Commission

It isn't something I do an awful lot of these days. I found myself making a lot of jewellery in the run up to Christmas last year.

Jewellery is one of those things that I don't mind making in small quantities, I'll make a few things for myself or as gifts but it isn't something I enjoy enough to do it full time.

However, a friend asked me if I would mind making some for her to wear to a wedding at the end of July.

Luckily she's quite specific in what she wanted because with me being no expert on jewellery making if her instructions had been at all vague I'd have been completely stumped. She'll be wearing a pale blue maxi dress with a halter neck and a slight plunge to the neckline so she asked for a very simple chain but with something a bit more elaborate at the end than a single pendant and she wanted a bracelet and earrings to go with the necklace but didn't want everything to be too matchy matchy.

More importantly though, she's pretty much tapped herself on the dress so the jewellery couldn't be too expensive or overly dressy that she wouldn't be happy to wear bits and pieces of it on your average day out for a walk in the park with the kids.

She called yesterday to collect them and I'm glad to say that she was really happy with them.

I used nickel free silver plate for the findings and chain and sterling silver for the ear wires. She's one of the lucky people who doesn't seem to react to nickel at all, but I just prefer the nickel free stuff, it seems to stand up to a bit more man handling if I'm honest, regular silver plate seems to chip quite easily, or at least it does in my hands. I was lucky and able to pick up some clearance beads in colours she loved from Jillybeads and the little jewelled disc which the beads are suspended from on the necklace was harvested from some old jewellery.

All in all, I'm really pleased that I was able to give her something nice and still have it come in under budget for her too.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've been missing my sewing machine something awful.