Pantone Colour of the Year 2020 ~ Classic Blue

For over twenty years, Pantone’s Colour of the Year influences so many areas of design, from fashion and home furnishings to industrial design and packaging. Now I’m not normally one who follows trends but I am in love with this year’s chosen colour…

Such a restful colour that evokes trust and honesty, a promise of a new day. As Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Colour Institute, says:

“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this type on constancy and confidence that is expressed by Pantone 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue that we can always rely on. Imbued with a deep resonance, Classic Blue provides an anchoring foundation. A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinte evening sky, Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication”

— Leatrice Eiseman

The one gemstone that comes to mind straight away is Lapiz Lazuli, such a perfect match to the Classic Blue, with it’s beautiful flecks of gold reminding me of the stars in the night sky.

Sapphires with their many shades of blue would also evoke that feeling of trust and honesty and confidence. Funnily enough, I recently finished this rose-cut sapphire ring, a beautiful deep shade of blue.

If you would like to commission a beautiful piece of bespoke jewellery with this year’s Pantone Colour of the Year, pop over to the contact page or drop me an email hello@scarlettwillowdesigns.co.uk Don’t forget, as I create all my designs by hand, they can all be changed to feature the gemstone of your choice!

The Five Pieces of Jewellery Every Woman Should Own

A few days ago, there was an article in the Telegraph asking “Is there such a thing as the ultimate jewellery wardrobe?”

The author, Annabel Davidson, makes the point that her top five pieces are not likely to be everyone else’s dream collection! So what has been chosen to be the top five pieces of jewellery that every woman should own?

Number 1 ~ Everyday diamond earrings

Number 2 ~ A pearl necklace

Number 3 ~ Gold bracelet..chunky or dainty but preferably two

Number 4 ~ A meaningful pendant…no wrong size, no wrong shape, just a pendant that means someting to you

Number 5 ~ Cocktail Ring…not necessarily a large rok but a ring that can add a little statement to any outfit

Personally, I don’t own a pair of diamond earrings; I do have a pearl necklace, handed down to me from a Great Aunt; gold bracelet? Prefer silver to be honest; I own quite a few pendants that hold a special meaning; and finally a cocktail ring…most of the rings I wear are statement rings!

Do you own any of the top five pieces of jewellery? What would make your list of the five pieces every woman should own?

£186 of Unworn Jewellery.......Each!!

A recent study has shown that each woman in the UK owns, on average, £186 of unworn jewellery, equating to a whopping £6.2 billion!!

Even though 70% of the 2000 women surveyed said that they choose to wear the same pieces every day, 1 in 5 admitted that buying new jewellery was their favourite affordable luxury.

It got me thinking , what are these pieces of jewellery that we don’t wear? Are they family pieces that have been handed down? Pieces that we bought years ago and have simply fallen out of love with? Gifts that we never really liked? Items that are not “in fashion” anymore?

So what should you do with these hidden pieces?

One thing I love about working with precious metals and gemstones is the ability to take unworn, unloved pieces and turn them into something new. There have been a few occasions when clients have asked me to take existing jewellery and create something more to their taste, create a statement piece. This usually means removing gemstones and melting the precious metal, whether it’s gold or silver. Being able to give new life to old pieces is something I love to do so if you have forgotten pieces that you would like to turned into a piece of jewellery that you’ll want to wear regularly then get in touch

Before…….

And after! Old Family gold sandwiched between silver to create two rings with a frosted finish

2019.....Resolutions, Goals and Dreams

At the beginning of every new year, the media always shouts about “Resolutions!”…..”New Year, New You!”……etc etc. Statistics show that nearly 80% fail by the second week of February! Too much pressure and perhaps too big a goal?

I prefer to set smaller goals throughout the year but my main one this year is to consume less and be more mindful of what I do consume and where it comes from. When I say “consume”, I don’t mean food…I mean in physical, material items. In particular, plastics……we’ve heard a lot over the last year or two about single use plastics and the damage they do to the environment.

I want to follow that through to my business as well. One of my suppliers is now using paper bags instead of plastic for many of their products which is fantastic. I’m going to be looking at my own packaging practices and see if there is anything further I can do.

Jewellers are very good at recycling and reusing materials, after all, gold and silver are not cheap! Scrap can be melted down either at a Refiners, where they pay for your scrap material and turn it back into sheet and wire, or many jewellers will melt the precious metal themselves to create something new.

I also don’t want to buy for the sake of buying….I’m as guilty as the next jeweller when it comes to tools but have I already got a tool that can do the job or one that can be adapted? Can I borrow the tool from a jeweller friend or buy it second-hand?

I also want to be mindful of where my materials come from, have they been mined in an ecological and ethical way? Different things but both equally as important.

So, let’s see where this takes me this year. I’m looking forward to 2019 and all the adventures it holds!

Goodbye 2018!

I can’t believe we’re here….the last day of 2018!

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me over the past year. I’ve travelled to different parts of the country and met some wonderful people. I’ve seen some familiar faces and met plenty of new ones too.

I can’t wait to see what 2019 brings and I hope to see you all there!

Jars of Seaglass

At the end of September, I was exhibiting at the Autumn Show in Malvern. I love this show, as a visitor and an exhibitor….especially the giant vegetable competition!

This year, I had a lot of people commenting on the “Morvoren Dagrow” collection that features seaglass. Each person I spoke to also had a love of these little jewels from the sea and loved to collect them on their trips to the coast. One woman had collected pieces from around the world! I asked each of them the same question…..

“What do you do with the pieces you’ve collected?”

Each and every person gave me exactly the same answer……

“I put it in a box or jar”

My reply was as follows……

Do you have a favourite piece? A piece that means a little more than all the others? You could always send it to me and I can create a beautiful piece of jewellery for you! “

I love creating bespoke pieces of jewellery for people, especially when they feature something from a place they’ve visited. And it doesn’t have to just be a piece of seaglass. Broken pottery, whether smoothed by the ocean waves or from Granny’s favourite teacup…a pebble that caught your eye….these can be turned into a piece of unique jewellery with meaning, my favourite kind of thing to make!

So if you’re someone who has a jar of seaglass or a piece of pottery that you would love to turn into a piece of jewellery for yourself or someone special, something unique, something with meaning, then please get in touch! Head over to the contact page and drop me a line