Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design Blog

Hello

Yesterday Alice and I went to the AGM for the CJRP (the Council of Responsible Jewellery Practices ) http://www.responsiblejewellery.com

We were one of the first members of the CJRP and like to keep up with what is going on as this area of working practices within the industry is so important to us, and we'ven been talking a lot with our suppliers about how we can be certain that the gems and precious metal we are using have been mined in a responsible way, which isn't always easy with these things that have historically been seen as the ultimate in portable, untraceable wealth.

Matt Runci gave an inspiring talk about their year and how we've been going about setting up a trusted and externally verified community of confidence within the jewellery industry. This kind of community doesn't seem to have a precedent in any other industry.

Fiona Solomon explained how they have been working hard on a 5-step system of achieving this which consists, in summary, of first a self assessment of the business against the CRJP's code of practice, then this is submitted to external auditors and whether the business complies or not is then decided on by the committee the basis of this audit. Businesses who comply will then be granted a certificate - a sort of 'rubber stamp' of approval. There are checks and balances in place.

Charlotte Morris, their new operations manager explained (amongst other things) how they plan to support business during this process and about the importance of training and accreditation of the relevant auditors.

John Hall also talked about how this will be communicated both nationally and internationally.

I worry a bit about how this system and even membership will work for smaller businesses and have been thinking a lot about this since the meeting. I discussed this with Charlotte and Melissa (communications) at length with them and we plan to meet up to discuss it further. They urged me to show and explain how things would need to be for us (and maybe other smaller businesses) to encourage and promote this important framework.

Otherwise I am concerned that this certification process may exclude smaller companies pushing them out of the loop which would be very worrying on many levels. The BJAhttp://www.bja.org.uk/ and the NAG http://www.jewellers-online.org/ are involved and they and the CJRP are very keen to find ways to encourage all kinds of businesses within the industry including smaller ones and I gather they are discussing ways of making compliance not too hard for smaller businesses too

I also discussed my worries about coloured gemstones at the moment with Charlotte after the meeting. This is, of course, out of the current scope of the CJRP as they are starting by concentrating on diamonds and precious metal. But it is very much on my mind as it is very important within our business and increasingly so within the industry as a whole, and I'm keen to see them brought into the process sooner rather than later, as this is a very complicated area and you have to start somewhere. We currently do everything possible to find out where and how the gemstones we use are mined, and for some we know for certain and can guarantee they are ethically sourced. For others we are as certain as we can be - what we have to do in this important area is rely on people we trust who are working with people they trust - this chain of trust is what the jewellery industry was founded on and generally it works well - but this doesn't feel good enough and it would be great to have a formal system of checks.

Charlotte suggested that we start to at least send our suppliers the formal questions from the CJRP that we would like answered even at this early stage so that they know the standards we would like them to adhere to, and that they would be able to start to talk with them about the relevant parts of the CJRP code of practice even at this early stage. This will also mean that when the CJRP begin to include coloured gemstones in the future, they are better prepared. This sounds like a great way forward. As she said, taking steps in the right direction ultimately makes the whole journey shorter.

Harriet

PS - you can find out more here:- http://www.responsiblejewellery.com / or download the code of practice here. http://www.responsiblejewellery.com/what.htm.

There is baby fever here in our Halls Green studio. Jo, our showroom supervisor has just given birth to a beautiful girl Mia, and Deborah, our Accounts Manager and jewellery Maker has just announced she is pregnant! Which brings me nicely to the thought of eternity rings and other jewellery to celebrate the birth of a child!

Opinions vary widely as to an appropriate time for the giving and receiving of an eternity ring. Most would have you all believe that the first wedding anniversary is the right time. I suppose it beats paper!Others believe that the birth of the first child is an appropriate time, and if most men could empathise with their wives over the pain of childbirth, I am sure they would gladly prefer to buy an eternity ring, than to go through the alternative.

We believe it is for the individual couple to decide upon an appropriate time for an eternity ring, anything and anytime goes! We hear much good-natured banter between couples discussing the fact that a year together seems like an eternity, or that the wife has head to wait an eternity, or some variation on this theme, but what a better time to celebrate is after the birth of a child.

Many of our eternity rings take the form of a band set with your family's birth or astrological stones, but there are of course many ways to design an eternity ring.

How about a 9ct white gold band set with scatter pink and blue sapphires for the birth of girl and boy twins?

Or a beautiful pink sapphire ring for the birth of a baby girl? Or blue sapphires for a baby boy?

Or using the relevant birth stones in a ring depending on the month of the birth of a child perhaps?This eternity ring is set with alternating diamonds and amethysts, set around the front, this could be given in celebration of a child born in February

What about this stunning diamond and platinum eternity ring, inspired by starry skies to celebrate the birth of a child born in the month of April?

There are SO many choices, so no excuse not to surprise, or commission your loved one with an eternity ring (and yes, an eternity ring DOES take the edge of childbirth!) so it is worth it!

Hi

We have some really exciting employment opportunities here at our Halls Green design studio at the moment. We are currently looking to recruit a design graduate to join our exceptional team of designers as a Junior Design Assistant and also we are looking for a Manager for our beautiful studio. More details can be found on the website here http://www.hkjewellery.co.uk/web/page/employment. If you are interested or know anyone who might be please contact me at alison@hkjewellery.co.uk.

Kerrie-Ann, design assistant

Ali

If you are worried about saving your pennies this spring, it is a good idea to choose jewellery this season which is very versatile so that you can get several looks from one piece that will go on and on throughout the summer and beyond. Here are a couple of suggestions of longer necklaces from the http://www.purple-label.com/ spring collection which are fabulous and can also be looped in different ways to create several different looks with the same piece...

Alice Rochester designed this one and it is characteristic to her style as it is young, fun but can also look elegant and grown up with the right outfit. The different tones of crystal mean that this goes with many different tones of pinks and reds and we also thought it looked great with neutral colours like this grey dress.

The Om Symbol is a very interesting one first introduced to me by my sister who is a hatha yoga teacher in St Albans http://www.theyogahall.co.uk/. 'Aum' or 'Om' is a sanskrit monosyllable which represents the very essence of the human being. It is the oldest and most venerated of all Hindu mantras is also employed in Buddhism and spiritual endeavour (Yoga). In addition to what it represents, the pendant also just looks great and is an interesting conversation starter. This necklace (and our other polish finished more delicate Om pendant is worn every day by many of our customers...including my sister!

We had great fun with this necklace designed by Tracy Furlong looping it round in all different ways and almost squabbled during the fashion shoot as to which way it looked best! The options seem limitless and the many different tones of green of the chrysophase mean that this goes with all sorts of shades of green, brown and grey. The matching earrings also look great on their own and give you alternative combinations to further increase the number of ways in which you can wear this one!

See you soon

Harriet Kelsall

PS - In case you are interested in Yoga an in the St Albans Area visit out my sister's yoga hall - http://www.theyogahall.co.uk/

Sometimes people contact us who want to get a mass produced ring that they have seen elsewhere, which might be a bit too costly for them, made as a bespoke ring but cheaper. We'd never copy another jeweller's design as this is not only unethical but against the law, but what we can do is use this design as a starting point and come up with something maybe along similar lines that has something personal for you in it too - after all, this is what having a bespoke ring is all about - a personal touch. It isn't all about price. An engagement ring shouldn't be something that is just churned out in 10 minutes by a mass producing overseas jeweller.

And on that subject, we also often get e-mails from customers who are comparing the prices of gemstones, especially diamonds. This is easy to spot because they ask for something very precise (eg they say 'I am looking for a G VS2 0.52cts diamond in a platinum ring'). There are loads of loose diamond dealers out there who want to convince you that those measurements are the whole story, which would make it very easy to compare prices over the internet and select the best diamond for your money, sight unseen. The internet has made it very easy to compare prices of things which is often a really good thing. For example http://www.moneysupermarket.com/ is a very useful site. However, it is important to realise that not all things can be compared in this way.

If you describe a car as a 'MK3 Golf GTI with electric windows and a sun roof' then this is worded in a way that everybody could compare this with another. A better one would be a newer one, or one with less miles, better bodywork or sat nav etc. However, hand crafted things can't be compared this way and nor can natural things.

For example, if you wanted to buy a tree online, it wouldn't be enough for you to know that you were buying a half standard oak tree of certain dimensions with/without root ball...you would also want to know that the tree would be healthy and well-grown, and that the site were real experts and could guide you on the best way to plant it etc. A tree is forever - right? Or that is the hope. You don't want to buy a rubbish one.

OK - this one may be a shock - but diamonds are more like oak trees than they are like cars. Yes - they have been carefully cut by people and lasers, but they are essentially natural things that come from the ground.

Here is the important part - no two diamonds are the same. And even two diamonds which are both defined as, say, G VS 0.50cts brilliant cut diamonds will also not be the same - not even when they have the same proportions, symmetry, polish and fluorescence will they be the same. There are loads of companies out there telling you on their sites that diamonds are just a lump of carbon and one is just the same as the other once the 4 c's compare. This is not true - they are only saying this to try to get you to buy their stones on spec without seeing them. They are just after your money!

A full certificate will go through all sorts of details about the diamond including the cut and cutting style, the weight, colour, clarity, polish, symmetry, fluorescence etc and will include diagrams of the stone including positions of any inclusions. But this does not cover all of the characteristics of a diamond. To say that is does is a bit like saying that you can entirely trust that a beautiful view will be lovely by explaining (without seeing it) that it has a certain proportion of sky, land, colours, sun, etc. Every natural diamond is completely unique some are much more sparkly and full of fire than others.

I read a great analogy about this recently in jewellery focus magazine - a jeweller said that when his customers say that they want to buy a diamond that has to be, for example, an E colour, VS clarity and 0.50cts in weight, he tells them that this is like saying that they want to choose a blonde to marry by describing her vital statistics! There is much more to a diamond than just what appears on the certificate and you need to buy a diamond from somebody you totally trust not only to get the quality right for you but also to choose you a diamond with fire and life within it.

In addition to this, the diamonds are graded by people - and so two experts may grade the same stone slightly differently anyway (in theory it shouldn't be drastically differently - but one may say a stone is a VS2 whilst the other will define it as an SI1 if it is on the boundary of quality for example).

The thing with diamonds, is that miniscule factors about the diamond which are not detectable by the human eye of anybody other than an expert can vastly effect the price of the stone. So if you aren't sure what you are buying or more importantly who you are buying from, a certificate can, to some extent give you peace of mind that you are actually buying what you think you are buying. Although the criteria on the certificate certainly won't identify whether the stone is beautiful or not, it will ensure that you are at least getting the vital statistics that you are paying for.

This is the reason that the big diamond websites all bang on about their certificates - they know that you are not going to feel confident to buy a diamond from them unless their diamonds are accompanied by certificates. They rarely even have a shop front, let alone a history and reputation to give you faith that what they say is an H SI1 ideally cut diamond is that and so of course you need to insist on having a certificate. And of course they want your money - they will eliminate telling you that the certificate is, of course, not all that you need to define a diamond's beauty.

When we choose a diamond for a ring, we only choose one that is really really good and has that 'X' factor sometimes called fire. This is the case for our ready-to-wear rings or for our commission rings. During the commission process we also strive to educate you a bit on diamonds so that you can feel confident in the choices in front of you and understand what you are paying for - and can decide whether your priorities are size or quality for example.

So if you e-mail us and ask us for a quote to compare against a ring that you have seen online, and our quote comes out a bit higher this will be because the diamond will be better and the mount will be hand made and good quality. it won't be because we are more expensive for the same thing. In fact, like for like our diamond prices are generally below the UK average. It's true that our mounts can come out a little more expensive, but for your money you are getting a properly hand made, unique ring rather than a mass produced one.

Each of our rings takes many hours to hand make and hand craft. We have the ability not only to do 'meccano' with cast parts from jewellery catalogues, but also to hand forge from scratch if a design requires it. We have all the traditional skills you can need to do the right thing for your design and budget.

Most rings that you will see in all high street jewellers etc are mass produced and are made in approximately 10 minutes - everything else is done by mass production processes. Our rings, however, go through many hours of time of skilled designers and craftsmen and can have 20 or 30 hours work lavished on it Our experts will source a range of gemstones to find the perfect one for you, and can gather you a selection to your budget and needs - maybe showing you different quality and cost options so you can make an informed decision. We will help you choose from some great options and will hold your hand through this important purchase as much or as little as you want.

It is also the case that we have had many customers come to us in the last few years saying 'I'm tearing my hair out! I e-mailed you for a quote for my engagement ring a few years ago and yours was a little bit more costly so I went for the cheaper option...however I have had endless trouble with my ring had made elsewhere and the stone keeps coming loose - please can I come back to you and have you do it properly! I wish I had done that from the start!'. Often they end up starting again with a proper, hand made ring designed especially for them, when going for this in the first place would have been much cheaper.

If you're considering commissioning a ring and wondering where to buy a gemstone, please do get in touch and talk to us about it - you might be pleasantly surprised.

Harriet

Hi there

Just a quick update on when you can see us on your TV!

Tales From The Country will be shown this Sunday the 20th at 6pm on ITV London

If you are in other regions it will be shown in Anglia region on the 15th May and Central on 22nd June!

I recently created a display in the showroom that was inspired by my make up bag using siren red Jade which reminded me of glossy red nails and mixed this with Black net Jasper which reminded me of mascara.

This then inspired me to look at make up and beauty trends, as there is no better way to lift and enhance the eye shadow that you are wearing than with a colour enhancing necklace! Spring make up should be light and bright and with Lilac being tipped as a big colour for eye shadows I thought I would do a blog to single out the best pieces to team with this look.

I have selected a few pieces from our Purple Label collection that would look lovely with a light dusting of lilac powder.

Lilac is a romantic colour and certainly has a calming effect. I found some lovely shades available here;

http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/templates/collections/collection.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT12506

http://www.d ior.com/pcd/International/JSP/Library/Full/full_L1.jsp?CAT=0

http://www.bourjois.co.uk/sbl_look_s pring08.html

Jodie x

Just a quick thing that I thought you might be interested in - I was reading Breakthrough Breast Cancer's magazine 'Purple' last night and I spotted an article about a trial they're conducting using a platinum based drug to combat 'Triple Negative' type tumours. Isn't it amazing that platinum can be used like this too?! The drug's called carboplatin, and trials will be on-going for the next five years or so. If you're interested, more information about the trials can be found here

http://ww w.breakthroughresearch.org.uk/clinical_trials/tnt_trial/index.html along with some of the other work that Breakthrough is involved in.

Here it is! Attached is the link to the Financial Times article that appeared last weekend!

http://www.ft.com/yourmoney/ftentrepreneur

We're going to be improving our minds with the Financial Times this weekend, because Harriet is going to be featured in it. She was interviewed last week for the business section, for an article about how the rural businesses are making use of the internet. We also had a nice young photographer come fresh from photographing President Sarkozy to do Harriet's close up. Check it out at FT.com