Sophie Honeybourne Jewellery

Winter

2011-10-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

This week a customer commissioned her heart's desire in the form of this bold daisy brooch which has a striking yellow centre. In the flesh (or the metal more appropriately), at the size of an old penny, the piece is stunning. The oxidised silver shines through, highlighting the beautiful amber stone.

I also made a version of the daisy on a pendant for the shop- both can be seen below:

The next customer wanting a special commission was a lady priest-in-training. I love making these pretty pendants, and the crucifix the customer requested was finished with a chunky silver set carrying a sparkly three point diamond on a 'barley corn' chain.

Part of the pack...
A quirkier piece is next in line with a commission made especially for a wolf lover. This stylised pendant is made up by layering silver and would be perfect to layer with animal or silhouette prints. Finished off with an oxidised silver snake chain it could definitely initiate a wolf lover into the pack!

One last thing before I forget! I hear you all asking when Honeybourne Jewellery is getting into the full Christmas swing? Well, with these new pieces for Winter, the search for seasonal luxe is certainly in motion. Take a peek and start making your wish lists!

These pictures by Annie Leonard show off the new colours for winter. The collection was created in silver and granulation with gold leaf, and we can't wait for what christmas will bring!

Created with flickr slideshow.

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

October diary

2011-10-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hello fabulous customers and jewellery lovers, Raff and I are working flat out for the Dazzle shows in London and Manchester so I'm just writing this post to show you the commissions that have got me excited this month...let's get down to business!

(Dazzle, began in 1981 and 'there are currently four events per year showing a wide variety of hand crafted work. Prices range from the modest to the luxurious.' Dazzle's most recent venture is www.lovedazzle.com an online selling website, featuring a wide selection of Dazzle jewellers. To find out more about Dazzle visit: www.dazzle-exhibitions.com)

I first took in an old engagement ring along with the customer's old eternity ring. With these I made the customer a silver mock-up following her initial design consultation.

The final piece (below) can be seen in silver- so sparkly the magpies would be proud!

This piece is made entirely from recycled gold and diamond- I hammered an old wedding ring into shape and the diamond was cleaned after being removed from an old setting. The new setting was made using an old shank, and the pod was crafted using everything else!

Next I had the delightful task of making a gift for a bride and groom. The customer adored the doorplates (see exhibition post in August) but wanted a more personal gift. The result was a box framed solid silver scene entitled 'Love Birds'. The scene incorporates personalised text with the names of the bride and groom next to the wedding date. I enjoyed making it so much that I made another for the shop!

Simple, beautiful wedding bands that guide the eye around the silky form of an infinite entity. In 18ct yellow gold and 9ct white gold.

A gift for a surfer. Seeing as my husband seems to collect surfboards these days, I had a lot of points of reference in the hallway to choose from! I chose a single fin and made the customer's initials to look like the maker's logo on the back of the board. Finished in oxidised silver.

Last, a surprise engagement ring. The customer helped to design this one-off piece in 9ct yellow gold, white gold setting the diamond, pink sapphires and rubies...guess what? She said yes! Well done him, it takes a brave man to take the plunge, and an even braver man to design the ring! Perfection.

See something you like? Or got your own special gesture that needs the company of some jewels? Get in touch by email or phone. (See contact details below)

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

01983 854618

xxx

Honeybourne News- 17th September 2011

2011-09-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

First up, a commission for a lovely mum and her two daughters, they brought in an old ring which had just three of its diamonds left (the others lost). The first daughter helped me to design this band (shown bottom) in 9ct white gold and constructed with an organic aesthetic. The other daughter and their mum are planning their trip to Honeybourne Jewellery soon...so watch this space!

'Money clips' are back by popular demand! These giant paper clip style money clips are handmade in solid silver and can be stamped with your initials. These charming pieces would be a great male gift idea!

'Pieces of Eight' earrings to match a pendant the customer had bought from me previously at The Loved Ones exhibition. Solid silver stamped coins on heavy hammered pebble shaped earrings.

A solid silver tie pin for a ski lover's 60th birthday- Bon Anniversaire!

This charm necklace was a real joy to work on, a lovely commission ordered for a sister who loves snowboarding, champagne and Harry Potter! Each delicate charm represents one of her interests:

On the back of the handmade chain there are four colours to represent the colours of the family birthstones.

This next commission is not only intriguing for its cute daisy design, but the matching silver and 18ct gold ring and pendant are on their way to Utah, USA!

Silver with Blue Topaz and Aquamarine for a mum, each stone represents a member of their family.

The stacking rings ordered inspired me to make some examples for the shop in silver. I used solid opals, a really beautiful stone full of colour and designed to be worn on their own or as a group.

Everything heart related seems to fly out of the shop at the moment so I've created some slightly different designs with a romantic flutter this week:

Happy shopping! Love Sophie

September update

2011-09-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hello once again, lovely readers!

September on the delightful Isle of Wight has fast approached and there's still as much activity as ever as we await the leaves to brown and the warm autumn enamels to make an appearance. Here at the boutique the summer has been a great success, thriving from the afterglow of The Loved Ones exhibition and enjoying the vibrancy of other arts events in the town throughout July and August. So now, enough with the scene setting- it's time for some Jewellery talk!

Male baby christening presents are a real tough one for me. Our silver bookmarks are a great offering but after putting the Honeybourne thinking cap on I suggested this cute idea. I used one of my solid silver keys which included the baby's initials stamped on the front and back, with a silver 'gift tag' attached, which encompassed the date of the christening day. Small, simple, and beautiful- just like the babe!

I've been working on a variety of gold and diamond wedding and engaement rings for the shop. This piece has three seperate rings in 9ct yellow gold (bands) with 9ct white gold (settings). The diamonds used in the design are three different sizes.

Another one off piece for the shop, which as it happens has been sold already, a record of just two days in the cabinet! This pendant is made from hammered silver with fresh water pearl surrounded by solid 9ct gold hammered beads. Don't worry that this one has already flown of the shelf, as there are lots more one off pieces on the bench ready soon...

This next gem is a customer commission, unfortunately I forgot to take a before shot (very unusual for me!) but the customer brought in two rings for me to work with. The first was an old chunky wedding band, I used half of this and re-worked it into a finer wedding band. The other half of the customer's ring was used for the shank of the ring. The second ring the customer provided was an uninspiring design that encompassed three beautiful diamonds which are central in the pods and settings, which are also entirely made from the old rings!

Here we have a mock up in silver and citrine for a customer who is bringing in eight (yes,eight!) inherited diamonds for me to work with. She wanted a cluster feel but with a more contemporary design- watch this space for the final piece!

A strand and pod ring set with the customer's birthstone, Ruby.

A lovely young couple ordered wedding bands this week and as they wanted different coloured golds, I put a slice from each other's bands into their partner's. A sweet romantic notion in solid 9ct yellow and white gold.

So that's all the makes for this week, but I've also noticed some lovely reviews for our ever popular bookmarks that we sell on 'notonthehighstreet.com'...here are some examples:

"Engraved item was sent out same day as order ... amazing service and lovely product"

"This made a beautiful gift. It is nice and thin but still sturdy, so practical as well as special!"

And five stars for us!

(20 customer reviews)"

See more and buy your own here.

Now one last thing, just a note to say that I think fab photographer Christopher Jones deserves some recognition as he took some lovely photos of the Loved Ones exhibition. Chris is a a self taught artist and photographer living in Ventnor, who's main artery and impetus has been a innate curiosity for the unseen. He has a solo exhibition at the wonderful Rope Store gallery at the Quay Arts in Newport, Isle of Wight on the

13th September throught to the 7th November 2011- so go and check it out! More details about Chris and the exhibition, his work and influences can be found here on his blog. Below are a couple of the pictures from the exhibition by Chris, click here to read his review and view all the images.

See you next week!

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

Creative customers!

2011-08-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

All our customers this week have brought ideas, sketches and inherited jewellery to me to turn into one-off spectacular Honeybourne designs. Each customer brought their own unique character to these pieces with symbols of love and family or just plain desire for that something pretty!

Our first commission was ordered by a customer who wanted a stylised, delicate design on a pendant, the final creation was made up in 9ct solid yellow gold with deconstructed flowers claiming centre place.

This ring was ordered by the customer for his girlfriend. Taken from his Granddad's flattened one shilling coin (chosen by the customer), I turned it into a ring in solid silver, which was both wearable and personal.

In this next piece the customer provided me with a sketch of his wife's favourite team, Crystal Palace's, emblem. From the drawing I made up the pendant in oxidised solid silver.

The next customer was a lady who brought in her Grandma's old ring and stones, which had a heart in the centre surrounded by two more square stones.

I turned the inherited jewellery into a beautiful keepsake using solid 9ct white gold to create the band along with two diamonds to set off the customer's inherited stones- the beautiful heart shape in the centre also remained!

His 'n' Hers wedding bands in solid silver with 9ct hammered gold beads adding a delicate, opulent touch to the two rings.

Here is another old ring of which I removed the peridot stones from re-setting them in a new solid silver ring design.

If you have any sentimental pieces of jewellery, stones or gold that could be salvaged and revived to reveal a new piece of jewellery which will give your memories a longer (and beautiful) life span, you can come and talk to us in the boutique or email us and we can talk about the possibilites.

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

'Jewels in the Ventnor crown'

2011-08-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

This week Tania Dixcey and I were featured in the local Island newspaper, 'The County Press'. The article reported on the recent Loved Ones exhibition in a glowing light.

Here are a new pair of studs I've been working on featuring oxidised solid silver owls with gold beak and eyes for an owl lover!

Love is in the air! Whilst D&G are featuring pieces in their Fall collections with smatterings of star print, here at the boutique we're using the five point symbol's more romantic sister, the heart, as the focus for our shop collection. Cute or what?

That's all for now folks! And remember if you're coming to Ventnor to visit us this week the Ventnor Fringe festival will be in full flight Wednesday through Saturday to coincide with the town's carnival celebrations. Ventnor will be buzzing with film, theatre, music and art performances, activities and other entertainment. Come see us next to the archway at 5 Church Street!

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

August

2011-08-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

So after all the excitement of our lovely little exhibition ('The Loved Ones') you might think we'd have a little moment of calm in the studio, however orders have flooded in as thick and fast as ever. As always we can't help but share- enjoy!

Solid 18ct gold heart

A unique surprise anniversary gift for the customer's wife. The piece is particualrly special to the couple as it has Neil Young lyrics stamped on the front 'Heart of Gold' with the two heart shapes to symbolise the two of them.

(Above and below) A quirky, pretty gift for a La crosse mad daughter! Solid silver with La crosse and ball detail in gold leaf.

His 'n' Hers wedding bands in 18ct yellow and white gold with Emerald and Ruby. Delicious!

Solid silver wing with 9ct gold body and settings encasing th Lapis Lazalis stones.

Until next time...x

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

Loved ones weekend exhibition- finally here!

2011-07-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

So after weeks and weeks of hard work and a whole lot o' love the long awaited 'Loved ones' joint exhibition with friend and artist Tania Dixcey came to a head and culminated into a full, beautiful collection curated delicately in the 'shed' under the archway.

Last night was a truly delightful evening, the cobblestones littered with tea lights in jam jars led the way to the beginning of the works and we greeted guests with sangria and homemade shortbreads. It was lovely to see our friends, other artists, and neighbours supporting the new exhibition and indulging in the visual delights it had to offer. Bunting and lanterns adorned the entrance to the shed, complimenting the theme of the sentimental setting off the collection with a joyful and homely warmth. As each new face entered the exhibition the eye was at a loss as to where to go first- on the right hand side Tania Dixcey's glorious portraiture, doodles and narratives, and to the left, my silver work installation glittered simultaneously in all its tiny forms. I presented a series of brooches depicting memories from my childhood- corn fields and fish ponds shown in layers of oxidised silver and gold leaf and amongst the works there was also a 'lost' wedding band in glorious gold placed atop a pile of carrots, inspired by my Granddad's wedding ring and it's loss to his beloved veg patch! Now I don't want to ruin all the fun of discovering all the little gems for yourself so come down to the boutique this weekend and see for yourself what I've been busily working on, right here in the studio. Hope to see you here, but don't worry if you can't make it and you've seen or heard something you can't get off your mind- email us and you can order your own piece of the Loved ones collection.

See below for photos of a selection of the works from the show and images of the private view that opened the exhibition.

Under the archway

Goldfish brooch, oxidised silver and gold leaf

Enamel door plates, 'Flying birds'

Silver keys, two sizes with or without initials

'Ning nang nong' matchbox in silver.

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

Honeybourne News- June and July 2011

2011-07-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies! We're loving the warm summer sun that's been creeping its way through the clouds in Ventnor and have even managed to catch a few rays ourselves. I'm back in the shop today and ready to show you the latest pictures from my workshop- enjoy!

Below you can see an example of a 'silver mock up'. An initial idea I've made up along with another design in silver for my customer to try. I'll eventually make up her prefered ring design in 18ct white gold using precious facet cut stones:

Here is a broken engagement ring given a new lease of life! The customer wanted it to be made in my style whilst keeping aspects of the original design:

This pendant was made for a male hairdresser and is a replica of his own scissors (Oxidised silver):

His 'n' Hers

A lovely couple commissioned these wedding bands, hers- 18ct yellow gold with diamonds set in white gold. His- a hammered 18ct white gold band.

Come and see all my other exciting designs in the Ventnor boutique!

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

Introducing...

2011-06-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Loved Ones, an exciting new entity coming to the Honeybourne hub. This summer Honeybourne Jewellery will be presenting recent works at forthcoming exhibition, ‘The Loved Ones’. The show will include a collection of silver pieces and works exploring memories and loved ones, past and present. The exhibition will tell of the experiences of being a daughter, a sister, and a grandchild- featuring wild meadows, veg patches, BMX’s and fancy dress! I've been so excited to work on this project and the exhibition, which will be a culmination of both my own work, and friend and artist Tania Dixcey's work. We'd love to see as many of you there as possible to view and even purchase special limited works. My contribution will not be completely typical to my style, as the whole show will act as more of an installation on the whole, there will also be wearable silver pieces and decorative silver works amongst other secret gems!

Dates:

Friday 22nd July from 7pm (private view- requires invite)
Drinks,nibbles and music...
Saturday 10am-4pm and 6-9pm ( Open to public)
Sunday 10am-5pm (Open to public)

Through the archway next to Honeybourne Jewellery, Ventnor.

A sneak preview of some of the small works in the exhibition!

Spring bloom automated

Ears of corn cuff

Winter flowering thistle automated

Now back to shop news for JUNE!

This month I've been very busy with commissions as always and I also can't wait to organise all the things for the exhibition- planning is underway. Here's your monthly dosage of work from the studio and boutique:

First up is a solid silver take on SATC's 'Carrie' necklace. A very nice boyfriend ordered the necklace and the piece was completed using his own handwriting.

Here is a baby bangle and ring in solid silver that is a copy of a family piece. This is an occasional-christening keepsake.

A lady ordered this delightful snowflake for her best friend- it is solid silver and about the size of a 10p piece.

Here are some Christian cufflinks in oxidised silver ordered by the vicar's wife for her husband!

This beautiful pod necklace is a bridal piece made using silver, white enamel, gold leaf and granulation.

A wedding band made to match our customer's tricky arrow engagement ring, in silver with set diamond.

Look at these cute paper label pendants in silver, personalised from Mum and Dad.

I made this as a baby arrival gift, it's a solid silver bangle to be used as a rattle and teather with the 'Welcome Wolfie' label to add a personal touch.

A lady ordered this simple design for her husband, the ring was made with a subtle crucifix and an inscription on the inside.

A stack of rings for a special birthday, made in silver with peridot and cz.

All for now folks! x

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

Update from the jewel box

2011-06-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hi lovelies, I'm still snowed under with all your fantastic bookmark orders and they're getting more and more eclectic as the numbers grow. I've written three in Welsh this week, one in Spanish and one that was in longitude and latitude! But you know what the best news is? There's still time to order in time for Father's Day- last order date is Monday 13th June. Get your creative heads on or let me use mine for your own personalised, handmade and very unique gift. (email: sophiehoneybourne@hotmail.com)

In other news, Not On The High Street (http://www.notonthehighstreet.com) have let us know that we have been shortlisted for "The Make Awards 2011".

''notonthehighstreet.com is passionate about making small businesses bigger.

The Make Awards celebrate these businesses – their creativity, their passion for design and the impeccable customer service they offer.

The awards will highlight the people behind the businesses, the stories behind the products, and celebrate the very best from within our seller community.''

Here at the boutique, Raff and I are delighted. The award we've been shortlisted for is the 'Community Contribution Award' and followed an application I filled out explaining how passionate we were about Ventnor and contributing to numerous aspects of life in the seaside town. We've had customers now from all over the country, (and in some cases the continent!), visit the Island just to see the shop and find out what we do.So thank you NOTHS! We look forward to hearing the results but are just so grateful for the nomination- wish us luck, guys!

Just some eye candy for you now, below is a special commission from this week in silver and enamel. Pendant with earrings, lovely sculptural pieces that you just have to touch!

And yet more sneak peeks, aren't you lucky! I showed you these lovelies last week, but we're getting closer to their release- woo hoo!

Limited edition piece soon to be finished, beautiful solid silver keys which will be personalised with the initials of your loved ones. Best worn on a long chain.

Keep up to date with us:

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.

Summer specials

2011-05-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

So lovely readers, it's been an exciting but busy few days as we've been inundated with orders since my personalised silver bookmarks were featured in the Not On The High Street Summer Gift guide! Bookmarks are coming out of our ears, and at one point we were clocking up one every five minutes; who needs sleep anyway! Some of my favourite quotes from the numerous orders are 'Try not to fall asleep Daddy xx' and 'Night night, sleep tight xx'. Keep 'em coming!

Part Two now of the music note commission from last month! Gold stud in solid 9ct Gold.

Next up, a little sneak preview of a current idea. Solid silver, handmade, personalised keys- watch this space! More of these wonders are set to be around at the end of July but ...shh!

Wedding bells with this 18ct White gold Diamond ring. Made to sit against the engagement ring I made for the bride, this piece is finished in oxidised silver.

To finish up with, an Angel Wing made for a bride's 'Angel'. A little gift to recognise and say thank you for all the help and support she gave her in the run up to her wedding. Stamped on the back was 'Thank you my Angel' with the wedding date.

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For your own bespoke piece or to simply view our latest collections, visit us at the boutique in Church St, Ventnor or for more information click here to view the Honeybourne Jewellery website.