MIXING VINTAGE

The start of any Deborah Jayne Jewellery project is the vintage or up-cycled centrepiece or recurrent motif. For this necklace it was a silver roundel, stamped with a foliate starburst motif. I found this amongst a box of old costume jewellery, given to me by a friend. It had belonged to his mother, and he was happy for me to make good use of the broken bits rather than send them to landfill. Within the mass of old beads and brooches, there was a selection of silver pieces (mostly hallmarked). Apparently my friend’s mum had taken a silversmithing course, and my chosen pendant came from this period. This piece is not hallmarked but considering the source, back story and appearance, I am pretty confident it is sterling silver. After cleaning it up with a mild silver cleaning product and filing down any rough patches on the back, it was ready to feature as a stunning pendant. So moving on to designing the necklace onto which I would attach the pendant.

SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES

One of my favourite things to do when designing jewellery is to mix up different beads and create unusual, complementary combinations. Together with my trademark vintage beads, I add in semi-precious stones and quality new glass beads. I put together unexpected colour combinations and textures, and then decide whether it “works” or not. Most pieces go through a series of “test runs” before I make my final decision.  The illustrated necklace and matching bracelet perfectly demonstrate this technique. The overall effect is timeless, beautiful and elegant.

ROSE QUARTZ & AMAZONITE

By now I have a wide cache of vintage crystals, mostly dating from the mid- 20th century. What would happen if I were to pick a few of these and mix in some semi-precious stones? I’m particularly fond of rose quartz and I was dying to use the flat circular beads I’d recently acquired.  So far, so good – but I needed some extra “zing”! I had just discovered the beauty of Amazonite – a muted, opaque sea-green stone. And that was it – my missing ingredient. Now I had a soft, natural palette to which fresh water and vintage pearls merged seamlessly.

MATCHING JEWELLERY SET

After finishing off the necklace, I wasn’t ready to turn my back on this gorgeous mix of beads. And so began a matching bracelet. To make it a little bit more special, I added a pretty cherub love heart charm. This isn’t old but has a vintage style.

SPECIAL OFFER

This set has now been added to my online boutique and I’m happy to announce both pieces are included in my new SALE with attractive discounts. Perfect as a special little treat for yourself, or an ideal, bespoke gift.

The necklace has now been reduced from £65 to £40

The bracelet has now been reduced from £20 to £15.