On the bench today… we showcase how you can re-use a sentimental item of jewellery A customer came to us with the hopes of re-designing two inherited engagement rings, looking for a ‘statement’ piece that would re-use the existing gold and diamonds from their sentimental pieces. Taking inspiration from our popular Husk ring (its simple design is […]

On the bench today… we are showcasing a bespoke 18ct yellow gold fish pendant, produced by our talented in-house team. This commission was for a 60th birthday gift, made from the customer’s own gold and based on a design sketched by his daughter. Having communicated the overall concept of the pendant to us we drew up a technical illustration of […]

  Rachel, who designed a brooch for the Queen Mother just a few years ago, has gathered together her ‘Crown’ collection, designed and developed over the past five years right here in the workshop, consisting of quirkily styled pendants, rings and earrings as well as cufflinks, with the royal ‘jewels’ in mind. Just follow the links […]

On the bench today… transforming a family heirloom into contemporary pieces Our client came to us with a traditional claw set sapphire and diamond ring with a request to use both the gold and stones in contemporary pieces (the ring had belonged to her grandmother and had sentimental value). During the consultation, our client favoured the […]

We were so pleased to welcome Kat Williams, blog writer of the hugely acclaimed Rock n Roll Bride, back to our jewellery school last month. Kat, her sister Rachel (the hen) and a lovely bunch of eager friends took part in our Hen Party  jewellery  making workshop for the first of their hen party activities […]

On the bench today… an 18ct yellow gold Constantine ring with Old Cut diamond 0.27ct     Browse Diamonds for more styles and stone setting variations in 18ct yellow and white gold. If you don’t see the exact ring you’re looking for, or would like another metal, then please get in touch for a design consultation. Telephone 01582 […]

Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent and is the modern celebration of mums and motherhood. There are many historical meanings associated with the day but the sentiment is always the same –  Mum deserves a treat and this is her special day!! However you decide to spoil her, you can’t go […]

On the bench today… 18ct yellow gold bespoke emerald earrings Our clients came to us to make a pair of emerald and diamond earrings to match an engagement ring we had previously made for them: They were looking for an emerald cut stone surrounded by 0.02ct diamonds set in 18ct yellow gold – a traditional […]

There are many traditions surround February 14th, some romantic, some celebrating the beginnings of Spring  –  In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart” ….. but if ever there was a time to treat your loved one to something special and unexpected then this […]

On the bench today… the making of our Globe Tide pendant (with cuttlefish casting!) The workshop is always buzzing with activity. The sound of hammering, sawing and polishing spill into the shop but it’s not often we get the chance to sneak next door and observe an ancient jewellery making technique in action! Cuttlefish casting is used […]

Add some sparkle this Christmas… The gifting season is almost upon us and whilst a tiny minority have it all wrapped up by the beginning of November (lucky them), the rest of us take part in a mad scramble around this time and write lots of crazy lists whilst scouring the web for inspiration. But […]

  Handmade jewellery vs mass produced It is a misnomer that the majority of jewellery on the market is machine made and mass produced. In fact, high street, mass produced jewellery has been hand assembled and finished by a human being somewhere along the way. That said, there’s nothing like a piece of jewellery that […]

Whether it’s decorating the table centrepieces or making your own wedding favours, the DIY wedding craze is in full swing. Pinterest and other social media sites are awash with ideas on how to go about creating and personalising anything from the wedding venue to the cake. It’s a chance for both families to get involved […]

National Seed Gathering Season – From 23rd September through to 23rd October To celebrate the beginning of the Seed Gathering Season – traditionally considered to be the start of Autumn and ‘a month-long festival organised by The Tree Council, which aims to inspire people to get outside and gather, nurture and germinate tree seeds for […]

Selecting, researching or designing an engagement ring for a surprise proposal needn’t be the head-spinning process it’s cracked up to be.  Whether you’re considering a bespoke, commissioned ring or looking to find the perfect piece glinting at you in the corner of a shop window, then fear not because before you start shopping, we’ve got […]

Last month, the lovely Pippa, blogger and reviewer for Muddy Stilettos (The Urban Guide to the Countryside),  came along to our ring and bangle one day workshop to try her hand at silversmithing for the first time. She’s written a wonderful piece on her blog: herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/2015/06/19/making-something-lovely-with-rachel-jeffrey-jewellery/ detailing the whole day. We’re so pleased she came […]

   Saturday June 20th – from 2pm til close   Pass the Parcel Take part in our ‘Pass The Parcel’ with a chance to win one of our limited edition bee pendants or a wide range of amazing gifts from over 20 local businesses including Rebecca Clark Spa, Lush, Fuchsia Pink Florist, The Dressing Room and […]

The weather’s getting warmer, the flowers are blossoming and we have teamed up with invertebrate conservation charity Buglife to help the bees. By getting involved in the Great Bristish Bee Count and helping to monitor our bees you could be in with a chance of winning a gold plated, silver bee pendant, designed by Rachel and […]

Last weeks’ solar eclipse got so many of us excited. It’s a once in a lifetime event and so rare that it may not happen again for hundreds of years! However, it’s the stunning visual effects created by the moon as it blocks out the sun, which really interests us. One of these effects is […]

Congraulations to The Cloud Appreciation Society for the new ‪Undulatus Asperatus‬ classification! I may need to rename my Tundra or Maelstrom collections… They were based on snow drifts and whirlwinds, but the undulating textures looks so similar to the cloud formation – don’t you think?  I’d so love to see it. The Times reported that […]

Rachel and her labradoodle are stars of the Christmas issue of Woman & Home magazine!  The national women’s monthly magazine was searching for participants for a feature on how Christmas would be different this year.  Rachel approached the journalist herself.  “It occurred to me that the arrival of my dog Joffa has had such a […]

Terry of Smiley Bum joined us at the workshop for a one day course in September.  He hoped to make his wife something special to mark their five year anniversary, so chose to make a white gold ring for her.  On the day, he completed the ring, a D shape 18ct white gold band.  Terry […]

  Saturday 12th July – Grove House Midnight Walk in St. Albans. See our involvement with the Rennie Grove charity here. The below article is taken from the Herts Advertiser from Thursday 3rd July.  We’re proud to support the work of Grove House and this event.  Great fun was had by all, all for a […]

We heard about the St Albans 365 project via Twitter and were immediately interested.  “A photographic project for the people of St Albans: photograph St Albans every day for the whole of 2014”.  Wheathampstead is a village and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans and we’re always keen to highlight its beauty.  […]

  Learning a new skill keeps our minds sharp and our lives interesting.  It can enhance your social skills & social life, memory, wellbeing, self worth, even employment prospects. Stretch yourself, surprise yourself, do something different. “Learning affects our well-being in lots of positive ways. It exposes us to new ideas and helps us stay […]

Lots of lovely treats your mum is sure to love this Mother’s Day! Flowers, sweet treats, butterflies and wildlife realised in hallmarked silver. Pearls, pink tourmalines, and morganites are perfect delicate pastels. …Or why not buy her some time – a gift nugget for a day at the jewellery school so she can make her […]

National Tree Week is a Tree Council initiative which runs 23 November – 1 December 2013. “First mounted in 1975, National Tree Week is the UK’s largest tree celebration annually launching the start of the winter tree planting season.” A lot of my inspiration has stemmed from walks through woodlands and forests. Now when I […]

Spend over £100 on jewellery between 9th and 23rd November 2013 and receive a beautiful, free “Winterberry” silver pendant. This year, we have used a print by the artist Elspeth Scott on our promotional postcards.  Elspeth grew up in Wheathampstead, and we love her folk-inspired lino prints. We felt her image of a tree, which she titles […]

 A few gift ideas for your Dad that will beat the usual socks & chocs! Cannikin cups for a dram of whisky, silver sporting bookmarks, silver sugar and coffee spoons, Crown cufflinks, Golf ball cufflinks, Iced Gem silver cufflinks, Rugby ball cufflinks.                   

Those with April birthdays enjoy the diamond as their birthstone. What is it about this stone which sets is apart from others?  Here is some background…   Where do diamonds come from? Just like gold and silver that form naturally in the earth, diamonds do too. Diamonds are minerals made up of carbon.  They are […]

We received such a lovely email this afternoon…  “I want to thank you for being an inspiration to me. We have never met, but I saw you on Kirstie’s Vintage Home in November 2012. The wedding feature with the couple making their own rings really connected with me and led me to explore silversmithing.  After […]

March birthstone is aquamarine. In her book ‘The Crystal Bible’ Judy Hall writes “aquamarine is a stone of courage.  Its calming energies reduce stress and quiet the mind.  It harmonizes its surroundings and protects against pollutants.  In ancient times it was believed to counteract the forces of darkness and procure favor from the spirits of […]

On Saturday 23rd February we attended The Red House Children’s Book Awards at London’s Southbank Centre. It is the only national book award voted for entirely by children and consists of three separate categories to suit young readers of varying ages – Younger Children, Yonger Readers, and Older Readers. For the second year running Rachel was […]

February birthstone is amethyst. To me amethyst is quite a regal stone, I love it paired with peridot, and it’s a favourite with our customers whether they have a February birthday or not! It looks really beautiful in both white and gold metals as shown here.  It’s also one of my favourite stones which looks […]

On Saturday a lovely couple joined our Ring/Bangle making workshop to make each other’s wedding rings. They took some fantastic photos of the process and shared them with us. Below shows their silver rings, before we’ll cast them in palladium and white gold. For more information on making your own wedding rings, take a look […]

Yesterday we received a magical email… “I thought you might like to see this. My (since yesterday) fiancé took me and my daughter sledging on the Dunstable downs in the snow where he had shovelled out ‘will you marry me?’ in giant letters. He then asked our friend who is a photographer to meet us […]

Garnets are such beautiful stones – I love to use the very deep blood reds from Mozambique, so rich and wearable.  The colour reminds me of pomegranate, red apples, and dramatic fairy tale reds.  They are sometimes considered to represent love, and are the brithstone for January. On the Mohs scale which ranks mineral hardness […]

              Spend over £100 in store or online between 10 – 24th November 2012 and receive a FREE GIFT! During this time we will also have mince pies and mulled wine in the shop – treats all round!   One gift per customer whilst stocks last.  No cash alternative,  […]

Exciting day today…! Kirstie’s Vintage Home starts tonight on Channel 4 at 8pm.  Tonight’s episode shows a couple from Edinburgh adding vintage / handmade touches to their home. We are counting down the days until Rachel is featured on the special wedding episode – its been confirmed that this will air on Thursday 29th November […]

“Who first comes to this world below With drear November’s fog and snow, Should prize the topaz’s amber hue, Emblem of friends and lovers true.” Topaz is the November birthstone.  Here it is described with an “amber hue” but it can also be brown, clear, red-pink, green, or blue. I like to use the blue […]

Over the summer, Rachel was asked to appear on Kirstie Allsopp’s Homemade Home programme in a special wedding edition that will air this Autumn on Channel 4.  Rachel taught a couple how to make their own wedding rings, and Kirstie how to make a silver bangle that became a gift for the bride-to-be.  Filming took […]

I’m hard at work putting the finishing touches to my new designs – I’ve added to my floral pieces with a lovely bloom, and to the seaside range with a gorgeous piece…I’m wearing one as I type this so come and see us at the shop if you want an exclusive preview!

Here’s our new website, combining our previous gallery style website, and our additional online shop site.   We love that this website really reflects the feel of our shop in Wheathamptead; touches of wood texture from our 16th century Mill building, sneak peeks of the workshop and images of the beautiful River Lea, liberal use […]

I was lucky enough to visit Buckingham Palace for the tour of the State Rooms and the Diamond exhibition “Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration”.