Blog

On the bench... a commission to re-use sentimental gold

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 […]

Posted: Friday, January 20th, 2017
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On the bench... fish pendant commission

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 […]

Posted: Friday, January 20th, 2017
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Crown Ring

This year, Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrating two major milestones, her official birthday in June and her actual 90th birthday on 21st April. There’ll be festivities throughout the summer with plenty of chances to catch a glimpse of our extraordinary Queen looking her best! To celebrate, Rachel, who designed a brooch for the Queen […]

Posted: Thursday, April 21st, 2016
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On the bench... transforming a family heirloom

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, February 25th, 2016
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Rock n Roll Bride revisits our jewellery workshop for a crafty hen party!

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 […]

Posted: Monday, February 22nd, 2016
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Constantine Yellow Gold

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 […]

Posted: Monday, February 15th, 2016
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Mother's Day gifts

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, February 4th, 2016
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On the bench... bespoke emerald earrings

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 […]

Posted: Monday, January 25th, 2016
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Valentine's Day gift guide

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 […]

Posted: Monday, January 11th, 2016
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Why do I need to get my jewellery valued?

  Valuation for insurance replacement Insurance companies insist in valuables being valued by a reputable valuer, however many people do not have their jewellery insured at the correct value – this is vital if you ever need to make a claim to your insurance company. Valuation for private sale Valuation for probate Valuation for loan […]

Posted: Thursday, January 7th, 2016
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On the bench... the making of our Globe Tide pendant

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 […]

Posted: Monday, December 14th, 2015
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The gift finder – our Christmas guide

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 […]

Posted: Monday, November 2nd, 2015
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Why is handmade so special?

  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 […]

Posted: Monday, October 26th, 2015
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Making your own wedding rings

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 […]

Posted: Monday, October 5th, 2015
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 Inspired by the Seed Gathering Season........

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 […]

Posted: Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015
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5 things to consider when choosing an engagement ring!

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 […]

Posted: Tuesday, August 18th, 2015
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Pippa from Muddy Stilettos tries out our ring/bangle workshop

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, June 25th, 2015
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Rachel Jeffrey 10th Birthday banner

   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 […]

Posted: Friday, June 5th, 2015
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Join the Great British Bee Count and win a golden bee pendant!

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, May 21st, 2015
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The Solar Eclipse - it's a ring thing!

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 […]

Posted: Saturday, March 21st, 2015
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Undulatus Asperatus

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, December 11th, 2014
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Rachel and Joffa in Woman & Home

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 […]

Posted: Friday, November 14th, 2014
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Smiley Bum visits the workshop!

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 […]

Posted: Friday, October 10th, 2014
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January Valuation Day

Book an appointment with a highly experienced, independently-regulated valuer. For the discounted rate of £60 discover how much your jewellery, watch, or silverware item is worth – satisfy your curiosity and ensure your piece has accurate insurance cover. Steven Jordan is one of UK’s most experienced and qualified jewellery, silver and watches valuers, with over […]

Posted: Tuesday, October 7th, 2014
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Grove House Midnight Walk

  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 […]

Posted: Monday, July 14th, 2014
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St. Albans 365 - a photographic project

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.  […]

Posted: Monday, June 16th, 2014
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Why learning a new skill is good for you

  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 […]

Posted: Wednesday, May 28th, 2014
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Mother's Day

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 […]

Posted: Wednesday, March 19th, 2014
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National Tree Week

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 […]

Posted: Wednesday, November 27th, 2013
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Winter promotion!

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 […]

Posted: Friday, November 8th, 2013
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Father's Day

 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.                   

Posted: Wednesday, June 12th, 2013
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April birthstone

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 […]

Posted: Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013
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Heartwarming email...

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, March 21st, 2013
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March birthstone

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 […]

Posted: Friday, March 1st, 2013
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Red House Children's Book Awards

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 […]

Posted: Tuesday, February 26th, 2013
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Offer! February 23rd - March 9th 2013
Posted: Friday, February 22nd, 2013
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February birthstone

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 […]

Posted: Friday, February 1st, 2013
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Wedding ring making - bride & groom

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, January 31st, 2013
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A snowy engagement

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 […]

Posted: Friday, January 18th, 2013
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January birthstone

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, January 3rd, 2013
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Free Gift With Purchases over £100!

              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,  […]

Posted: Wednesday, November 14th, 2012
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Kirstie's Vintage Home - starts tonight!

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 […]

Posted: Thursday, November 8th, 2012
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November birthstone

“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 […]

Posted: Thursday, November 1st, 2012
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Rachel teaching Kirstie, Craig and Amy.

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 […]

Posted: Tuesday, October 9th, 2012
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Antique rose

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!

Posted: Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
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Mill Walk

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 […]

Posted: Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
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Valuation Day with Steve Jordan

We welcomed Steven Jordan back to the shop on Tuesday 2nd October 2012.

Posted: Wednesday, September 26th, 2012
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Buckingham Palace visit

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

Posted: Wednesday, September 26th, 2012
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