The Moon Up Above

I am away to Vancouver until 20th March.

Whilst away I am still thinking about possible new designs for this year and I look forward to trying them out next month.

Check the Events page which is constantly reviewed / updated in my absence. We have some new shows this year as well as a few old favourites. There are a few yet to be confirmed so keep checking!

Spring is almost here…………

Those of you who come and see me in person might have noticed how preoccupied I am these days with antiquity and how we access it via found objects. I am making little shards of metal and inlaying them into bronze pendants, as well as taking casts of ammonites and trilobites from Lyme Regis and various fossil impressions of Devonian corals and ferns. It fascinates me how many objects from the ancient past (manufactured as in pots, and those from nature ) were once common place in their time. When we stumble across them today they instantly take on great importance,  photographed, catalogued and sometimes placed in museum collections. Context is everything and as I stumble along my life’s path I find this is increasingly so.

I look over my shoulder more these days. Warm and poignant memories flood back and I seek contact with old times and old friends and to touch the unimportant moments of my younger self which now seem so full of joy and pathos…On Saturday night we decorate our Christmas tree. We unwrap  the fragile painted glass Santa of my childhood in Canada’s North, the wooden olive wood crèche from Bethlehem,  the Sesame Street bauble declaring the birth of my son, the three bears and their bowls of porridge,  the little drummer boy so carefully chosen by Jay when he was 8, the hand blown glass teardrop one year sent by Grandma Vancouver who can wrap a parcel of the most delicacy with such care that even if an elephant sat on it, it wouldn’t break… and so many others, I couldn’t count them all, just like the memories each of us have of this wonderful holiday.

I do wish all of you a very Happy Christmas. Make new memories, share old ones, but most of all remember that the little seemingly unimportant events of today will one day become the golden moments of tomorrow.

Winter looms on the horizon and I find myself getting out my scarves in anticipation of the cold weather ahead. It also brings to mind the fibulae I am making for the upcoming fairs before Christmas. A fibula is a fancy word for a brooch worn in ancient times to secure cloaks and heavy clothing. We often think of the Romans alone using fibulae, but that would not be true. Indeed they were made in the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman era and post Roman times. It was only in the Middle Ages that buttons became the popular way to join pieces of cloth. Today we use the safety pin which is a little fibula by design.  Fibulae could be very plain and functional, but often they were highly ornate objects sometimes with precious gems and inlaid gold. There are many styles of fibulae. Sometimes the pin rotates in a circle and the tension of the bulk of the cloth keeps the pin in place. Sometimes the pin faces the front and the tension comes from the metal coil at the base of the pin. To see ancient fibulae in person, visit the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. They have some simple iron examples as well as wonderful bronze and gold ones.

I love to include a little whimsy into my fibulae. I have made sea serpents, snakes and birds. I like to make part of the fastening perhaps a sea serpent tail that captures the pin which winds its way from the opposite side of the brooch. All of my fibulae are made of bronze alone or with little silver touches as silver is just so expensive in today’s metal market. I have just recently finished a couple of pieces which you can see on the website or on my Facebook Page of The Moon Up Above. I love to wear one on winter scarves or pashminas as they are so dramatic and stop the scarf from falling off the shoulder. The next time you come to one of my shows you just might spot a fibula. Try wearing one yourself and pin your thoughts to the ancient past!

September  12

We have just finished the Wirksworth Arts Festival. Thank you to all who sought me out and took home a little piece of my heart, be it earrings, pendants or rings…On to Melbourne next weekend…

People often inquire about Hallmarking precious metals. I am frequently surprised how little is known about this process and thought perhaps it might be of interest to some of you what is meant by Hallmarking and what actually takes place in the process.

The first UK Assay Office was Goldsmiths’ Hall, founded around 1300, and where the term “Hallmarking” originates, meaning “marked in Goldsmiths’ Hall”. Since then, there have been ten Assay Offices in the UK, and now there are four remaining Assay Offices in the UK:

Birmingham, London, Edinburgh and Sheffield.

Customers often tell me that a piece of jewellery they own has been hallmarked because it bears a 925 stamp mark. This is not a Hallmark. Any maker can purchase a stamp and punch it themselves. A true Hallmark means that the Assay office (an independent assessor) has tested the metal and applied the appropriate guarantees in the manner of a Hallmark.  These marks are added to the jewellery via hammering onto the piece or as in my case, using a laser.

A real Hallmark contains at least three marks on the jewellery. The first mark is the maker’s,  or sponsor’s mark. The jeweller or importer chooses a unique mark that can be traced by the purchaser through the assay office records. The second is the purity of the metal; for example 925 which means the silver is 92.5 per-cent silver and 7.5 per-cent other metals (could be copper for example). The third is the office which has marked the piece…ie: Birmingham uses the anchor as its mark. Sometimes a fourth mark is used which indicates the year of Hallmarking…

The law is very clear about selling precious metals (gold, silver, platinum). Any silver item over 7.8 grams in weight must be hallmarked by the Assay office. An Assay sign must be displayed on the stall or in the shop.  After making a piece, I weigh it and determine whether or not it must be Hallmarked. The weight of the piece means the weight of the metal. If a piece has a large stone but not much silver it needn’t carry a mark.  Be aware that much of what passes as silver (stamped 925) sold in markets, at fairs etc. is imported from India or China. The designs are often attractive and very showy and usually use semi-precious stones. Many of the stones are reconstituted (turquoise for example). Customers are often impressed by the price as it tends to be very cheap… Peter and I had some of this jewellery tested and the Assay office told us that there was some silver, but not much. They also told us that there was lead, mercury and nickel etc. in the mix. This is worrying. If jewellery is sold cheaply it means it is likely to be full of metals and substances you would rather not wear next to your skin!! The Assay office was most concerned.

Hallmarking does not come cheaply. There are upfront costs to set up a Hallmark, as well as a cost for each piece I send to the office.  I would love to be able to afford hallmarking everything I make, but this would add at least £5 onto the piece, and this is significant when the pendant for example is only £25. Most people find custom made jewellery expensive, especially as the silver price has skyrocketed this year. I try my best to keep my prices reasonable. However, anything of mine over the 7.8 grams of silver is always Hallmarked.  At times you may see pieces over 7.8 grams on my table with a sign indicating they need to be hallmarked. If you are happy to accept the fact I can’t guarantee the silver content, (they are always what I say they are, but legally I cannot sell them to you as silver) you may buy them that day and take them home. Otherwise, you can put a deposit on the piece or pieces and I will send them to the Birmingham Assay Office and when they are ready I will send them on to you. Because Birmingham tends to take a couple of weeks to turn items around I can find that I need to show some items that I have just completed. My stock of ready- made  Hallmarked items might be low due to a previous week’s show. It is also difficult when I mix metals in my pieces. Any silver embedded into bronze, or attached in any way will not carry a hallmark. The Assay office refuses to Hallmark in these cases as it might cause confusion to the customer who might think the bronze had a silver content.  I will say that the bird is silver (which it is) and the bird house is bronze…however, I cannot guarantee the silver content, as I cannot get the piece Hallmarked…

So now you have an insight into Hallmarking. For those interested in the history and a list of countries which Hallmark please go onto Wikipedia. Meanwhile, do not be afraid to question traders. Ask them where they Hallmark. Do not accept that because an item says 925 it is hallmarked. You may find some makers or sellers are genuinely ignorant of the law. Many however, may be trying to deceive you. Now that you know the law tell them what they should be doing and above all please do not support this kind of illegal trade, no matter how lovely the jewellery may seem to be.

Come and visit me on the stand. If you have any questions regarding Hallmarking I will try my best to answer them or point you in the right direction. Meanwhile, enjoy searching for the jewellery of your dreams and hopefully you just might find it at The Moon Up Above!

Peter and I are getting ready for the upcoming Wrest Park Romor Craft and Design fair this long weekend.  As I prepare my jewellery rolls , and examine all the pieces I will be taking, I revisit all the inspirational moments which brought me to make them. Each has a little story to tell. Inspiration is an ethereal thing to talk about, but it really plays a major role in the type of jewellery I make. As I sit in my little garden, I observe all the lovely little birds that take turns drinking from my water fountain. They forage in my mulberry tree. They chase each other through the branches  and leaves of the Japanese maple. Robins, blue tits and sparrows all come at various times of the year to share my little urban green space. Not only do they delight Peter and I with their antics, they provide endless inspiration for my pendants and brooches. I never tire of making birds.  And when I am alone with my thoughts I remember  Hartland in Devon and the screaming seabirds which swooped down from the mountain cliffs to search for lunch from the pounding sea and ice cold rock pools.  Sometimes too  I return my thoughts to Lyme Regis and the glorious day we spent searching for fossils…How excited we all were when we tapped a rock and out popped an ancient ammonite…we touched the past that day, and so I repeat the experience when I make my ammonite earrings and pendants …and so you  touch the past too when you wear one of them. When Peter and I walk in the woods I gather seed pods, teasels and anything that takes my fancy. I might simply love a texture on a piece of bark, or a worm pattern on a leaf. My pockets are full of treasures from the forest. When I am at my work bench I look at all my little pieces of the forest and I am inspired to make a little pair of seed earrings, a leaf pendant or perhaps a little ladybird on a branch

Inspiration comes full circle. I experience something, it touches my heart. I make a piece of jewellery to capture the moment and when you wear it you wear  my heart and the inspiration that brought it all about…

June 13, 2011

Hello to everyone who checks the site and wonders why Nadine hasn’t posted a blog for so long!   After arriving back from Vancouver, I have been frantically making jewellery for our upcoming shows, and time has been devoted to that. However, here I am again and delighted to say that despite the recession the first few shows have been on the whole quite successful. Peter and I have just completed Patchings Art Craft and Design Festival in Nottinghamshire. This was a four day event and we are indeed exhausted. It was lovely meeting new customers as we have never shown there before. It is a well run event, and if you are an art lover as well as a craft person you would love it. Look out for it next year as we plan to attend in 2012! Check out a link on my website and you can see the work of Gareth Watling, a British bird artist who is superb. We bought a couple of limited edition prints for the living room.  Also have a look at Tracy Whinray who makes ceramic sculptures etc. She is a lovely person and if you have the great fortune to go to an event she is selling at she just might be wearing one of my Tibetan bells…tinkle tinkle Tracy!! Also check Helen Parsley’s paintings of Venice. One of my bronze birds has flown off with Helen……….

Silver prices have gone through the roof, and I am currently trying to plan my way around this potential catastrophe to my future as a maker. As many of you know I tend to be generous with silver in my designs and unfortunately this will no longer be possible. I will likely restrict my larger pieces to bronze and keep the silver to the smaller pieces. Peter and I are determined to try to ride out this speculative rise in silver, but I must warn you all that prices are going to have to increase because of the cost of the raw materials. Believe me, it is not me that will be gaining in any way!! Having said that, I am sure that even under strained financial circumstances for us all, there will always be a little Nadine piece that will be affordable!

Our son Jay and his girlfriend Helen  have arrived  from Queen Mary University in London and plan to stay with us at various times throughout the summer. Jay will help Peter with the website and we have convinced Helen to try her hand at photographing my jewellery with her fancy new Canon camera!! Do check the website for new pieces of jewellery. I am very pleased with the bronze hares and birds I am just completing, and a few new silver pieces have just returned hallmarked from the assay office.

My blogs this year will be dedicated to the work process and inspiration that influence what I do as a jewellery maker. Many customers question how I manage to make the pieces, what my inspiration might be etc. I hope to give you all a little window into my world before the jewellery arrives at the craft fair…Who knows, it just might inspire you too to find your creative voice…

Have a great summer, and hope to see you at a show from August Bank Holiday…

Vancouver bound

Well, I promised to post a blog on Nadine’s behalf in her absence as she left home this week for a five week trip to Vancouver to visit her Mom Marion, who will be celebrating her 90th birthday  later this month. Another highlight of this trip will be a visit to one of Nadine’s art professors from University of British Columbia days, Gordon A. Smith. She has often talked to me over the years about Gordon Smith and his tremendous influence on her as a student. She was moved to write to him in 2010 after watching a TV interview with Jeremy Paxman and the journalist writer Christopher Hitchens, who had recently been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Amongst Hitchens reflections was a comment about people writing to him thanking him and  acknowledging his work and the influence he had had on their thinking. Hitchens also remarked that it was a regret that he had not done more of  this himself.

Subsequently Nadine was inspired to write to her old professor and was thrilled to receive a reply. Well fast forward a few months, further correspondence and Nadine will be visiting the Nonagenarian in his West Vancouver home during her visit. For more information regarding this highly acclaimed Canadian artist here are a couple of web sites to explore:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_A._Smith

http://www.equinoxgallery.com/artists/bio/gordon-smith

No doubt there will be more on this when she returns.

Also if you are interested in the Christopher Hitchens interview here it is in two parts:

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwDYbNIHyN0&feature=related

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DpUeKwleyw&feature=related

We took advantage of the Christmas break to move Nadine’s workshop to our basement room. This room was vacated last autumn when our son Jay left to go to university. It has been transformed from a TV and Games room to a Computer suite and now to a jewellery and art studio. Nadine has really enjoyed the space since moving to this room and is now totally self contained! Our dog Satchel has also taken to sharing the space and we have had to set up another bed down here for our aging terrier!

A few new pieces have been finding their way upstairs such as a Tulip style pendant, new leaf pendants, new rings and silver birds. Some of these are in Vancouver currently but I include some pictures.

I have to say I am expecting great things when Nadine is back and in full flight!

I have been planning our events for 2011 since last November.  Please click on the events page to see where we will be exhibiting. We are booked into several new shows and will be travelling south to Kent and north as far as Yorkshire. These events include two garden shows in the spring as well as the traditional craft events. Nadine will also have space for demonstrating this year at Patchings and Hangar One. A brand new event to mark on the calendar this year is at Towcester racecourse in October organised by Romor. We may have a couple more dates to add in July and August but otherwise the year is set. The plan has been to concentrate on 2-3 day events.

For many crafters and artisans its a busy time crafting and producing right now, ready for exhibitions in the spring and summer. Even though Nadine is away right now and unable to produce new jewellery, I know that she will also use this time to think about new designs and form various new creations in her mind. Everything is in place for her to get busy on her return!

I have been slowly adding pieces to the shop recently, so don’t forget to have a look!

Peter

December 10, 2010

It was lovely to be in Oxford Town Hall once again. The building is truly lovely and despite the logistics of getting goods from the car park several blocks away to the venue we had a seam free set up. Gills bought my long engraved spill holder style pendant. It is a statement piece and it looked great.   Greg      arrived with his two young children looking for Mom’s Christmas presents…Mom had a stand at the fair selling jewellery!! She liked my work, had pointed out her favourite pieces and now Dad and children had to make the final choice. I won’t mention the choices here just in case she peeks at the blog, however, she won’t be disappointed!  Judy ordered a pair of bronze earrings for herself, and a special mention for the Mayoress of Oxford, Muriel. Last year she had admired my bird pendants, and this year she purchased one. We put it on a shorter chain so it wouldn’t interfere with all the regalia she has to wear during special functions. It was great talking with her and hopefully I will  be able to visit her studio (she is an artist) in the Spring. She is going to paint my bird pendant which is quite an honour!

It was fun going back to Hartley Wintney for the final fair of the year.  We met Shirley who bought her daughter a lovely silver ring for Christmas. Shirley’s daughter and family are relocating to Seattle to work for Bill Gates … Seattle is a lovely city and often considered the sister city to Vancouver. Ally bought a hare pin for her hare addicted grandmother…being a hare addict as you know, I was delighted. I was so happy seeing Audrey (wearing her Nadine heart) and  Brenda and the children Ben and Gemma. Brenda bought a silver bird pendant I very recently made. It looked great on her.  Audrey really loved the geranium mabe pearl pendant…We love chatting with Audrey and Brenda. We agreed we must one day meet half way between Hartley Wintney and Northampton and have a meal together…How lovely to see Marilyn once again. Marilyn is such a wonderful lady who loves my designs. She bought a bronze ring, a large butterfly pendant and my giant bronze bead on a silver chain I just finished making.  She says her granddaughter has her eye on the bronze turtle she bought last time!! We met Sally who not only is nice and has an adorable son, but she has the most amazing hair ever!! And now she also has a pair of hooped bee earrings…Now, I must mention Janet…Janet runs the food concession at the fair and quite often she will buy a piece from me. She has bought a frog brooch and a lovely turtle pendant in the past…She arrived home last time from Hartley Wintney fair, took the Moon Up Above box out of her purse and put it on the kitchen counter? That is the last she has seen of it…The turtle went walkabout…She is so relaxed about it all. I must admit I am rather manic about losing things. My house would have been ransacked looking for the turtle. This time Janet bought a little bee pendant. May the buzz of the bee bring Janet’s turtle home…I am so sorry I didn’t get the names of the lovely mother and daughter who once again bought from me…Mom bought herself my large and very heavy silver rose brooch…her daughter was wearing a heart pendant she had purchased at Hartley Wintney two shows ago…Jenny came with a friend and fell in love with one of my long bird pendants. Jenny was wearing the bronze bird in a cage pendant she purchased last time. It is a talking piece and she says she has so many people admire it. I love making birds, and when I put them in a cage I make sure the bars are very wide apart so the bird can fly away at any time…a bit like women all over the world. We love our little cages, but once in awhile we like to spread our wings and disappear for an hour, a day, or even a week on occasion…but we love to come home….It was lovely meeting old and new customers. It is especially touching to see them come wearing their Nadine creations. Not only do I get to see them, I get to revisit the pieces that have a little piece of me in them. That is what is so wonderful about what I do. Which brings me to the lovely lady Sankhara I chatted with, about the Unicorn Trust (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hollis-tics-Therapy/116871511701721). She was such a lovely person and so interested in my work, the process etc. She too is an artist and a rescuer of sea horses. Hopefully we will meet again.

This brings our year to a close. I am so grateful to all who have appreciated my work and have supported me throughout. Being a crafts person is solitary work, and the fairs give me the opportunity to reach out to people and share my vision. Please keep an eye on the site. Peter will be putting more things in the shop. I am off to Vancouver in February for my mother’s 90^th birthday but will be back making jewellery in March and we will begin the fairs shortly after that…Check out the 2011 dates (November is already posted). Meanwhile, Peter and I do hope all of you have a lovely Christmas and I wish you only good things in 2011.

November 2010

Hello, and a big thank you to customers at Haworth Yorkshire. Peter and I had a lovely time communing with the Brontes. I am sure we were the only fools (except for the sheep and they haven’t anywhere else to go) out on the moors as the rain pelted down and the wind sang amongst the crags. Hello to all the fun girls who had rented a cottage in Haworth and had a great time shopping at my stand…Enjoy the ring etc. A special thank you to Catherine who bought the turtle pendant I had just finished. It is off to the Hallmarkers on Monday and you will have it in time for Christmas.  Dawn purchased a heavy silver arrow bead heart as a gift. This is a new design for me and I love them. Keep your eyes open for them on my stand in the future. We so enjoyed meeting Pam who runs the fairs in the Old School Rooms where Charlotte Bronte taught at one time. http://www.haworthvintagefairs.co.uk/ She is loads of fun. Have a lovely time with the 1940’s dance and the swing band this coming weekend. I wish we could be there…We will see you all in April…

Peter and I returned to Sywell this past weekend for the two day Christmas Fayre. As usual it was impeccably organised by the two Anns and we had a wonderful time. We were delighted to see Suzanne, husband, Hannah and THE NEW BABY  Thomas…They are a fantastic family. Suzanne bought a little silver heart. She usually falls in love with bronze pieces, but silver caught her eye…Sophie and Veronica came on Saturday (they are returning and so loyal customers). Sophie had saved for six months to buy my jewellery. I am so impressed! She has a new job at Avon which is great news. Come on Avon, give her a permanent contract. She is an asset!  Sophie bought a large silver heart with garnet, my wharf bangle with gold wire, my silver birdy in a silver window and tiny heart copper earrings. Veronica spotted my new heavy bird bangle (I suspect Sophie might borrow it) and Sophie’s Christmas present of a reticulated heart pin. Jane chose my silver bird in a window with moon and star. Her husband Fitzgerald bought it for her for Christmas. I was listening to a blackbird singing one evening and it inspired me to make that piece. Ellie ordered a silver ring from me and by the way, we wish her mother a speedy recovery. It seems she just broke her arm while shopping at the garden centre! Shopping….it can kill you. Thank you to Michael for purchasing my special mabe pearl rock pool brooch. That brooch has been admired by many people, but in the end it was Michael who made it part of his Christmas gift selection. Michael and his partner did their entire Christmas shopping at Sywell. How lovely to support local crafts people! It was great seeing Ged and Jane and we will be doing a house event tonight at their place….We will travel to you if you gather friends and family together. It is always a nice way to shop and socialize at the same time.  Thank you to all who came for a chat, a look and maybe bought a bauble or two. We are already booked for all Sywell events for 2011!

If you missed us last weekend, pop into the Oxford Town Hall this Saturday and say hello. This is another entirely handmade event, and I really recommend it. The Town Hall is beautiful,  the crafts are top notch, and who can argue with Oxford? Of course, you can always check the website. Remember, if it isn’t there, but you saw it at the show just send me an email. I am sure I can list it, or if it is sold I can make you one very like it. I have just completed more pendants, earrings etc. so keep looking on the net. Countdown to Christmas people and it is so important you choose those special handmade presents…Everyone is unique and deserves a unique special something for the big day….Again, a big thank you to all who support me and Peter and I look forward to seeing you soon!