Russian princess, another Cameo and more

Hello again! I guess I need to get into the rythm of

when to post, and how long between posts, but

hey, I am not pretending to be some great blogger, I need to find my way

around it all still. I have been rather

busy, with some very

interesting designs, and some ultra mundane things that I dont really feel like sharing. The ring on the left is part of a whole bunch of things I am making for a new client, who is a lovely Boere- Russian princess. ('Boere' means 'farmer' in Afrikaans, but has been used to describe white South Africans as a whole, but mostly Afrikaans speeking people) Altogether I have enjoyed designing for this lady, we seem to have very similar taste. This ring was made in 9k yellow gold, and contains diamonds. Here are just a few of my work in progress pictures:

And some more pictures of things I am busy with Firstly a Kruger Rand coin frame for the same lady, made from 9k yellow gold, I will post pictures again when it is done.

And then another Cameo setting for one of my longest standing clients, another lovely lady with a selection of collectors jewelry to die for. I made this for her son in Cape Town.

And because I know you love it, some work in progress

pictures. On the second one you can see how I refine the design on the metal, I think better in metal, if that makes any sense.

Delicious Diamonds

A diamond is a piece of coal that managed to give its best under extreme pressure! For those that don’t understand the true significance of why the diamond is the most sought-after, cherished and popular gem world wide, the diamond is a small piece of crystallized carbon that is the hardest substance known to mankind, Right at the top of Moh's scale of hardness, the hardest substance in the world. As far as symbolism goes, the diamond is the perfect symbol for the everlasting love you promise when you get married. It can be past down from generation to generation and after having your great, great aunt spending years scratching in her potato patch, you inherit a diamond in perfect condition.

Before we started using diamonds to cut and polish the diamonds we mined, gem cutters would strike the stones with sharp blades to cleave pieces off, and thus “cut” them.

Once it was reserved for the sole use by kings but now we too can trundle off to our local jeweler to get one of our own. In the space of a year about a tip truck of diamond are mined on earth, of this only about a wheelbarrow are of a good enough quality to be cut and used in the jewellery trade.

In ancient times only when a diamond was freely given was it believed to bestow invulnerability on its wearer. The birth stone of April, it also symbolizes innocence, and when translated to Italian means “lover of God”. The Greek God of Erotic love “Ethos” used them on the tips of his arrows to get people to fall in love.

When purchasing a Diamond of any size larger than a quarter of a carat, please ensure that you are being supplied with a certificate for the particular stone. Not only does this give you a guarantee of the quality and size of stone you are purchasing, but it increases the value of the stone and ensures that you have a precise record of your particular diamond.

Us women have had stars in our eyes about diamonds since we first set our eyes on them, I guess it is the same sparkle we see in diamonds that intrigue us, and convinces us in no uncertain terms that they will bring us happiness.



Some of the most famous diamonds in the world include the Blue Hope diamond (45.52 carats),
the Great Star of Africa (530.20 Carats), the Centenary Diamond (273.85 Carats) and the Regent (140.50 Carats) but those are all stories in themselves, and belong on their very own blogpost.
Thanks for reading!

I have always been very intrigued by Cameos. These delicately carved works of art has been telling stories 300 years before the birth of Christ in Alexandria, Egypt. But was ultimately made popular by Queen Victoria of England.

Did you know that you can tell if a master carved the Cameo by the signature at the back? The apprentices weren't allowed to sign their names.

Even though I do not carve Cameos myself, I do have a nice little collection of these beauties, it was not very hard to design for this shell Cameo. I decided on using Sterling Silver.

The feminine lines of the Cameo lends itself beautifully to my style of designing. Although my style has changed and matured over time, I have always been drawn to vintage jewelry, I believe I put a slight modern twist to it. I had a lot of fun cutting out the pattern, it is a theme that repeats itself on many of my pieces. I drew the design out on the metal, drilled 0.9mm holes and cut out the negative spaces, its almost like drawing with a saw. What a medium! Oh, and everything down to the chain was handmade by me. :)

Hi to all! Let me introduce myself, my name is Reinette Greyling and I have been making jewelry since I was 16 years old. I am 34 right now, so it has been a little while. My mom was one of those who sent me off to all the possible crafty classes she could find. I did basket-weaving, pottery and art classes and..and..and. But when I started doing jewelry classes, I knew this was for me.I loved it! There was something about the primal satisfaction of working with fire to create an adornment, that just felt right.

Currently me and my partner, Zak, who is also a goldsmith, live and work in a little town called George, in the Garden Route in South Africa. We are very blessed to be able to live in this beautifull place.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's desease recently, and it has made it a bit harder for me to create my little beauties. Crohn’s disease is an ongoing disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, also referred to as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. But I will not be held back any more. Open the creative floodgates! Bling it on!