Frequently asked questions

Throughout Degree Show, there were a few questions that we asked repeatedly. So I thought I’d put together a quick FAQ. It kind of sums up what I do and why I do it anyway, so it might actually be a good thing now that I’ve got something to point people to. Anyhoo, here goes.

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What’s the inspiration for the collection?

The collection is inspired by the story of 2 women. Have you heard of the story of Ruth and Naomi? It’s their story through the desert. So you can see some imagery taken directly from the text (Lineage of Grace, by Francine Rivers), and materials from the location. The sand is from the actual desert that the story took place in! Well, that general area anyway.

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Why stories?

2 reasons.

ONE - 
I tell stories because we have a waste problem, and it makes me angry to see us destroying our planet through consumption. As I was researching for the collection, I looked at heirlooms and realised stories are what makes things valuable, and that’s what makes a piece more likely to be kept and passed on, which means fewer things in landfill.

TWO - 
I want to tell your stories because in telling your stories, in seeing a piece and wearing a physical object about that story, in telling someone your story to someone who asks about your jewellery, you remember. You remember what you’ve been through, and that you’re here now. You got through that, and you can go through anything. Because if you think about, your survival rate through all those tough times has been 100%.

So hopefully, that inspires you, and that person you’re telling that life is big, and it’s meant to be lived. (:

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Why the pearl?

I like the pearl. Have always been drawn to it, but I think that has something to do with its rich associations in cultures around the world, in history and in nature. It’s a lot so that’s a story for another time. But for now, I just want to bring your attention to the fact that the pearl is the only gem on earth that’s ready made. It’s useable from its point of extraction, no need for faceting and all that fancy jazz.

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Are the pearls real?

Yes, the pearls are real. By real, I mean they came from an animal, and isn’t made of glass. The pearls I use are freshwater cultured pearls, which means they are farmed. Culturing pearls require the environment to be pristine, and animals to be kept alive, which isn’t easy because mussels are sensitive creatures. So, that’s good for the oceans because pearl farmers make a huge, conscious effort to protect the surroundings.

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Love your business card, what do you mean by it?

If you haven’t seen the card, the job description says patient storyteller and honest jewellery maker. It just means I will sit and listen and we will chat until we figure out how to tell your story. And the honest bit, that’s because I do whatever I can to make sure my processes and materials are as earth friendly as possible, and that people weren’t hurt in the process. It ties in with my material choices (the pearl, and ecosilver, etc), and why I tell stories.

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What’s next for you?

I’m going to be studying gemmology (yes, I actually really enjoy studying, but I’m mostly excited to be more in awe at how incredibly made this planet is) part time. And I’m looking into telling more personal stories (your stories, not mine!). So if you have a story you want to tell / remember, and you want a piece of jewellery made, let’s chat (appointments entail no obligations).

Also, I’m considering taking on a bench job to learn from the pros. Specifically in jewellery repair because I think there’s something so sacred in fixing something used and meaningful. So if you, or anyone you know, is looking for a studio assistant, please get in touch!

On pricing

Pricing and setting up a collection of jewellery that I’ve literally spent the last 9 months incubating and birthing, is an emotional journey. How do you put a monetary value on something so close to your heart? And how can anyone bear to put up their brainchild for display where anyone and everyone can love up and hate on?

The thoughts and the comments have been intense - all time highs, amazement, crippling fear and doubt, confidence, imposter syndrome, and all that flipping mess.

You need to be proud of this

You need to charge for your time, for your ideas, for your skills, and that’s priceless

Oh, you’re so inspiring

Who the heck am I to get to display this

Well someone might like it enough to pay for it

Oh, definitely ask for the higher end

That’s quite a demanding price

People won’t see the time it takes to make this

This is beautiful

This is going to cost me a lot of money, isn’t it

The Perfect Shade

I thought I knew what colour I wanted for the wall display, but when faced with this huge wall of paint swatches, I felt like I knew nothing of what I wanted and thought would be good. But at the same time, I also knew with 100% certainty about what I wanted to achieve. It was a feeling, and I just needed to find out how to translate a feeling into a something everyone can see.

Had to get a few tester pots, mixed and matched, and got the perfect colour (almost entirely by chance), and it ended up being a mix of 2 colours. They were Packed Sand, and Thousand Shells. How appropriate for the collection, don’t you think!

Ps. People who name paints must be one of the most creative people around. Paint names always make me smile.

Learning to work with the pros

Getting photos professionally taken today! These images are pricey, but they're like paying for a piece of handmade. It's taken time and effort and money for photographers to get as good as they are. And if I say I support handmade, then the same principle should apply to digital work, no? 🙂 #comingtond

24 Likes, 0 Comments - Jewellery & cræft by Abigail C (@abigailchui) on Instagram: "Getting photos professionally taken today! These images are pricey, but they're like paying for a..."

Received the professional photos from Shannon Tofts today! It was interesting, working with a professional photographer. I learnt that we need to be decisive, and assertive. Not in an aggressive way, but in a firm, knowing manner. It’s quite funny how I went in with a picture in my head of how I wanted my images to look (budgeted for 2 images), but ended up scrapping them at the very last minute.

We arranged the appointment as a group, and he requested we only go in in pairs so as not to crown the studio. Zoe got hers photographed before me, and as I watched and helped hold a reflector, I kind of saw how he worked and a little bit of what kind of image layouts worked and what didn’t. So in an outright denial of my brain, I went with my gut to go with the flow of what I saw Shannon was good at.

That, coupled with a constant voice in my head reminding me to make quick instinctual decisions and not linger too long on any one thing, resulted in some pretty dang good images. Shannon’s good at what he does, and he knows it. And he’s not afraid to charge for his time and expertise. And realising that paying for photos to be taken by a professional is equivalent to paying premiums on a piece of handmade was a real light bulb moment for me.

Also, on a completely random side note, I attempted to drive my friend’s car to re-park it when a lot became free, and could not for the life of me get it to move. I thought it was me, but Zoe couldn’t move it either so that made me feel somewhat better.

On cleaning silver: a competition between natural and synthetic agents

This one’s fun. I needed to clean a bunch of cast sterling silver knots, and for some reason, cast silver always looks oxidised without me ever doing anything. But anyway, I had tomato ketchup because we wanted some for a chippy the other day, and I had brasso. I’d heard of people using tomato ketchup for cleaning silver jewellery before because the acids in it gets rid of the oils and grime, or something like that. So I thought I’d give it a shot. And guess what, it actually works!

The top pile is the original, the lower left are knots cleaned with ketchup, and the right are knots cleaned with brasso.

Here’s how I used it:
Cover entire pile of knots with ketchup, shaking to make sure it’s fully covered. Leave for half an hour, and wash with water after. That’s it!

Just note that as I mentioned earlier, cast silver often comes out darker than the polished silver we usually see. So this experiment would probably turn out different with them than with these cast knots that I used.

End drill bit snapping!

Previously, I mentioned snapping drill bits because I was drilling so many tiny holes consecutively. Since then, I’ve figured out a method to prevent them from snapping so often, and thus saving money and precious resources! Apart from the usual tip of either using a pendant drill very steadily, or using the table drill so that you are definitely going into the metal at a 90 degree angle, and centre punching all drill holes, here’s the other tip. It’s more of a secret ingredient to be honest.

Here’s how it works:

The bit often snaps because it’s weakened from the heat from repetitive use. The oil acts as a lubricant and keeps the metals cool, and thus makes it less prone to snapping.

To use, apply a tiny bit of oil onto the drill bit and use as usual. Repeat after every 3-4 holes.

The inspiration behind this big chunky necklace

The inspiration for this piece, as the entire collection is, comes from the story of Ruth and Naomi, and their journey through the desert. There was a part of the story where they followed a caravan through a section of the desert to protect themselves from bandits. I believe I read that line and went to draw a herd of camels, and as I drew, the camels went from definite camel silhouettes to more and more abstract forms of head, hump and legs. And that’s how this piece came about - a line of camels that we don’t really see the start and end of, probably carrying lots of goods, from one place to another.

Ps. Camels have three sets of eyelids and two rows of eyelashes to keep sand out of their eyes, how cool is that!

Pss. I once was pranked by being told that camels have 5 knees. The 5th knee was meant to keep the camel’s body off the ground to prevent it from overheating. And silly me actually believed it.

Why this took over 10 hours to make

This necklace took so long to make because it required drilling, so much drilling. 94 holes to be exact, and twice that number of PUK welded wired ends. Each hole is 0.6mm wide. Trust me when I say I’ve broken more drill bits than I can count.

Each hole had to be punched (so the drill bit knows where to go), then drilled, then PUK welded on one side before being beaded and then Puk welded on the other end. Each little piece of wire also had to be measured, and cut to exactly 15mm long so they would be consistent. And! Threading the non beaded parts of silver took a chunk of time too. And I think it took an entire episode of Grey’s Anatomy to finish threading the chain of pearls.

Update: I’ve found a solution to prevent broken drill bits! Read about it here.

Talking Heads!

No, not literal talking heads, but well, maybe that’s somewhat literal. We talked about our practice, our motivations, why the Glasgow School of Art, and what’s next. I’m on at 11:44, but it’s always nice seeing what everyone else does too!