.
It was sent to me buy Jon: someone I have never met personally.
Jon is one of the HCJ Project "early worms": helping to discuss and shape the HCJ Project in the forums.
This kind gesture helps convince me, that although progress has been much slower and the work required much greater than I ever expected; that bringing artists and gallery owners together and building a stage to represent handmade contemporary jewellery isn't a crazy one.
It's just allot more work than expected!

Thanks Jon!

Happy Christmas!

2008-12-18T10:51:00.003+01:00

In all the rush I forgot to post to let people know that the point has been passed where I can have orders made and delivered before Christmas '08.

I am spending Christmas with the family, which is always a real treat: time to put up my feet, enjoy the warmth and digest the large quantities of food I am forced (no unwillingly) to consume.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and "einen Guten Rutsch" into the New Year!

Gallery Map

2008-11-14T09:21:00.007+01:00

Use this map to quickly view contemporary jewellery galleries by country on the HCJ Project site.
Embed this map on your site

View Larger Map

Not quite myself

2008-11-12T12:12:00.003+01:00

I had a rather odd weekend in hospital. I'm back home now but still feeling rather peculiar.
I was "discovered" by some kind sole, out for the count face down on Saturday evening (no I hadn't been drinking etc).
I had damaged my eyes earlier and was suffering quite acute blindness, which is why I gave up the idea of cycling home and was headed towards a friends house when I must have blacked out.
I have seen an optitian since coming home and he said there isn't any damage to my eyes he can see, but today has been a very trying day, and things are still decidedly odd.
I had to finish a couple of items today, and there are a number of things which are "pressing", so I can't take a break.
Hopefully things will "look" a little clearer tomorrow.

Slow progress ...

2008-11-05T12:35:00.002+01:00

Well it has been ages since I last wrote anything here....

I have been doing NOTHING else apart from working on "the HCJ Project".

I have even (shamefully) left a couple of customers waiting longer than normal for me to pull my finger out and do some "real work". Generally people are sooo nice: I will try my hardest to make sure the "wait" provides them with more than they hoped.

I have been developing the handy "search gadget", a slightly "slimmed down" version is running on this blog.

What does it do?...

Well I have always been struck by the tripe that often floats near the top when you do a jewellery related search. That's because you search everything in Google's index.
This gadget searches only jewellery related sites which have been "cherry picked" to be included.
So the results will all be jewellery related and not just a high ranked page on an unrelated site, which happens to include the search term.

Neat eh?

There is more about the search gadget here.

If you know a site that isn't currently in the index you can also submit it for consideration.

Satin finished wedding rings in 585 gold

2008-07-26T16:13:00.011+02:00

These wedding rings are in a "light yellow" 585 gold alloy, satin finished with first names and the wedding date hand engraved.

They are nice and heavy, the gents ring (the lower) is 5.5mm wide and weighs just over 11 grammes, the ladies is shallower but wider, at 6mm, and weighs 9 grammes.
A commission.

Rolling rolling rolling...

2008-07-02T00:21:00.003+02:00

Well not rolling exactly, but rather moving.
After, coming up for, five years in the same workshop in this country ("this" being Germany) I am upping sticks and making the epic journey (two streets) to a new workshop. I handed back the keys to the old workshop today and am working on new bits and bobs of furniture over the next few days (until a door arrives, which is kind of obligatory) before installing all the tools etc.

So, I am unable to do any work for the next few days.
I caught up on orders before the move to give me some breathing room; so if all is well (and the door arrives) I should be ready to go again soon.

I'll let you know when I'm back on track.

Fine silver ring

2008-03-14T23:11:00.002+01:00

This is the first ring I made from the fine silver bar which is pictured in the last post.

This is only available on the new web site.

Forging fine silver

2008-03-13T23:59:00.001+01:00

I have had some fine silver lying around for ages and today finally got round to picking it up and starting the process of making something with it!
Once I had bashed it into a more reasonable size, I chopped a bit off and made a ring, which I'll get round to taking an image of soon.

Jewellery /jewelry designers call to arms

2008-02-24T16:54:00.008+01:00

It has been a while since my last post because I have been rather busy developing a new site.
It's not completely finished, there are still plenty of features to be added etc, but I am now at the stage where I could do with some responses from a second party, as it's very easy to get stuck in a design rut.
The new site hopes to be a number of things:

A place to find contemporary handmade jewellery.
An information resource.
A community, where contemporary jewellery designers can show off their latest work, exhibitions etc.

Things I still have to do with it...

Add more items. (Update: getting there slowly)
~~Add a commenting system~~.
Proof read.
Translate most of the core content.
Optimize the URLs.
~~Set up site feeds~~.
Loads of other bits & bobs.

I would be grateful if people would take a look, see if they "get it" and can find their way around.

Update (4th Sept '08)
I have been very disappointed at how slowly things are moving along. Either I haven't made myself well understood, or I have misjudged people's enthusiasm for free promotion on what I hope is a nicely presented information portal for contemporary jewellery.
I have since seen so many other "great ideas" which have fallen flat: but will battle on until the penny drops!

Update (3rd Jun '09)
Today we added the Global art Jewelry / jewellery conversation page on the HCJ Project main site.
I have added the conversation gadget to the sidebar here on my personal site's blog as well as on Soldering-on.
I'm hoping that some other "brave souls" will want to add the gadget to their sites, so that we can converse with each other from lots of jewellery sites across the web!
There is also a forum thread if you would like to talk about how using the gadget works.

Gold filled / filled gold wire

2007-12-12T00:25:00.000+01:00

This post is a rant about a question which periodically returns to bug me.
If you have a view on the subject please leave a comment.

I spend a fair amount of time looking at web sites relating to jewellery (jewelry), primarily because I am currently fixated upon trying to regain a decent placement in Google's search results, and I often see entries for items made using "gold filled wire".

The term is used (as far as I understand) to referrer to wire, which has a gold skin and a base metal (usually brass) or silver core. There is some legislation (depending on where you are) which details the minimum percentage of gold weight that the wire has to have in order to be able to use the term. Which is what makes it different from gold plated wire etc. If I sound a little unsure that's because I don't use the stuff myself.

But: shouldn't it be termed "filled gold wire" instead of "gold filled wire"?!

To me "filled gold wire" implies gold wire, with a "filling". Where as to me "gold filled wire" implies that the filling is gold, which is quite wrong!

I can only assume that this is a marketing term designed to "add value". By shift the emphasis in the phrase towards the word gold.
Moving the word "gold" to the front of the phrase gives it more "weight" psychologically, and "gold filled" also increases this effect. e.g. If I have a bucket filled with water; do I have more "bucket", or more "water"?

If this counts as deception, then it's deception on a grand scale. When I googled "gold filled wire" I got 71,300 results. Where as there were only 796 results for "filled gold wire".

Maybe I am wrong, or my weak grammar has me painted into a corner.
Is there a difference at all?!

Gold filled wire, or filled gold wire?

Christmas delivery

2007-11-30T10:44:00.000+01:00

Well we are almost at the beginning of December, so I should / must really call a halt for orders which can be guaranteed for delivery before this Christmas. I will also, as soon as I have finished the orders I am working on, get round to answering all the other emails which have gone unread. Sorry to keep people waiting on email, but it is the lesser of the two evils.

I just noticed that I have (sort of by mistake) already written this post as last year. I wrote the wrong date! Doh

You are of course as always very welcome to order something from the site for delivery early in the new year: it could even reach you before Christmas, but I have reached the point now where I can't continue to guarantee it. There is only me here!!

p.s. If you have already placed an order and not yet heard from me do not panic. All orders already placed will go out before the 14th of December.

titanium and silver bookmark

2007-11-25T19:41:00.001+01:00

There are other images of this handmade bookmark and price etc here.

oval(ish) link silver necklace

2007-11-14T20:20:00.001+01:00

This handmade silver necklace has large off round to oval links.

Here is a link to the items page where there are more pictures etc.

Can you help?

2007-11-13T23:27:00.000+01:00

My site has recently suffered a big drop in where it is placed in search engine results.

Specifically in Google, after they tweaked their search algorithms a couple of weeks ago.

I think that this is because I don't use very much text, so they can't really get a grip of what the site is about. I designed the site with more an emphasis on the visual, which appears now to have been a big mistake.

So I am asking you, if you would please be so kind and to link to my site.

thank you!!!

Sad day for the BBC

2007-11-12T23:10:00.000+01:00

I was rather dissapointed this evening when taking a short break to check out the BBC web site, (which is a regular haunt for me), I was very distracted by four advertisements on the front page!

I guess that they probably don't appear to a UK audience, and are there to supliment the costs of providing access to the BBCs' site for the rest of the foreign world.
The size, number and placement of the adverts was certainly rather intrusive. They don't seem to have paid any consideration as to what the adverts are for either; i.e. they don't seem to be tied into content, which would make them less irritating (and possibly more attractive) to the viewers. Maybe they only have a very limited number of advertisers with pockets deep enough for the fees? That can be the only possible explanation as to why they would have four gaudy animated ads for Airbuses's new A380 on the home page.

My one positive thought, was that maybe, possibly they were planning on using the advertising revenue to pay for the cost of delivering some video content outside of the UK: but that hope was quickly dashed with the, as usual, failed attempt to pull any video (news etc) off the site when browsing the "UK version".

I listen to the radio almost daily via the internet. Hopefully they aren't planning on pulling the plug on that too!

flower necklace

2007-11-09T10:21:00.001+01:00

Materials: aluminium, titanium, silver, gold.
Hung on a rubber thong with a handmade silver catch.

This is the latest one of this necklace, I have added a larger image and another close up image as part of my keeping up with the take-up of broad band etc.

titanium brooch

2007-11-08T16:15:00.001+01:00

This is the uncoloured version, of the titanium and silver brooch.

You can get straight to the items page for more images and details here.

titanium & silver brooch

2007-11-08T15:47:00.001+01:00

This titanium and silver brooch has been heat treated by hand to produce the bright peacock blues.

Here is a link to the brooches page where you can see more images and info.

Silver tension earrings

2007-11-01T22:04:00.001+01:00

more details, info and price details here...