The story of a collection: Peacocks

Here is the background story to my latest collection of jewellery for Autumn 2012 - The Peacock.



I have always wanted to create a collection of jewellery based on this beautiful and intriguing bird. I'm drawn to its obviously ornate tail but at the same time it's quite a peculiar bird - so over the top and impractical. From a jewellers point of view I enjoyed the challenge of trying to re-create this complicated design in miniature format and incorporate the colours of his tail.

My starting point was a collection I developed about a year ago called 'Dahlia'. Although I was please with this collection I always felt it was a little overlooked and needed something more.


It occurred to me that if the piece was chopped in half horizontally and the stone was replaced by a peacocks body then this would be the perfect starting point for the peacock I've always wanted to make.

So with a little adjusting to the photo tool the tail was created. The picture below gives a little idea of how the tail was made by using strips of silver, kind of concertinaed to make a semi-circular fan shape. Towards the bottom of the picture is the beginnings of the peacock body and head that was made by soldering a silver hemisphere to varying sizes of rod and lots of filing. This was the first time I had done carving like this and I really enjoyed it!




I incorporated a way to fix the silver tail feathers into the back of the peacocks body and sent the model of the body off to the casters so they could make a mould of it and get lots cast into silver.



After careful consideration of various types of beads I decided to use Iolites and green Jade to depict the colours of the tail and attached these between the silver feathers.

Below is the finished earrings and necklaces. I have made silver, 22ct gold vermeil and oxidised versions. I was really please with how they turned out and they received a great response from the buyers at International Jewellery London. They are now available to purchase from the website and will be appearing at other stockists in the lead up to Christmas.







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Treasure - London Jewellery Week - 14th-17th June 2012

I am very excited to announce that I will be doing my first retail show for 4 years - this is at Somerset House in London and is part of London Jewellery week. Its on from the 14th-17th June.

I will be showing all of my jewellery collections so it will be a rare opportunity to see everything together in the flesh. For more information please visit the Treasure website

I'm giving away 5 pairs of complimentary tickets please go to my facebook page for further details.

If you are not lucky enough to win the tickets then print off the 2for1 voucher below - valid on £10 tickets only.

I hope to see you there x

 

We are going to be showing at the trade fair Top Drawer Spring 2012 from 15-17 Jan at Earls Court stand UDC22. So if you are a trade customer then please pop along and say hello.

The new website is here at last

The new website is now live!!! www.amandacoleman.co.uk please come and have a look.

All the ranges are now online with product zoom so you can see all the intricate details. We've made it easier to select the different metal finishes and stone variations.

You can create an account to make it easier to shop, you can "like" pieces via facebook (ideal for dropping hints to a loved one!)

We've had a bit of fun with the photography and used some cinemagraphs to bring the jewellery to life... look out for the spooky finger.

Please do come and have a look... we're really excited about it - any feedback will be gratefully received x

I'm sorry there's been no posts for a while but I have an excuse... I've been very busy sorting out a new website which is being launched in the Autumn - no exact date yet - these things always take longer than anticipated!

Anyway to wet your appetites here is a little sneaky peek of a photo shoot that will be used on the site. These photographs will eventually be animated and you'll be able to see my jewellery come to life (or life turn to jewellery). I can't wait to show you more but I must try to contain

myself... xx

bedazzling beads

I love beaded jewellery and I love figurative jewellery so I especially love it when the two are combined. I have so much admiration for the skill and patience involved. Here's a few that have caught my eye over the years...

firstly the flamingo bracelet... much more naive than my other choices but I just love the dangly legs. It's by an American lady called Linda, that's about all I know

The next is broken fab - I found this designer on the Kabiri website... and when I last went down to London I cashed in all my scrap silver and then sauntered over to Covent Garden to treat myself to one of these beauties. I love the colours, the tribal references and the boldness of it, I feel like a super hero when I wear it!

And then there is Clara Francis I first noticed her many years ago - maybe about 4 - I fell in love with her beaded hummingbird earrings, tried them on in a shop but alas I was too poor. My current favourite is the fox, I may have to drop a few hints for Christmas...

I've just discovered the jewellery of Servanne Gaxotte. Surreal, slightly macabre and miniature. They make me feel slightly uneasy which I think stems from them reminding me of those tacky pendants you get in very thin 9ct gold of clowns that they sell in Argos (and places like that) that 60 year old traveller women with dodgy taste wear... However the skill and attention to detail in Gaxotte's pieces means these little figures would be much more at home promenading around the parks and boulevards of Paris than hanging around a trailer park!!