No need to explain what the inspiration for this collection is! While there is a lot of jewellery around that is inspired by nature and leaves, there is nothing as sculptural and distinctive as my Leaf collection. Each individual leaf has a subtle shape and twist, and by texturing the metal with a soft sandblasted finish, it highlights the graceful shapes and curves of the leaves to create an unusual and elegant piece of jewellery.
The collection can be made solely from tarnish resistant silver, creating a beautiful 'frosty' appearance, or combined with 14ct yellow gold or 9ct rose gold to create a stunning 2 or 3 tone effect which increases its versatility. Many combinations can be made; feel free to ask me if you have a particular idea in mind. Popular with young and old, it is a collection you will want to keep adding to.
Some of my fondest memories of time in the studio was developing this collection. The research and development phase went on for months and began with making many models of leaves by sawing copper sheet, then forming, soldering and fine-tuning them with further sawing and filing. Moulds were made of the individual leaves and the pieces then cast in silver.
I created many more leaves than were needed, then carefully selected exact shapes and sizes for assembly into the final design. The remaining unused leaves were sent back to the melting pot or further modified until they were the size and shape for a different design. Great attention to detail was given to the 'findings' or functional components of each jewellery piece. Tapered wires were soldered along the backs of leaves to create veins for pendant bails and earring hooks etc. Eventually a complete collection was created of earrings, necklaces and rings.
Your Leaf jewellery should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. The delicate sandblasted surface will show up any water stains or grease marks more readily than polished jewellery. Your jewellery should never be sprayed with perfume, hairspray or deodorant as these can cause a patina to develop on the silver. Never allow your silver jewellery to come in contact with chlorine pools or any chemicals. I strongly recommend storing your jewellery carefully to preserve its beauty.
It is best to keep your Leaf jewellery in an airtight environment like a zip lock plastic bag or wrapped in cloth or tissue paper. Don’t leave silver jewellery out in the open as circulating air will speed up any tarnishing.
Any grease marks or tarnish can easily be removed using an old toothbrush and a small amount of either Jif cream cleanser or Gumption paste (available at supermarkets) and rubbing in a circular motion over any staining on the front of the leaves only. Just make sure it’s an original formula and doesn’t contain any anti-bacterial/anti-viral properties as these may react with the silver. This should remove any surface stains and tarnish, then make sure it’s thoroughly rinsed off with water using the toothbrush again in a circular motion to remove all cleanser.
After thorough rinsing the next most important thing is to dry the jewellery completely using a tissue particularly in the crevices of the leaves. If you have a hairdryer available you can blast it with some hot air, (be careful: the jewellery will be hot!) but this is not essential; the main thing is that it’s dried properly as tiny spots of water will leave a water mark.
Hagerty Silver Clean can also be used instead of the Jif or Gumption, However, if you have a necklace strung on multi strand white or steel cable never allow the cable to come in contact with the silver dip. The cable itself should never need to be cleaned other than wiping with a soft cloth. If using a silver dip, then make sure to rinse and dry thoroughly as mentioned above. Please don’t hesitate to contact me via email if you have any questions.
