One for the Boys.....Popping The Question!

According to a survey last year of 10000 people, conducted by events company Chillisauce, the Winter months are the most popular for popping the question.

The results show that Christmas Eve is the most popular day, with 31% of the votes, followed by Valentines with 22% and New Year's Eve with 18% of the vote

What's The Best Day of the Year to Propose?

Source: www.chillisauce.co.uk

Now, I know there's a trend for proposing and then buying an engagement ring together but that breaks my heart!!  I think it's so romantic to propose with a ring that you've spent time and effort over, whether it's an "off the shelf" ring or one that's been created especially for you.  I'm hoping that if you're planning on proposing that you know your partner well enough to know whether something simple and beautiful or something blingy and over the top would be the right ring.  Maybe something unusual or quirky would be appreciated more?  

I created a ring with a rough diamond set in sterling silver that was perfect for one bride-to-be, chosen by her partner.

A beautiful rough diamond

Rose cut diamonds have increased in popularity since Jennifer Aniston engagement ring.  They are an old cut which look beautiful and give a nod to being a bit different while still being traditional.

Although "diamonds are forever", consider other gemstones....Diamond engagement rings first became popular in the 1930's, although diamonds were used in combination with other gemstones in Victorian times.  Other beautiful gemstones include.....

Tanzanite, considered to be 1000 times rare than diamonds!

Alexandrite appears different colours in different types of light!

One of my favourites, Padparadscha Sapphires

Ring designs are something else to consider.  While traditional designs are beautiful, is this something your future fiancee would like?  Or would they prefer something a little quirkier?

If you want to commission a lovely ring that may be a little more unusual, don't hesitate to drop me a line via the contact page.

Wedding Jewellery - Traditions and Folklore!

So I'm just going to kick straight off with the piece of Wedding jewellery pretty much everyone has.....

The Wedding Ring  This one goes back a loooooooong way! Exchanging wedding rings dates back as far as the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans and symbolises a circle of eternity, altogether now.....Aaaaaah

"Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue and a Silver Sixpence In Your Shoe"  This is an Old English rhyme about charms that would be given to the bride on her wedding day.  The Something Old represents continuity, the Something New represents optimism for the future, Something Borrowed symbolises borrowed happiness and the Something Blue stands for purity, love and fidelity.  The Sixpence would be placed in the Bride's shoe by her father as a wish of good fortune and prosperity.  There are many ways of incorporating these into your jewellery ~ the old could be a family heirloom; the new could simply be your wedding ring; the borrowed could be a piece of jewellery loaned from your mum or best friend; and the blue could be a gemstone in your earrings or necklace.  I have combined the "Old" and "New" before into wedding rings....the "Old" was family gold jewellery that was never worn.  I melted it down and turned it into two "New" wedding rings. Drop me a line if know if you want to know more about this.

 Pearls  In Ancient Greek mythology, it was believed that pearls would ensure marital bliss if worn on your wedding day!  Pearls are traditionally given as a gift to the bride by the groom or her father to symbolise perfection, purity and innocence.

Gifts for the Bridesmaids   This tradition is more than just giving a gift, it's about the friendship between the bride and her bridesmaids, the support they've given her in the run up to the Big Day.  And it's always nice to be given jewellery!

The pendant above is from the "Drop" collection and would be perfect for your bridesmaids if you were wearing the statement necklace from this range.

Last but not least....

Something for the Groom and his Best Man  I made these cufflinks for a recent wedding fair where they went down a storm!  These would be a lovely gift from the bride to her groom on the morning of the wedding.  Cufflinks are also a nice memento for the Best Man and Ushers.

If something here has sparked an idea, I am more than happy to take commissions and produce something unique for your Big Day! Get in touch via the "Contact" page

Yay! You're getting Married! But When????

After taking the plunge and doing my first wedding fair on Sunday at the beautiful Avoncroft Museum, it seems that there isn't a traditional "wedding season" any longer, with brides choosing a range of dates throughout the year.  

Summer weddings will always be popular, all brides wish for the sun to shine on their big day and summer holds more chance of that happening, even with our unpredictable British weather!  

Juno, a Roman Goddess, was the protector of women throughout all areas of their lives but particularly marriage and childbirth.  As the month of June was named after her, this became known as the luckiest month to be married.

Another reason June was so popular was down to the Celtic calendar.  On the 1st of May (Beltane in the Celtic calendar) young couples would be matched up and then "dated" for three months until the next celebration of Lammas (1st of August) when they would be married.  This this three month period soon got shortened to six weeks due to the young couples being impatient and so this bought us to the middle to end of June and the time of the Summer Solstice.

According to the Office of National Statistics, in 1947 (the earliest data available) August was the most popular month followed by December and April.  In this year, one of the most talked about weddings was in November, a fairly unpopular month at that time.  This was the wedding of our Queen and Prince Philip.

During the 1950's and 60's there was a spike in March for weddings and one reason for this is thought to be the end of the tax year in April - a married man would receive the full Married Man's Tax Allowance if he was married before the 5th of April!

Summer weddings became popular in the 1980's and this could be down to another Royal wedding, that of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.  Summer weddings are still the most popular as we moved into the new Millennium so it looks as though this tradition that dates back to the time of the Celts, is here to stay.

Is, or was, your wedding in the Summer? Let me know below :-)