My first sterling silver, artisan jewellery ring, featuring a micro mosaic and completed on Valentine’s Day ‘26. Complete with a watching eye, stylistically reminiscent of the Powerpuff Girls cartoon from the 90s.
This is accompanied by a gorgeous pink tourmaline, a gemstone alined to the heart chakra and symbolising love, compassion, emotional healing.
It’s almost a year since my visit to the Mosaic art school in Ravenna, Italy, to follow a course on the ancient technique of micro mosaics.
During the course, I discovered a love for fire, as I pulled the fine filati threads with tongs from the molten smalti blocks, melted by blow torch. This was contrasted by the slow, therapeutic process of cutting the coloured filati threads into minuscule, millimetre long pieces and setting them into the fudge-like stucco in the pendant bezel. Each one taking many hours to complete.
Once home, with the idea of creating more unique pieces, I researched and purchased sterling silver bezels online. They were handmade from Bali and beautiful, but I decided it would be more cost effective to learn to make my own to avoid the exorbitant charges of import tax.
With no prior experience (best way), I embarked on a two-month jewellery course and binge watched YouTube videos. This taught me the basics of how to cut, shape and solder precious metals. Soldering is a real learning curve and all I can say on this one is - ignore the molten attempts and persevere - it will pay off.
For simplicity’s sake and until I have a proper torch set up, I ordered a selection of filati colours online, so I can dive into my new found passion of jewellery design. My mother was an exceptionally creative jeweller, so I recon it’s probably in the genes!
