http://www.kymbigwood.com en-gb kymbigwood.com 2009-6-19T00:00:00Z kymbigwood.com http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#43567 Ive moved my blog to blogspot and you can find it by clicking the link belowhttpkymbigwood.blogspot.com 2009-6-19T00:00:00Z http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#42034 Chelsea Flower Show started yesterday it looked glorious and reminded me yet again that I must try and get there next year especially as Im in London. As I looked out at my own small garden there is nowhere as near the flowers in bloom although one of my roses has now opened and looks lovely.The rose was planted in memory of my late grandmother who was an avid gardener and my childhood memories of her always included a large rambling rose along the left and top of her wall the rose was a Pauls Scarlet. After she died I came across one of these roses and planted it in my own garden on the left hand wall. Nothing happened for two years then it had its first flower opened on her birthday in early June...spooky stuffI belong to an online group of fellow jewellery designers The End of the Rainbow. A challenge was set for this month to design something that reminded us of May. My design was based on my grandmothers roses a sterling silver pendant with a cluster of gemstones in rhodo... 2009-5-21T00:00:00Z http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#41813 Im now registered with the London Assay Office for hallmarking my silver work that is required by law and I have received my makers mark and metal punch Under the UK Hallmarking Act 1973 it is illegal for an item to be sold as a precious metal without a hallmark unless it is below a minimum weight 7.78g for silver. Items over the minimum weight must be submitted for hallmarking and will be stamped with at least 3 marks the makers mark the Assay Office stamp and the stamp that shows the purity of the metal. Without the UK hallmark sterling silver items over 7.78g cannot be described and sold as sterling silver only as white metal.Until now everything that I have sold in sterling or fine silver has been below the minimum weight and I have kept those items above that weight for personal use or given as gifts. But now the world is my lobster... 2009-5-18T00:00:00Z http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#41804 Ive been enjoying tinkering around with silver for the last couple of days having fun with texturing and soldering. Ive been doing silver work for about 4 years on and off but for the last few months Ive got back into the swing of it again. Id made a few pieces for christmas gifts and to sell on my stall at Greenwich Markets these were well received and sold so Ive slowly added pieces to my collection on sale.The latest work involves adding texture to sterling silver sheet by rolling the silver with textured items through a rolling mill. Ive used dried leaves nylon netting and wrapped wire to create chaotic patterns added bezelset stones pebbles of silver or just left it alone to sparkle on its own. 2009-5-12T00:00:00Z http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#41802 Ive had my new gift boxes delivered today and how excited am I Well a bit like a kid in a candy shop all high on additives and zipping around. Of course the boxes are purple with my name embossed in silver on the front 2009-5-9T00:00:00Z http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#40565 What an exciting and inspiring afternoonI volunteered to work at the London Marathon to carry out postmarathon massages to the runners for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Ive never done this before but friends who had volunteered in previous years have also reported very positive things about the occasion. The postmarathon reception was held in a bar close to Charing Cross station here the runners along with their friends and family could get a bite to eat and a drink and each runner had the opportunity to receive a leg massage. There were 10 massage therapists 3 couches and around 70 runners massaged during the afternoon.It was a vibrant and buoyant atmosphere the runners were exhausted and aching but rightly proud and happy with their achievement. It was fabulous to meet everyone and hear their stories work with fellow therapists in pairs and even though my arms and wrists are aching nicely this evening and will be even more so in the morning I am so pleased that I did it. Off to bed... 2009-4-26T00:00:00Z http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#39440 Its been a busy week so far...Id sold a number of designs at Greenwich Market over the weekend so I needed to fill in the gaps for my stock and of course it was the end of the current tax year so getting some paperwork tidied up has been a priority.I belong to an online group of fellow jewellers and lampwork artists called The End of the Rainbow who set challenges and themes for designs. One of this months themes is Lapis Lazuli so I got my thinking cap on and designed a lush pair of earrings with 14ct goldfilled metal woven with lapis lazuli freshwater pearls swarovski crystals and turquoise hung on handformed earwires.I have also managed to finish off one of the designs I started last week depicting a butterfly hovering over the water shown above its a pendant made from a handformed sterling silver ring with a butterfly soldered onto it above waves of silver wire handwoven with gemstones of lapis lazuli and iolite which is also known as water sapphire.Of course there als... 2009-4-9T00:00:00Z http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#38680 I was continuing my spring clean in the officeworkshop today and came across my photos from India. There are 2 photos among the batch that just summed up the whole Kerala trip...An everyday occurrence...if you are in KeralaWe were just tootling down the road in Fort Cochin when we came across a traffic jam the local Temple elephant at work. You can even see a white Ambassador car in the scene also known as a Keralan bus. Magical...I have more pictures of palm trees from Kerala than I know what to do with this is one of my favourites that I took during a trip in The Backwaters....so atmospheric. 2009-3-25T00:00:00Z http://www.kymbigwood.com/page24.htm#38679 Mmm this blogging malarky is all new to me but Ive been persuaded it will be fun Ive a feeling its going to take time for me to feel completely comfortable with sharing.Since my return from holiday to India Ive been in a creative wilderness struggling to find inspiration for new ideas or even for old ones. Over the weekend I thought it was time to do some spring cleaning in the workshop and I came across a stash of gorgeous handmade lampwork beads sitting in a box. Id had them for a while and they were poor little orphans the remains of sets that Id used in designs. Well it was time to clear them out and flog the orphans or make something with them. Well guess what I did on mothers day then A marriage made in heaven gorgeous handmade beads teamed with some natural gemstones to create oneofakind pendants earrings and bracelets. The designs can be found on the New Items page. 2009-3-23T00:00:00Z