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Exclusive Stockist Jewellery Workshop

We are excited to announce the launch of our very first ‘Exclusive Stockist Jewellery Workshop’.

This experience is completely different to the workshops offered before, as it focuses on how Collette creates her jewellery.

The mission is to help jewellery stockists understand Collette’s working practises and design development to really get to grips with the product journey, from the raw materials to the finished piece.  

Those involved will have the opportunity to observe, ask questions and get hands-on making their own pieces of jewellery. This will help improve their knowledge and thus enable them to provide a superior customer service for their own clients.

Not only will this experience build sellers’ confidence when talking about jewellery, but it will enable them to promote the possibilities of customisation, meeting the customer’s needs and creating a more personalised selling opportunity.  

The team at Payne & Son’s Jewellers, based in Oxford, visited Collette to get the full silversmith experience.

Take a look at what they achieved and find out what they thought about the experience.

‘Collette’s method of teaching was great, she is a patient and fun teacher who has the insight to solve problems with the use of her experience and competence in design’ – Matthew.

 ‘I loved how hands on it was - we got straight into making and being creative’ – Harriet.

‘Collette’s teaching methods were engaging and refreshing. She created a fun and friendly environment and she was an attentive and patient teacher, guiding us though the steps whilst also giving us free reign to experiment, make mistakes and learn’ – Chris.

‘I found the card cutting process a clever way of designing our products, it was fun and put us at ease by removing the necessity to draw’ – Chris.

‘Collette made sure our items were polished and finish off so we had a finished item to be proud off’ – Matthew.

‘I would definitely recommend this experience for anyone wanting to learn the process of silversmithing and designing and making their own unique piece of jewellery’ – Harriet.  

Any of my stockists who would be interested in this workshop and would like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

February 13, 2018

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jewellery making ›   jewellery quarter ›  


Working in the Jewellery Quarter

During the 18th century, Great Britain revolutionised the process of manufacturing goods.    

If Britain was the ‘workshop of the world’, then the Jewellery Quarter was the goldsmith’s creative flair.

'Generations of jewellers are somehow soaked up into buildings.' 

Once referred to as the ‘toy shop’ of Europe, the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter is now rich with 250 years of art, history and community spirit.

Since graduating university in 1995, Collette has worked amidst the hustle of bustle in a traditional goldsmith workshop.

'This is my world - this is where I'm happiest.' 

Quite a few of the techniques she uses are centuries old and in Collette's words, 'this makes it quite a special craft'. Not much has changed over the years of jewellery design and creation, but your imagination is your only limit. 

 Working as a community, Collette’s suppliers and stockists are also small, independent and often family businesses. Not only does this cultivate long-lasting relationships, but it keeps the neighbourhood strong and prosperous.

Surrounded by creatives with years of expertise, the support and advise, without a doubt, enriches the quality of Collette’s work.

'I cannot imagine doing anything else.'

 Described by English Heritage as ‘a national treasure’, it comes as no surprise that Collette simply loves the history and generations of jewellers which are ‘somehow soaked up into the buildings’.

'I feel lucky being a part of the history of jewellery...'

And we’ll leave you with a few of our favourite facts about The Jewellery Quarter: 

  1. Over a THIRD of British jewellery comes from the jewellery quarter. 

  2. Around 500 businesses currently operate here, including many fantastic bars and restaurants.

  3. A 2 minute walk from the station will get you straight into the heart of the jewellery quarter.

  4. In the 18th century, craftsmen were known as ‘small masters’, meaning they ran small, family businesses that produced large quantities of jewellery using hand-powered machinery (not much has changed!)

 

Neck, Wrist and Ring Sizing

Neckwear

As a default all our pendants are hung on 18 inch chains. We have found this is the most popular length. We can supply our pendants on 16'' 18'' 20'' 22'' 24''. 

To decide what is the best length for you, measure an existing chain that is a comfortable length and make a note to help when choosing.

Alternatively, use a piece of string or ribbon to determine the perfect length for you.

Click the image below to see our guide.

 

Wristwear

Bracelets are very straightforward. The universally accepted length is 7 to 71/2 inches. Ours all have a short extender chain to allow for a little variation.

Bangles can be a bit trickier. We have a great tool you can download to help with this. You can place your own bangle over the template or cut it out and carefully put your hand through the hole. We find the medium is by far our most popular size.

Click the image below to see our guide.

 

Rings

This to can be tricky, especially if it is for a surprise gift!

We have spent some time developing two tools on one page for you to help determine your size. There are clear instructions on the PDF tool that make it super easy to use and has proven to given accurate measurements.

Click the image below to see our guide.