Sustainably Elegant Handcrafted Designer Jewellery by Suzie Horne
It's A Kind of Magic!
Last year (2021), I was contacted in regards to making a customised ‘Ring Holder’ necklace. I have to admit I had no idea what that was - and had to look it up!
What I found was something magical! 🤩 It involved a chain with a shaped pendant - that was open at the top, enabling a ring to be passed around the whole pendant, so that it would then ‘sit’ on top of the pendant - without having to take the necklace off.
...
Be Uplifted
A few years ago, as part of an art exhibition at the Upstairs Art Gallery in Titirangi, I created a new collection along the theme of “Uplifting” - it was called the “Rainbow Smiles” collection.
The Rainbow Smiles collection comprises dangly earrings, a necklace, a bracelet and a brooch that all feature recycled Sterling Silver wire in the shape of a shallow u (or a smile 😊) with 9 different types of coloured semi-precious stones on each piece. For some reason, I never added the ...
Firstly: What IS “Eco, Sustainable and Ethical” Jewellery?
“Sustainable and ethical jewelry means transparent and responsible sourcing practices and use of sustainable materials.”
~ sustainablejungle.com
In my FAQ’s section, I talk about what “Eco-Friendly, Sustainable, Ethical and Eco Jewellery” actually is, and what sustainable practices Curlicue NZ follows.
In terms of metals - recycled Silver and Gold are considered to be a ‘sustainable material’. That is because they can be melte...
2020: The Year That Changed the World
2020 was a crazy one - wasn’t it? The world was taken over by the pandemic COVID-19 and all of our lives - the way we lived, socialised, worked and travelled - dramatically changed. Forever. I don’t think we’ll ever go back to being ‘how it was before’. In many ways, this is a good thing. Some things, however, will definitely be missed.
Like many people, my business was ‘not essential’ and so I had to stop making whilst in levels 4 and 3 of lockdown. I c...
The Peas in a Pod Collection
Background Story:
A couple of years ago, a good friend had another baby. I wanted to make something special for her, and to celebrate the new addition to their family. I found out the birth months of all her kids - and found that I had the birthstones for each of them! So I decided to make something that represented them all, especially for my friend. Previously, I have made jewellery pieces using a particular method of wire wrapping - called the “herrin...
What do you do...
When you lose one of your favourite earrings?
Or your best beaded bracelet snags on a zip and rips it apart?
What about when your beloved child grabs the necklace your best friend gave you and breaks the clasp?
Or, the wire snaps on your treasured necklace and all the beads fall to the floor?
Well, you scoop up all those beads, contact me and I’ll see what I can do to fix it for you! 😁
Fixing Jewellery
Over time I have repaired a huge variety of costume jewellery...
"Don't judge a book by it's cover"
How do you know if someone has an invisible illness? I often think about the quote above - and try to use it when on the outside looking in to other people’s lives, in the hope that they can also use it with me.
Looks can be so deceiving!
What you see on the outside, is completely different from what I’m dealing with on the inside.
I have several different medical issues, or syndromes, most of which are a topic society deems as unmentionable - despite...
Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose
My "R3 Collection" is the second of two collections launching next Tuesday (8th September).
For some time, I had been thinking about how I could produce some jewellery by recycling or repurposing some sort of material. The material had to be one that I had easy access to, and also one that I had the tools to create something new from. But I don’t have the tools (or know-how) for woodwork, nor glass (yet!)
What could I use?
What can I do that is different, disti...
DIY Making Kits
Let your creative juices run wild!
A few years ago, I created some little bracelet making kits for a friends child's birthday party, then decided it was a great way for people - adults, teens and kids alike to spend time with each other whilst being creative.
Making kits for girls
Having a daughter, I started off just with small DIY bracelet making kits for girls that contained a variety of different bead...