'When I give my jewellery as a present, I feel like I'm giving protection to someone I care about...'
- Sofia Boutella
Atelier Access All Areas: Bespoke and Platinum History
We are currently polishing a platinum and diamond ring, a bespoke piece for a custommer.
Do you know how platinum was discovered?
Writings of platinum can be found in the writings of Italian physician, poet and scholar, Julius Caesar Scaliger (1484-1558). He supposedly saw platinum when visiting Central America in 1557. The metal was called 'platina' in Spanish, meaning 'little silver'.
News of the element naturally spread through Europe like wild fire and scientists became hypnotised by its physical properties and beauty. The 'Platinum Age in Spain' began...
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Atelier Access All Areas: Tools
Here's a picture of some bohemian flowers scattered across one of our work tops. There's definitely a charm to the trade of jewellery with its fascinating tools and hands-on work. While mostly a piece of jewellery is seen in its finished form, what's forgotten is the hours of processes which have produced it.
Here we have a borax cone and a dish. Luke mixes the borax with water to make a flux which is used as a soldering aid to make the solder flow.
The metal slabs may be a simple tool used for placing piping hot pieces but they are highly valuable when you want to put a diamond down and find it again!
If you have any questions about making jewellery, we are happy to answer.
Paris 2017
We were just in magnificent Paris, the city of elegance, grandeur and nonchalant style. The sound of accordions by Notre Dame, the smell of crêpes and art in every corner left us alive with inspiration. Here's a film made by our resident filmmaker showing our favourite places, the ones we didn't want to forget. What's your favourite part of Paris?
Exhibition Inspiration: Drawn from Life: People on Paper
Sketching is a key part of Luke's design process, so seeing this exhibition of talented artists was hugely inspiring. The sketches showcase various techniques, drawn in black chalk or coloured pencils. The exhibition is a must-see, especially if you are a creative.
Beaney Museum Inspiration
Luke's inspiration comes from many different places. Galleries and museums are a treasure chest of ideas. We went to The Beaney one morning before the city had woken up and saw beautiful works of art. We stood hypnotised by striking, life-like paintings and gazed at jewellery from Greek and Roman times. It was an incredible reminder that the same things fuel good design again and again: quality and fearless experimentation. The sheer range of colour and form in the museum is striking.