Luxury In Progress

I was recently visited by a team from the fantastic website Luxury In Progress. They spent some time with me in the studio to learn about my processes and discover how I translate my ideas into reality. Rather than just covering the latest trends or focusing on a finished product their interest lies in showing "Design, Fabrication, innovation..." Here are some photos from their visit shot by Alice Balas, you can read the full interview  by Louise Benson on their site here: Luxury In Progress

Here I am with one of my mineral books looking at structures. My favourites are the 70s ones with illustrations and matt prints in great colours.

Choosing some materials, I use lots of different organic and found objects in my work I love collecting things and experimenting with my stash.

Smashing up a geode full of hidden treasure! I didn't know what this would be like inside until I broke into it.

Seeing how I could use the fragments.

The big sink, getting clean water to clean up my pieces.

A lot of my time is spent carving, shaping and sanding the objects that I cast. I can fill in and sand back several times, waiting for  them to dry and cure in between. For this reason I work on a few pieces over a time adding and working back into them so they develop organically.

When I'm happy with the final shape there is some hand polishing to achieve whatever surface finish I want on the piece. The very glossy ones take a lot of elbow grease to get a perfect shine working through grades of buffers and are finally coated in a protective wax.

Ready to wear!

Luxury In Progress are currently nominated for the AWWWards which recognises design & creativity on the internet! Check out their site for more practitioners and pioneering materials and processes to find out what's new in the creative world: www.luxuryinprogress.com

If you would like to visit the studio email me at info@jademellor.com. I'm based in Manchester City Centre, by Piccadilly Station and Northern Quarter. 

Bling Pong

As part of The Rocks Exhibition at the Goldsmith's Centre they are hosting a range of activities combining geology and jewellery in interesting ways. Their Bling Pong is one that's on today 'til 9pm:

"Show us your sporting prowess and indulge in your artistic side with the most 

creative table tennis you'll ever play. Beat your colleagues and friends at our 

table tennis table and use the ping pong balls to create your own piece of 

contemporary jewellery." 

​Not wanting to miss out on the fun I opened up my studio and invited some chums round to get creating our own rocky balls, complete with cakes, crisps and adult fizzy beverages...

​Faye's Hematite is geometric and metallic with portions carefully sculpted out with a blade

​Louise's was textured with granite and lots of elbow grease!

​If Gustav Klimt ever played Ping Pong...

​Here's Natty drawing her lovely design

​This yarn is so much like Perthite I had to use it!

​Here's mine! (It still bounces quite well, the texture makes it go in some unexpected angles though!)

​I hope you're inspired to have a go yourself, it was a really fun thing to do together and reminded me of youth club days playing ping pong and reading Smash Hits magazine. To be honest, it was pretty much the same but with an issue of Vogue instead and no curfew! 

Here's a link to the Guild of Jewellery Designers who have more information on these events!​