“Charis” – a new range of shimmering crystal jewellery is launched today!

It’s great to have new toys to play with! For me, as a jewellery designer,  it’s fantastic to reach the point of launching a new collection of jewellery and sharing it with my customers. Will they like it, want it, buy it???? The anticipation is intense.

Designing a collection can take a little time. Firstly, what am I trying to achieve? which gap in the market am I trying to plug? which customer group is the collection aimed at? and how will I reach them with my new collection? There’s lots to think about before a single piece of jewellery is made.

With the Charis collection, I wanted to produce a range of jewellery which is subtle but with wow. Pretty but contemporary. Not everyone likes to wear large chunky jewellery, I love it and tend to be drawn to making larger pieces and so for me to design a range of designs on a smaller scale has been a new venture and I’m so pleased with the results. So , what sort of jewellery have I come up with? 

The Charis range of jewellery by Dawn Woodward

Exclusively available from www.dawnwoodward.com

Charis is a new collection of sparkling, sumptuous crystal studded jewellery which

creates a chic and contemporary look with minimal fuss. These understated yet

alluring pieces are perfect for day and evening alike and are very versatile, being suitable for a variety of occasions from parties and proms to weddings and whatevers.

Popular with all age groups, this shimmering range of breathtaking jewellery is available in a range of jewellery designs to suit all requirements:-

“Silver” colour-way available in :- necklace, pendant, bracelet and earrings in three different styles; 10mm stud, short and long crystal dangle. The gold colour-way is available in a pendant, stud and dangle earrings. These stunning 10mm crystal encrusted baubles are central to the style of this collection and are extremely pretty against the skin. Handmade by Dawn Woodward, these exclusive designs are available only through www.dawnwoodward.com – Living up to their name , they’re highly charismatic!

 

 

 

Tired of your jewellery tarnishing? Here’s what I do……

I’ve just read an article on how to keep  shiny silver jewellery shiny and tarnish free. And it’s green, no , not the tarnish, that’s black, but it does involve recycling and it’s free !

We all know  those little silica gel packs that come in boxes of stuff you’ve bought  (The ones that say “don’t eat”.)

Well,I’ve just read that  these little freebies are an excellent way of preventing tarnish appearing on  silver. Apparently, I just pop them into a bag or box with my jewellery and it will stay shining and clean. They work by removing moisture from the atmosphere- without which, tarnish cannot form. There’s a novel way of recycling! (although the article didn’t say so)  I think that they may be toxic though ( hence do not eat!), so I must take care to keep them out of the reach of  children  and pets etc I’ll try it and let you know if it seems to work.

If it does work, it’ll really help  as  jewellery will aways be in tip top condition and ready to wear. It’ll save me time and expense cleaning my jewellery with chemical de-tarnishers.

On the odd occasion when I do have some tarnished jewellery to clean, I usually resort to the old fashioned kitchen foil and bicarbonate of soda method. Not heard of this one? it’s easy, I put a piece of kitchen foil into some hot water in a bowl in the kitchen sink and sprinkle in some bicarbonate of soda from my store cupboard. I then put the tarnished silver into the bowl and leave it for a few minutes. The black tarnish miraculously leaves the silver and ends up on the kitchen foil, leaving my jewellery shining and bright. It’s pure chemistry, can’t remember what the process is called – is it electrolysis? or is that hair removal? or is it both? can’t remember these days! I wouldn’t use this method if the jewellery is stone set or particularly valuable as some gemstones or pearls are porous and may be damaged by the chemical reaction. If in doubt about any jewellery related cleaning, I’d always advise customers to seek the advice of a reputable jeweller who may also offer a cleaning service. Anyway,that’s what I do  when I  need a quick fix for tarnish. What’s your tip?  (nb -This is purely to let you know what I do, if you decide to try either these methods  and I’m not advocating that you necessarily do, it’s entirely at your own risk!!!)