I first started making silver jewellery by casting shells and, using a lost wax technique, getting some help with the casting from Mr and Mrs Fung (honestly) who had a small and smelly casting company in a huge, run down building down a back alley in Kowloon, Hong Kong about an hour away from where I was living at the time. I risked life and limb everytime I used the lift there, but they did good work, leaving the filing, sanding and polishing to me.
The resulting repetitive strain injuries made me desist in the end from a rather pleasant career, that and the hand-over of HK to the Chinese in 1997, and subsequent loss of rich Brits who went back to the UK.
I have more detailed photos of some of these pieces but haven’t thought to bore everyone with them....just email me if you want more info on any of the pieces. Sorry for the quality of some of these, my ‘macro’ on my camera is crap.
The cowrie is a little pendant in sterling silver weighing nearly 6 gms, with a jump ring to take a chain or leather (not provided). It’s about 22 mm long. It’s for sale for £35, exclusive of postage. Terrible photo, I know.....
...similarly the ‘blob 6’ is a shell with the top filed off to show the natural spiral. It’s slightly smaller, same price.
This pair of indian looking earrings is made in exactly the same way. They are 6.5 grms each, sterling silver and so a bit heavier than some people are used to wearing, and 50 mm, (2 inches) long overall. They are £55.
Fashioned from a smaller, flatter cowrie than the pendant this set of necklace and bracelet are produced in exactly the same manner from sterling silver. The necklace is 34 cms long (13.5 inches), and the bracelet 14.5 cms (5.5 inches). The set fits someone around a size 10 (english sizes) and for a larger person your local jeweller could add some more rings to the end to increase the length. There’s about 65 gms of silver in the set. It’s £320, and could be split although they do look best together.
I called this one The Funky Mushroom. It has a beaten and tarnished copper top, riveted to a wooden (teak) base with 4 x 24 ct gold rivets. The melted metals are layered, shaku-do, shibu-ishi, gold and silver which have been tarnished. The stone is a “swiss blue” topaz. The rough leather collar is 36.5 cms (14.5 inches) long, and again, it could be lengthened by your local jeweller. £395.
Another pendant in cast sterling silver, this one has a hard fossilized coral stone which shows the structure of corals very clearly. Dodgy photo again, sorry, the actual colour is coffee fading to white, the detail is more delicate than this picture shows. It’s nearly 20 gms. £125.
Carved freehand in wax, like the one above then cast in sterling silver, this was inspired, as you might have guessed, by an african mask. Its over 30 gms, around 1.3 ounces, it’s 4.5 cms by 3.8 cms. I thought it would look good on a man or woman, but then not many men wear jewellery. £155.
Blue glass (cobalt blue) set in sterling silver, a bit of japanese flair, maybe... this one is 25 gms, 5 cms (2 inches) long. £125.
This is quartz with needles of rutile in the stone, so, it’s called rutilated quartz..:)) about 20 gms, slightly smaller than the last piece. £145.
While I was in Victoria, Australia, I melted these pieces of glass together in a kiln, then went back to HK and carved and cast a solid silver pendant for it. It’s called Glacier, and it is a heavy piece, around 40 gms. It’s 3.5 cms by 2.5 and very chunky. £175.
Leaf, a simple carved and cast piece, it’s 8 gms, 4 cms long. The stone is an agate from India (if I remember rightly). £ 75.
This was an opal I picked out of hundreds at one of the regular Hk gem fairs I used to attend. It has a good range of colours and I have several photos of it. I set it in a 24 ct gold setting which brings out the blueish tinge of the opal matrix. the silver back I have left quite raw, its not a cast piece. 14.5 gms, 22 mm by 22 mm. It has a large enough fixing for it to slip onto a smallish rope chain, or thick leather. £245.
The Glyph is not a cast piece, its make from a range of metals. The ring part is shibu-ishi (a japanese alloy ...25% silver to 75% copper) and silver bands. One of the cross-pieces is 9ct gold, the other silver. The body of the piece is a silver coated copper. The round squiggles come from Burmese writing, tho I’m sure it doesn’t say anything...well...hopefully.
This piece either loops onto a leather thong or you could have a jump ring made to fit it to a chain. 19 gms, 8cms long. £95.
Well, that will do for part one...I have bangles, a few, and a couple of more expensive pieces for those with rich Santas, and rings. The trouble with rings is that they are never gonna fit you, you would have to get them sized locally (I will reflect that inconvenience in the price).
Email me if you are interested in any of the pieces and we can talk further.. sorornishi@mac.com
:))
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