Jewellery wot other folk have made...

[Coco]

Do you wear it or do you only stick to stuff you've made yourselves?

[Di Sandland]

D'you know what - I very rarely wear jewellery at all any more other than my wedding and engagement ring. Isn't that ironic given that a few years ago I would drape myself like a bloody Christmas tree! I have been thinking that I should start wearing my own jewellery tho

[Coco]

Ooooo, my mis-spelling of what doesn't look as hilarious and adorable as it sounded in my head. Ummm.....balls #-o

[Di Sandland]

LOL - I often do that. I write as I speak but, without me actually being there sometimes it just makes me sound thick - which I'm truly not ;)

[The Bijou Dragon]

In short, a mixture of both!

I have a christening bracelet I have had since I was 7 from my grandparents and have worn it almost every day since I was 16!
I have a Gold wishbone bracelet which is 16 carat, cost me £16 on my 16th birthday... also from my Grandparents
I also have a VERY expensive charm bracelet which as a gift from my parents as I had always coveted my mothers as hers is beautiful
I also have a few odds and sods I had bought before I got into jewellery making and also some rather expensive pieces I rescued from scrap dealers at antiques fairs when I used to do them with my parents!

Now, of course it is mostly stuff I have made but then I go through periods where I wear absolutely no jewellery at all... but that ain't good business ;)

[agent_44]

I wear a mixture, though quite a bit of my own. I do regularly wear my old wedding and engagement ring on the other hand, because I like them so much, and they're the most expensive pieces that I own. If I see something I could/would make myself, I generally wont buy it, but I am quite happy to buy something that I wouldn't make, as in different style/type of jewellery or that is out of my skill set.

[bustagasket]

I dont have many pieces to wear yet, but i generally wear gifts to me in the meantime :)

[mizgeorge]

I wear my wedding, engagement and 'me' ring. Also a diamond solitaire on a chain round my neck and a watch. On my right hand (when it's not velcro'd up!) I wear one of my maille rings and a little silver and gold ring OH gave me for my 30th birthday.

Then I wear my own stuff - always at least one bracelet and usually a dangly pendant of some sort. If I wear earrings, they're pretty much always my own (other than some more diamonds ;))

I very rarely buy jewellery, but when I do it's likely to be from someone who makes it themselves. Unless I'm at home in the Caribbean, when the bling shops sometimes catch me!

[Solunar Silver Studio]

For the last 30ish years I have worn very little jewellery except my wedding and engagement rings. I did have a lovely opal pendant, some gold earrings and some stuff of my grandmother's but they got stolen when our house was broken into and they were all sentimental and pretty much irreplaceable. I wore very little while my kids were growing up, and anyway, I liked the look of silver best but couldn't wear it without it going black almost instantly so it wasn't worth buying it!! So it has only been since I have been making my own stuff from fine silver that I wear anything....and now I wear 4 silver rings, 2 chain bracelets and 2 different length chain necklaces all the time - day and night - and earrings during the day. Ostensibly to check that a new design is wearable - but really because I like it!! I hardly take any of it off for anything so I garden in it - do woodwork in it - decorate in it and everything else!! People say that fine silver is too soft for making jewellery but I can now dispute that. My designs are tough!! ...and I wear them with pride and as an advertisement for what I do!

[lesley]

I'm hopeless - hardly wear any jewellery. If I do it's usually a ring.
If I'm in a blingy mood I'll wear a white gold, diamond and 5 carat blue topaz ring. I could gaze into that stone for hours.

[geti-titanium]

Strangely enough I don't wear anything - jewellery wise I should add - I don't want to give you all mental images of me sitting here starkers 'cos I know what you're all like on this here forum thingy :)

It was my refusal to wear a wedding ring that nearly resulted in my ex wife ditching me before we got to the alter - unfortunately that went through though :)

[Matp85]

although i love my job i have never owned or wore a piece of jewellery! i dont know why it just the way it is most jewellers i know aswell dont wear any its weird.

[agent_44]

I guess it is different for men, as many don't like to wear jewellery at all and there is not the choice if you do compared to Jewellery for women. I am interested though what makes a man who doesn't like/wear jewellery decide to become a Jeweller?!

[geti-titanium]

what makes a man who doesn't like/wear jewellery decide to become a Jeweller?!

My route to jewellery was accidental.

When I got divorced, along with the down in the dumps feelings came a loss of interest in work, which was engineering at the time.

I was approached by a jeweller who asked me if I could make Titanium rings for him and then it just snowballed. My father, who originally started the company, had always dreamed of having his own product and came up with all sorts of inventions, most of which didn't really take off. I also shared thoughts along those lines so selling my own product was a dream come true for both of us really.

[bustagasket]

thats pretty cool Alan :D

[geti-titanium]

One of the biggest kicks I get now is standing behind somebody in a queue and spotting one of my rings on their finger - I can tell my babies from a mile away :)

[bustagasket]

One of the biggest kicks I get now is standing behind somebody in a queue and spotting one of my rings on their finger - I can tell my babies from a mile away :)

omg!! now that WOULD be a thrill!!:Y:

[MuranoSilver]

I mainly wear my own jewellery, because the pieces I love by other people are out of my price range ;)
Nic x

[caroleallen]

I only wear my own. All my jewellery is made for me anyway, so it would be rude not to.

[Ominicci]

Ha ha Carole, that would be true for me too. I think we mostly make things we like ourselves anyway.

I wear a mixture of mine and bought/given depending on the outfit, but I know I should wear more of my own. I always feel a little embarassed if someone asks me if what I'm wearing is mine with admiration in their eyes and then I have to say no... (one of my favourite sets is a silver dragonfly and earrings from Josie's Dragonfly* - Josie Grove Leukaemia Fund - Helping children and teenagers living with Cancer (http://www.Josiesdragonfly.org) which I bought before I worked in silver, and it was for charity, so I feel that is OK.)

Now I am not working in an office and dressing 'smartly' everyday I keep telling myself I need to go through my stuff and ditch the bits (and clothes) I am not going to wear much anymore. If I really need something to go with an outfit I can get the kit out and make something of my own!!!

[Matp85]

I got in the trade because i wanted a full time job and spotted it had 37.5 hours a week so i applied not knowing what it was until i got to the interview. I think am damn lucky for it all working out for me!

[Atelier Ava]

I wear a mixture of new and old. I have some sparklers inherited from my Mum and Aunty that I wear on my fingers with a couple of plain Thai gold rings to keep them on. If I go somewhere special I have two bracelets that my Dad gave to my mother that I love to wear. My ear-rings are always my own as I test out the wearability of what I make, plus I have a constant supply of new ones to wear.

[EmmaRose]

I love other peoples jewellery...I find I have more of an appreciation for funky and/or original designs than before I made my own. My current favourites are a rabbit necklace by Carol Mather, a ring by Angela Fung and a funky necklace from recycled acupuncture tubes by Joanne Tinker.
And of course I wear my own :)
Em

[caroleallen]

I love other peoples jewellery...I find I have more of an appreciation for funky and/or original designs than before I made my own. My current favourites are a rabbit necklace by Carol Mather, a ring by Angela Fung and a funky necklace from recycled acupuncture tubes by Joanne Tinker.
And of course I wear my own :)
Em

Ooh, my daughter's studying acupuncture. I must see what the tubes look like! :-"