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Deborah Souza
8th May 2013 13:13

Amethyst and Pearl cluster necklace

 

I've been looking at our collection of amethyst jewellery as it happens to be my birthstone and the Anniversary stone for 6 years. As my 6th Wedding Anniversary is looming it seems fitting for me to celebrate with amethyst!

Amethyst and Pearl cluster

This amethyst and pearl cluster pendant is simple and elegant. The pendant is made up of an amethyst nugget, river pearls and synthetic moonstone all thread onto a silk necklet, making it very comfortable to wear. The amethyst is quite a bit larger than the other stones so it stands out beautifully.

Amethyst, when worn, is said to heighten your natural intuition and help get in touch with your inner self, bringing peace and calm to your life - something I could most certainly do with!!

Deborah Souza-Smith

Deborah Souza
 
Rebecca Barnes
1st May 2013 15:51

Diamond daffodil inspired engagement ring

 

Last weekend I attended the RHS flower show set in the shadow of Cardiff Castle and Millennium Stadium. Whilst wondering around in the gorgeous sun, I caught myself standing in front of a display with what must have been hundreds of different types of Daffodils! Who knew there was more than a couple! After admiring the beautiful colours and shapes of the flowers they quickly reminded me of a lovely mixed gold colour diamond daffodil inspired engagement ring we have in the cabinet here in our Halls Green Studio.

Mixed gold colours diamond engagement ring inspired by daffodils

The band of the ring is 18ct white gold with the flower being made from 18ct yellow gold. The petals of the flower hold a beautiful 2mm brilliant cut H SI diamond in the head of the flower. The ring was designed by Harriet Kelsall and is perfect for a spring proposal!

RHS flower show
Rebecca Barnes
 
Parul Patel
27th April 2013 11:13

Another piece to add to my wish list

 

I recently saw this stunning Rock Crystal and Swarovski pendant in our Hertfordshire showroom. What struck me about this piece that it is really simple and elegant and something that would complement any number of outfits in my wardrobe?

I love the way the crackled rock crystals are off-set by the Sterling silver snake style chain. Another piece to add to my wish list.

ROCK CRYSTAL AND SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL PENDANT
Parul Patel
 
Kirsty Brown
26th April 2013 12:50

Kids Design Compeition

 

Heya,

we have a fantastic kids design compeition running throughout the month of May.

Get your kids to unleash their creativity and design a fantastic crown for either William or Kate and they could be in with a chance of winning one of our fantastic jewellery making kits!

Simply design a crown for the future King or Queen, on one side of plain a4 paper with your name, age, and phone number on the back and you may be our lucky winner!

Entries can be dropped into us in person, at our Hertfordshire jewellery centre, by post or email.

We have 3 age catergories for this great competiton: under 4, 5-9 and 10+

The closing date for the competition is 31st May.

All the entries will be judged by Harriet and our head of design Rebecca - with the winners being announced at our Summer Jewellery event on 8th June.

There will be lots going on at the summer event, including kids jewellery making - so be sure to pop on down!

Good luck everyone!

Kirsty Brown
 
Theodora Marshall
16th April 2013 12:56

Sapphires for a Dazzling Engagement Ring

 

One of the fantastic thing about working for Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Design is the lovely range of gemstones you can oogle!

Sapphires are always a popular choice for engagement rings, wedding rings and a whole array of different types of jewellery. This lovely pale blue sapphire has been recently catching my eye.

Sapphire

This is a wonderful choice for someone who is looking for something really unique. It has an unusual band of colour zoning running diagonally through the stone to give a 'yin-yang' type affect of dark and light colours. This stone has a really beautiful pale blue colour and is lovely and sparkly… a real find!

It is certainly a head turner with a weight of 1.57ct, it has a good depth and measures approximately 8x6mm in an octagonal step cut. This stone is a really lovely option and has a fantastic level of clarity.

Did you know that sapphires are known as allochromatic? This means that their body colour is a result of trace impurities in the stone rather than an essential part of their composition. In the case of a blue sapphire, its colour derives from the presence of iron and titanium.

Sapphires are a member of the corundum family and are available in a vast array of colours including pink, green, white, red (known as a ruby), padparadscha (an unusual colour which combines pink and orange in a single stone) etc. Sapphires can also be sourced with a number of unusual feature, for example have you ever heard of a star sapphire? These lovely gemstones have a feature known as asterism which gives the gemstone the appearance of a star with rays coming out from its centre, this is a result of a unique alignment of rutile needles and tubes within the structure of the material and can be quite a sight to see! Sapphires can also be produced and grown in a laboratory. Did you know that synthetic sapphires began being produced back in the late 19th century?

Check out our galleries to get some Sapphire engagement ring inspiration!

X Teddy

Theodora Marshall
 
Harriet Kelsall
8th April 2013 17:03

Kids Craft and recycling project, making soap on a rope

 

I love encouraging kids to be creative and like my kids to think about making something before they think about just buying something bland from the shops. And also we're really into recycling wherever we can.

The other day my 3 year old was sad that her soap-on-a-rope that she had been given last summer had finally run out. So we decided to embark a soap-on-a-rope making project. It only took about 20 minutes with all 4 of us helping out with the first step.

Step 1: Gather all the old little bits of soap from around the house (and you can include bar or two of new basic soap if you like) and grate it all up with a hand cheese grater.

Step 2: Add a small amount of hand-hot water.

Step 3: Wear rubber gloves and mix it all together - the consistency should be similar to playdough.

Step 4:- Add some essential oils if you like (I think you can add food colouring too although I didn't). We chose to add some tea tree oil and some geranium oil and added about 30 drops of each.

Step 5: Mix it all some more with your hands (Again use rubber gloves).

Step 6: start to spread it out a little like thick pastry on a piece of grease-proof paper.

Step 7: Get some rope or ribbon (we recycled the old rope from one Ellie had been given but you can use whatever you have, old paper bag cord handles work well) and wrap the soap round it so it goes down the centre.

Step 8: Mould the soap into whatever shape you like around the rope or ribbon (we chose an egg shape as it is the Easter holidays).

Step 9: You can add a face or other details if you like.

Step 10: Put it in a warm place (like the airing cupboard) to dry for at least a couple of days.

By the way, it is always a good idea to keep soap when you buy it for a few months in the airing cupboard or in your clothes drawers. In that time it hardens up and lasts much longer as a result which is better for the environment. Also whilst it is in the airing cupboard, the scent from the soap gradually seeps into your sheets and towels which is lovely same goes for scented candles.

kidscraft1
kidscraft2
kidscraft3
kidscraft4

We'd love it if you tweet us your pictures of creative projects you've been up to with your kids @HKBespoke and @HarrietKelsall

See you soon,

Harriet

Harriet Kelsall
 
Kirsty Brown
5th April 2013 11:22

Boutique Retailer of the Year?

 

Very excited we have been shortlisted as Boutique Retailer of the Year at the 2013 UK Jewellery Awards!

This is the second year in a row we have been shortlisted for this award, and we are over the moon to be nominated again!

Thanks to everyone for their support!

Kirsty x

Kirsty Brown
 
Simon Gibbons
2nd April 2013 12:51

Birth Stone Engagement Rings

 

Recently we have seen a rise in customers selecting stones from our own stock to mount in their unique ring and in some cases proposing with a stone first and then arranging a consultation with their partner to discuss with one of our Designers the design for a bespoke ring to mount the stone in. This works really well when the lady has a love for a colour, a favourite particular type of stone and of course a birth stone is a popular option too; incidentally we have a lovely selection of birth stone engagement rings too.

Diamond, birth stone for April

In one of my previous blogs I wrote about the lovely presentation area we have created in our Halls Green Jewellery Centre and how this helps provide information about some of the key aspects of what we do and incorporates a lovely display of some of the stones that we have. We take pride in not only being able to provide a wide range of stones, but also in investing in the training of our team with Teddy close to completing her Gem-A course and is already been achieving excellent marks in the challenging assignments, no pressure for the forthcoming final exams!

Simon Gibbons
 
Kirsty Brown
28th March 2013 14:14

Harriet's Heart Surgery

 

Heya

Just wanted to mention a great article that has just gone up on Business Matters Magazine.

Harriet was interviewed by them a little while ago about her life changing heart surgery. It's an inspirational read check it out.

Kirsty x

Kirsty Brown
 
Deborah Souza
28th March 2013 11:07

Fully Handmade Engagement Rings

 

During my time at Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, I have been fortunate to be part of the team in the workshop, working alongside some extremely talented Goldsmiths! Although these days I stick to the Accounts on a part time basis (after having my two wonderful boys!), I hope one day to return to the bench.

Our workshop

Having a fully handmade piece of jewellery is something really special. A lot of effort and skill goes into each and every piece. There are several stages to go through before your jewellery becomes the beautiful finished article to be treasured forever. Take a look how to commission an engagement ring on our website to see what our brilliant team of Goldsmiths do

Deborah Souza
 

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  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, North Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Halls Green, Weston, Hertfordshire, SG4 7DP, England
    Phone: +44 (0)1462 790565 Fax: +44 (0)1462 790140 enquiries@hkjewellery.co.uk
  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, 6/7 Green Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3JU, England.
    Phone: +44 (0)1223 461333 Fax: +44 (0)1223 365269 cambridge@hkjewellery.co.uk

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