Jewellery & Watch News
In the blink of an eye, the turn of the year feels like a distant memory and February is already upon us. In our workshop, the team have been busy creating new handcrafted jewellery, preparing our boutiques with romantic and celebratory pieces - perfect for Valentine’s and Mother’s Day gifting.
Providing a current glimpse into our workshop, we make no apologies for the lack of a glossy, professional photoshoot; instead, we’ve provided a few images which offer an unfiltered look at the various designs currently filling the jewellery trays on our benches.
Gemstone selection and preparation
The colourful and distinctive gemstones of Malachite and Derbyshire Blue John at the start of their workshop journey
Every piece in the W Hamond workshop begins with careful selection of the rough gemstone, taking into consideration the quality, size, and character of each piece and the design it will be used for. Depending on how a gemstone has naturally formed, preparation or stabilisation may be required before cutting begins. In addition to the use of the iconic British gemstones of Derbyshire Blue John and Whitby Jet, we work with a wide-ranging and popular selection of gemstones and colours, including Turquoise, Malachite, Lapis Lazuli and Mother of Pearl – all of which are represented in our Valentine’s selection.
Trimming, Grinding, and Linishing
The trimming process begins (left) and trimmed gemstones before and after they are ground and stuck into their Heart Stud Earring settings (right top and bottom)
Once a suitable stone has been selected, the next step in the multi-stage process depends on the jewellery design it will be placed into - or form part of. In most cases for our featured designs, the stone is carefully trimmed to size in preparation for further grinding and setting. Once this stage is complete, the workshop moves on to what is known as the linishing process: the skilled refinement and shaping of the gemstone to achieve a seamless, lapidary-set finish that integrates perfectly with the overall design. The various stages described can be seen above in the early stages of our Heart Stud Earrings.
In a slightly alternative process to that described above, the gemstone may be fully shaped prior to being set into the jewellery piece. In the example shown below of our Heart Outline Stud Earrings, the gemstone is skilfully formed to appear as a perfect round before being set into the earring’s open heart design. This finish is commonly known as a cabochon setting, which involves the handcrafting of a domed gemstone with a flat base. The stone is then set into a metal setting, where the rim is carefully worked over the stone’s edge to secure it in place.
The intricate shaping of a delicate cabochon gemstone, which is then set into an open Heart Stud setting.
Polishing and finishing
Image: A selection of Heart rings waiting for their turn to be polished
Once set, each piece moves to the final polishing stage - as shown above, with the selection of Whitby Jet and Marcasite Heart framed rings. This is where the jewellery truly comes to life, revealing the depth of colour and natural beauty of the gemstone. With simple care and regular cleaning, W Hamond jewellery designs are made to shine long after they leave our workshop.
Craftsmanship with millimetre precision
Image: A selection of completed and polished designs ready to leave our Stone Workshop
What must be kept in mind when viewing the images above is the scale and delicate nature of the gemstones our workshop team work with on a daily basis. It takes many years of training and experience to transform a rough piece of gemstone through the stages of trimming, grinding, linishing, and setting—achieving a seamless finish while working to millimetre-level precision - as can be seen in the Heart Loop Necklace (above top image/design). This level of skill becomes even more impressive when handcrafting a specific shape or bespoke design, such as the gemstones seen in the design of Open Heart Necklace (above bottom image/design).
While choosing to remain behind the camera and politely declining to appear in our workshop photographs, the credit for all the lapidary work featured in the images belong to Ness, Lynette, and Emily. Together, they bring over 60 years of combined experience to our Stone Workshop - keeping British jewellery workshop skills alive and our boutiques filled with handcrafted gemstone designs to be gifted, worn, and enjoyed.
Image: More finished heart pendants awaiting despatch to our Whitby & York boutiques
Should you wish to view the above Sterling Silver Patterned Edge Heart Necklace or any of the designs featured, please contact either of our boutiques who will be please to assist. Find all our boutique contact details here - Store Locations.
