I thought it would be quite useful to explain the finishes I am able to produce in my rings, with some examples:

• Polished finish – This seems to be the most popular and classic finish. It features a mirror smooth surface. I use this finish in my classic design rings, mostly bands.

• Matte finish – another popular finish, giving a the ring a softer look. This finish is not permanent and if the piece of jewellery is worn often, it would need to be re-finished from time to time, as rubbing against harder surfaces smooths the surface of the piece.

•  Hammered finish – I like this finish as it gives my rings a more rustic feel. I use three different types of hammered finish: Dappled – a classic hammered finish with round indentations into the metal. I am very keen on this finish with a matte effect (below left), as over time, the base of the indentations stays matte but the upper surface becomes polished. Tree-bark – applied in lines closely together to resemble a tree-bark. This finish works best on rectangular or square in profile bands. The ring can also be made with a polished or matte effect. Faceted – applied with the flat of a hammer to create facets on the metal. This finish works best on surfaces with a radius, such as round, oval and D-shape in profile.

 

 

 

 

•  Frosted Finish – This is one of the most permanent finishes. This effect is achieved by cutting into the surface of the metal. A ring made with this finish won’t need re-finishing and it will also cover scratches and dents occurring during wear and tear. It gives the ring a contemporary feel, with a softer glow.

• Scratched finish - This is one of the more unusual finishes. Similar to the frosted finish, it is achieved by cutting into the metal. This effect doesn’t need re-finishing and gives the ring a contemporary feel, with small cuts that catch the light beautifully.

• Spun Silk finish – This is one of my personal favourite finishes. It gives the ring a soft glow with lines that catch the light – just like a roll of spun silk would. Although this finish is not as robust as a scratched or frosted finish, it may require refinishing after excessive wear and tear.

 

In my next blog post, I’ll be showcasing some of my new designs!

Welcome!

This is the first post on my new blog, and hopefully it will be the first of many.

This is me, my name is Lilia and I am a jewellery designer – maker. I live and work on the edge of the Cotswolds with my family and a very beautiful cat called Sammy, who ‘helps’ me with my work – you will see him a lot on this blog!

I grew up in Russia, near the Ural mountains. I have always been interested in making things by hand, from as young as I can remember. As a child, I loved making clothes for my dollies, and wire rings out of colourful wire for my friends at school. I did an Economics Degree and Languages Degree and came to England for my final year at the Uni. I started making jewellery when my second daughter was born and it all grew into the business it is now – Lilia Nash Jewellery aka Lilia N Designs.

There are many things that influence my designs, such as my beautiful collection of colourful sparkly gemstones! I often take them all out of their boxes and stare at their beauty, matching different combinations of colours . I love anything antique and vintage, especially jewellery (naturally!) – It always amazes me how jewellery was made in previous centuries without modern tools and machinery. I am also inspired by nature, its beauty and natural forms.

I don’t normally draw design sketches of my pieces (although I know I should). Designs evolve in my head and then get translated into metal, sometimes with an addition of some extra detail.

My favourite metal to work with is 18 carat gold, especially yellow gold. It has such a rich colour and is a treat to work with. The only downside is that gold prices are rocketing; it is now worth more than platinum, which is the rarest metal on Earth!.

I am very conscious of the effect of gold mining on the environment and have recently switched to using recycled gold. Gold mining in particular is one of the most environmentally destructive processes; to mine enough gold for one average wedding band, 20 tonnes of waste is produced in the process. With this in mind, ALL of my new designs and custom orders are now made of 100% recycled gold.  Recycled gold is obtained by melting down old jewellery and extracting the pure gold and other metals. This reduces the demand for new mined gold. The recycled white gold I use is manufactured by  Hoover and Strong in the USA, and is branded as Harmony Metals. My yellow gold is obtained from CooksonGold in the UK and is branded as Eco Gold. CooksonGold has an interesting video (click here)on producing their recycled gold.

At present, I am working on expanding my range of gold rings and will be listing new rings in weeks to come.  Please check my blog, website and facebook pages for my latest designs and updates. Don’t forget, you can contact me any time if you have your own ideas!