. . . I would like to share a recent commission with you. The commission started with a request to create a bracelet to hold a series of shells. It was for a retirement gift and the shells had been collected in order to symbolise future travels 

. . . At first they seemed so unusual for my work but, the shells are a lovely oval shape and they are an every day item made precious because of the symbolism between the gifter and reciever. I also loved that they were all the same kind of shell, but with individual characters. Perfect!

Discussions with the commissioner brought us to the idea of a flexible bracelet with a series of silver dishes to hold each shell. Paper ovals sized to each shell gave some shape to the idea

. . . And then work began with a long strip of silver

. . . This was then cut (with my new saw, that was nice!) and experiments made before ovals were cut to fit each shell

. . . The ovals were formed with a little long missed silversmithing techniques 

. . . And then some experiementing with links to get just the right size and shape, again oval to reflect the shells and dishes, and each one left quite natural and organic in shape

. . . The elements were then linked together to an approximate length as we didn't have the exact measurement of the reciever, so a chain and T-bar catch gives options for the wearer to choose their perfect length 

. . . And then the important assembling to personalise the commission

. . . Until the piece was completed

. . . Thank you for reading!