Jewellery Information

This section is packed full of useful information about what is used to make a bespoke piece of jewellery, from the metals and gemstones to sizing your finger and caring for your jewellery.

Ring Sizing

If you don’t know your ring size don’t worry, Alison will send you a FREE RING SIZER. Simply fill in the enquiry form including your postal address.Once you have measured your finger, send the sizer back to Alison so she can make your ring to the correct size.

Metals - (What is the difference between 9 & 18 ct gold)

Alison works in precious metals which includes silver, gold and platinum. The silver used is sterling silver (925 parts to 1000 silver). The gold Alison uses are 9ct and 18ct. The carats of golds are divided into 24 parts (24ct being pure gold). The most common used in the Uk and by Alison are 9ct and 18ct.

Jewels & Stones -  Diamonds (What are the 3 'C's' of a Diamond?)

Alison uses many different gemstones in her commissions, the most common is diamond. She uses a reputable company in Hatton Garden, London who source their diamonds from ‘conflict free’ regions. When describing a diamond the best way to remember the details of it are the 4’C’s:

 Other Precious Stones

These include Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire, all of which can be similar in price to a diamond as they are as rare and expensive as diamonds.

 Semi Precious Stones

These include most of the other gemstones from Agate, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, Garnet, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Pearl, Toumaline, Topaz, Turquoise, Topaz, Turquoise and Zircon. Most semi precious stones can be bought either faceted,cut, or cabochon, flat bottom rounded top.

Birthstones and Zodiac Stones

Traditionally birthstones have been used as a gift of good luck, a practice dating back to at least Roman times. Each month has its own birthstone, and it’s thought that this is the period when that stone's powers of healing and luck are strongest. In other words the best time to wear your birthstone is around your birthday!
Various traditions have developed over time. We’ve shown three of them:

• The modern bithstone list is typically used these days.
• The traditional birthstone list dates back to around the 15th century.
• The Mystical Birthstone list is of Tibetan origin from over a thousand years ago.

It doesn’t really matter which one you use, it’s up to you which stone you like the sound of basically! See Birthstones Chart

Stones by Zodiac Signs....

Jewellery Making Techniques - What is casting?

Alison uses many different techniques to make her jewellery. From sawing, filing, bending, soldering and hammering sheet metal to form the pieces. The colourful  Spectrum Collection is photoetched onto silver sheet. The Original Collection uses some components which are cast. Alison carves the master model in wax which is then cast in silver or gold. This traditional method is called lost wax casting.

Finishes

Alison uses a few different finishes on her jewellery. After the jewellery has been roughly buffed using emery paper, Alison uses a very efficient barrel polisher which is a good allround polisher and it is also good to harden the silver after annealing. After barrel polishing all jewellery is either :
Highly polished finish, using a poishing motor.
Matte finish,  Alison uses either an ordinary household scritcher to create a light matte finish or a matting mop on the pendant motor.
Hammered - a plannishing hammer is used to hammer the surface of the metal, it gives the metal an aged look and is a popular and effective finish.

Engraving

Alison does not do her own engraving, however if you want any hand engraving done in a wedding ring for example, she uses a very skilled hand engraver in Devon to do the work. Prices are from £3 per letter.

Hallmarking (What is hallmarking?)

All of Alison’s jewellery is hallmarked at the London Assay Office. Alison has her own sponsors mark, which are her initials. This is an example of the standard marks for silver:

ABT Alison's makers mark, the 925 and lion are for sterling silver, the tiger head is for London Assay Office and C refers to the date.

Caring for your jewellery

Like anything that has been handmade for you, it is important to look after it especially if it is worn regularly. All metals and stones have different ways of caring for them:

Precious metals

Precious metals will wear over time. Gold and silver are particularly soft and can be easily scratched or worn. How fast this happens depends on how often you wear the jewellery and what you do. The speed at which this will happen depends upon the shape of your hands and how much the metal is exposed to wear, especially if coming into contact with other metal or hard materials. A good professional polish will shine the metal up again.

Polished silver, gold and platinum - Jewellery made from these metals can be buffed up regularly using a precious metal cleaning cloth. This should be kept in the packet when not used otherwise abrasive dust could accumulate on it.

Matte, satin or Tunstall finishes - These wear to a dull shine and can be re-applied by any good jeweller if required.

Rhodium plating - This wears off over time to reveal the natural coloured white gold underneath and this can be re-applied by any good jeweller if required.

Silver - Silver will tarnish over time if not worn (especially in a damp environment) and is likely to go black in a sulphurous area.

Gemstones and Pearls

These are natural materials and can scratch or be chipped depending upon the stone's hardness. Remember that in gold and silver-smithing stones are usually secured in place mechanically by lips or pieces of metal (rather than adhesive) and a chipped stone is therefore less well secured and could break.

It is perfectly normal for regularly worn set or strung gemstones or pearls to become slightly loose over time due to daily wear and tear and it is a simple matter for us or another good jeweller to tighten this up or to restring your piece.

As natural materials are used and all of our jewellery is hand made, variations in colour and size may occur.

We recommend cleaning your stone-set rings in the following way:

Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, amethyst, aquamarines, topazes, tourmalines, peridot, smokey quartz, iolite and garnets
These should be cleaned regularly and carefully, especially behind the stone, using a soft baby's toothbrush and almost neat washing up liquid. Rinse well with water and dry with a very soft lint-free cloth. Pale stone including aquamarines in particular will cloud if not cleaned regularly.

Emeralds, opals, pearls, amber, turquoise and moonstone
These stones should only be cleaned by a jeweller.

Polite Disclaimer: Any advice given to you about the suitability of materials or design for your lifestyle is given to you in good faith and we cannot be held responsible for future damage to your jewellery.

We recommend you bring your jewellery to us or another good jeweller every 2 years to be checked over.

Please ask if you are at all unsure about how best to look after your jewellery. Contact Alison

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