Mar 13
I am absolutely thrilled to be selected as a finalist for the Women Ahead Business Awards as Independent Woman of the Year.
I attended the Awards ceremony on Saturday at the Apex when I found out I was a finalist and there was only one point between us! It was a fantastic night, great food, entertainment and brilliant company.
2013 is already off to a good start! Which this space to see what more is to come for Genna Design!
May 02
If you are planning on getting married within the next few years, it will be worth a visit to the Wedding Show in the Caird Hall, Dundee this Sunday 5th May from 11.30am-4.30pm. The show is sponsored by the Scottish Wedding Directory, is hosted by Dream Wedding Scotland and promises to be an amazing show.
With over 70 specialist exhibitors to the wedding industry including myself, there will be plenty of people to speak to, to help organise your special day.
If you are interested in getting bespoke wedding rings or engagement rings please visit my Genna Design stand to discuss getting your rings made.
18ct white gold wedding ring and baguette diamond engagement ring
I also make bespoke bridal jewellery including tiaras, hairpieces, cufflinks, tie pins or kilt pins for the best man or you can choose from a selection of already made pieces from my online jewellery shop.
Your wedding day is a special day what most women dream of. So why don’t you get the dream jewellery you’ve always wanted. Contact me to arrange an appointment to visit my studio. I am offering free consultations so get in touch to see what’s possible.
Citrine and irregular pearl drop stud silver earrings
Apr 18
Well it’s quite exciting to find out that I will be exhibiting at the Edinburgh Festival for a full 3 weeks, that’s 23 days in a row!!! I’m used to doing the first 9 days but this year I’m exhibiting during the whole festival.
So I’m going to have to work my bum off for the next few months preparing and making new work for the fair. Ever since I started making jewellery I have been purchasing stones and beads throughout the years as I can not resist a bit of colour and sparkle! However I’ve not had the chance to make everything into finished pieces of jewellery.
As you can imagine I have quite a lot of stones now and they have just been sitting in my materials pile not getting used. So the other day I decided to have a wee look through some of the stones that I have, to spark some inspiration and make new pieces.
A selection of some of my stones – Amethyst, aquamarine, green quartz, onyx, coral, and pearls
In the image is a selection of amethyst, aquamarine, onyx, coral and pearls. I have plenty more stones and beads but I decided to start with one of my favourite stones, aquamarine and placed them together with some samples of silver I had been working on. Then all of a sudden a new neckpiece, bracelet and earrings set were formed.
Work in progress in my studio
I had been working on creating new textures on the metal, so used this piece of silver as a detail on the necklace. Then combined it with white fresh water pearls and aquamarine.
Above is the finished necklace and below is a close up of the silver detail at the front, then the next image is the detail of the catch at the back. It has a hidden hook catch which clips behind the silver piece so can’t be seen from the front.
Aquamarine, fresh water pearls and silver ribbon detail bracelet. These two pieces are completely one off pieces so if you would like to purchase these get in touch.
If you would like something similar made with different stones I also do commission work.
Each week a plan to make at least one new piece of jewellery from the stones that I have in stock. So watch this space to see the new creations.
Apr 16
I’m always looking for new galleries to stock my work and it’s good to keep in contact with places who have stocked your work previously. The Dancing Light Gallery in Peebles was a good gallery for me last year so I got in contact with them to stock my jewellery again.
The Dancing Light Gallery has now been stocked with a selection of one off pieces including this earrings and pendant set, made in silver with oxidised detail, inspired by the Scottish landscape.
Silver Frame layered oxidised pendant and earrings
They also have a selection of my commercial pieces including items from my component wire collection
Aquamarine component pendant, brooch and earrings
And for those of you with a smaller budget, pieces from my glacier green perspex and silver collection are also available from the gallery.
perspex and silver cuff, pendant and earrings
So take a venture out to Peebles for a fun day out with the family and visit the Dancing Light Gallery.
I also make pieces to order so if you see something you like here it can be made to order. So get in touch.
Apr 10
For a wee while I’ve been meaning to add new stock to the website but time flies when you’re running a business.
I have added quite a few new pieces including some fab bargains!!!! So check out the sale section. I’ll be adding more stock throughout the next few days. As everything is an individually handmade, there is only one of each piece. So if there’s something you like, snap it up fast.
I’m still offering free postage on orders over £50 within the UK.
What about this gorgeous new necklace which I’ve added? Silver and 9ct gold wire detail.
on sale from £100 to £80, matching stud earrings are also available.
I’ve also created a gold section on my online shop. I also make pieces in gold to commission, so if you prefer wearing gold jewellery any of my silver pieces can be made in gold.
I have added 16 other items of jewellery which can be seen in the front page of my online shop. Scroll down to Check out these great products. on my online shop.
This Tourmalinated Quartz neckpiece is on sale from £300 to £220. What a bargain!!!!!
To see what other bargains are on offer visit my online shop.
Apr 09
It’s the time of year for the wedding fairs and if you are a couple who are getting married, it’s definitely worthwhile visiting lots of wedding shows.
If you are in the Dundee area, there will be a Wedding Fair on Sunday 5th May at the Caird Hall, 11.30-4.30pm. The show is part of the Scottish Wedding Directory who have their own website and produce wedding magazines throughout the year to help with all aspects of planning your wedding.
The wedding magazines are saying that pearl jewellery is back on trend. Pearls never go out of fashion, wither you want a classic, elegant, vintage or statement look my bridal jewellery collection has it covered.
I individually hand-make my bridal jewellery with irregular baroque fresh water pearls and silver, so each piece is unique.
This is an image of my beautiful client and bridesmaids on her wedding day. I made the silver pearl and crystal, bracelets, pendants (worn by bridesmaids) and the tiara hairpiece and cluster pearls, crystal and silver earrings for the bride. I also made thistle cufflinks for the grooms party and headbands and bracelets for her 3 flower girls.
As well as my bespoke service I also have a range of finished bridal jewellery. My wedding jewellery will be available for sale at the Wedding Fair on the 5th May at the Caird Hall, so please feel free to come and visit my Genna Design stand. You can also purchase jewellery direct from my online shop.
I also have a bespoke service where you can get your tiara, wedding/engagement rings, cufflinks and bridesmaids jewellery made to your own specifications. This way you will have completely unique, handmade jewellery that no one else has.
If you are interested in finding out how you can get a bespoke piece made get in touch.
Mar 23
This year it’s all about making a statement with your jewellery and pearls are back in fashion. Spring/Summer trends are saying that jewellery is getting even bigger!!!
You can certainly keep with trend and make a statement by wearing Genna Design jewellery. I love making statement pieces and was recently commissioned to make a bespoke necklace, bracelet and earrings set for a client.
My client provided the pearls and I designed and made the silver catches and set my agate stone with the pearls.
Here is a close up of the gorgeous agate stone which I used. I feel that I matches the peacock pearls perfectly and so does my client
The pearls were hand strung and knotted in between each pearl for added security. I handmade the silver catches and wanted to keep it as simple as possible and to not over complicate the necklace and bracelet.
The image above is the catch detail of the necklace. Just a simple lobster catch with handmade bar and 3 jump-rings.
This commission was made as a surprise anniversary gift for my clients wife and she was absolutely thrilled. I love seeing a happy client. It’s great when I bump into them in town and so that they are wearing my creations!!! what a great feeling!!!
If you would like a bespoke piece made feel free to get in touch even if you don’t have your own stones I can source your favourite ones for you.
Mar 22
When you have your stock in a number of galleries it’s good to refresh your work and top up stock regularly. So after the busy Christmas period, I have now managed to stock up my 3 best selling local galleries with new jewellery.
The first to be restocked was Alchemia Jewellery in St. Andrews. It’s a lovely jewellery shop stocking various independent and small makers like myself. In the shop you will find pieces from my pearl collection as well as various other pieces.
The Tayberry Gallery in Perth is a lovely gallery which also stocks jewellery from individual makers but sells other crafts such as textiles, glass and prints. In here you will find pieces from my perspex and silver collection as well as my frame collection.
And my closest gallery to my studio is the DCA (Dundee Contemporary Arts) shop. This is the most recent outlet to be restocked. It is a nice shop with lots of handmade products including ceramics, textiles, toys and lots of gift ideas. They have a selection from my component wire collection and have pieces from some other collections as well. So pop into the shop to see what else is in stock.
Aquamarine component pendant and earrings
If you are a gallery interested in stocking my work please get in touch. I am always looking for new stockists.
If you are interested in purchasing some unusual jewellery for a gift for friends and family or for a wee treat for yourself it’s worth a visit to either of these stockists. To find all the other places which stock my jewellery please visit my website.
Mar 20
I love it when a client asks me to make something totally unique and bespoke for them. I recently got commissioned to make a one off statement pendant for a clients sister’s special birthday.
Her sister loves to wear really unusual statement pieces to big does and had a favourite pair of earrings which she always wore. So my client decided to would be a good idea to get a bespoke statement pendant made which would compliment the earrings.
We didn’t want to completely match the earrings as the pendant was to stand out on it’s own right. First we discussed design ideas shapes and form, will there be a stone?
designs for pendant
Above are the beginning sketches of the design. It didn’t take long to finalise the design. I always listen to what my clients want in the design. Once we discussed textures, finishes, time-scale, chose a stone and a suitable budget, I came up with the final sketch.
final sketch/design of pendant
Once the client was happy with the design, I take 50% up front then begin the piece. Sometimes this can take up to 4 weeks but I can work around budgets and time scales. The final piece was made in silver with a stunning London Blue Topaz which I purchased from Mexico.
My client was absolutely thrilled with the finished piece and her sister got it in time for her birthday. As you can see it is a little different to the pieces that I normally make. I love to break away from my own style, so don’t hesitate to contact me if you have your own designs.
If you are interested in getting an unusual piece of jewellery made get in touch to discuss what can be made.
Mar 19
For students or other people wishing to exhibit at a trade show her are some tips to get you started.
It is worthwhile visiting the show before you intend to exhibit as trade shows cost quite a bit of money up front before you get any money back. Sometimes it can take 3 times exhibiting at the same Trade Show to gain orders from the buyers. Once they start recognising your work and see that you are a sustainable business then they may buy. Some people are lucky and get orders straight away but it is the risk you need to take to get your work out there. So it is good to research what show(s) would be best suited to your products and find out if your target market visits the show.
Trade Shows are totally different from a general public craft fair/exhibition as it is only for trade and people won’t buy and take the goods away with them on the day. Some galleries will ask if you do orders on a Sale or Return (SOR) basis. It is up to you if you are willing to offer this but It is good to start out with having your work on SOR so that you can get your work out there. Don’t be scared to stick to your own terms and have confidence in yourself. However, I feel that it is best to do orders on bought in, Pro-forma basis, where the gallery places an order and pays for the pieces up front before you send out the pieces. The gallery places the order at the show, then it takes 4-6 weeks (or what ever your lead time is) to make the pieces. Once the order is ready you invoice the buyer. Once payment has been made you then post out the goods.
Make sure you have Pro-forma invoices at hand, a small biography/CV, CD with images, trade catalogue with images and codes and clear price lists to give to interested buyers. I make up gallery packs so it is easy for them to take my details away and hopefully they will come back to order.
Always ask for the buyers card so you can follow up after the show and make sure you bring a notebook to take notes of what specific ranges they are interested in so you can follow up. Make sure you have worked out your trade prices properly as you don’t want to undercut yourself just to get some orders. You have to be realistic and work out how much it costs to make a piece and what you need to sell it for to cover costs and make a little something at the same time. You are not a mass produced machine so you need to make sure your prices are accurate and you are making some money.
Images taken by Ross Fraser McClean
Less is more! It has taken me a number of years to find out how best to display my jewellery. At trade shows I use glass display cabinets, with perspex blocks and busts. I am always wanting to update and change my display to keep my stand fresh and eye catching. Because I have so many different ranges I feel that cabinets are the best way to display my work. There are so many innovative ways to show off your products. Some designers display their work on a table, use shelves or hang products on the walls. You can hire furniture from the show or bring your own. One thing to take note is that you can not hammer nails into the shell scheme walls so you will have to use hooks and invisible thread or Velcro tabs to stick things to the walls.
Lighting is extremely important for jewellery so make sure the cabinets are well lit. If you are bringing lights you will have to pay for a socket. You can also hire lights from the show. Branding is extremely important so make sure you have your company name and logo and blown up images of your products on the walls. I like to have a tall folding chair so that I’m not standing all day (it also helps to keep your posture straight) and a table to put brochures, business cards on.
It is worthwhile taking a large bottle of water and some grapes on the stand. These shows can get really warm and you spend lots of time talking to potential buyers so you need to keep hydrated and your sugar levels up.
Enjoy the show and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. A smile goes a long way!
Mar 18
I really enjoy making bespoke pieces for individual clients both male and female. So if you are interested in getting something unique made get in touch. Whether it’s for a special birthday, anniversary or graduation, I can make jewellery for all occasions.
Over Christmas I took on a variety of commissions and never got the chance to write about them. Here are just a few of the pieces I made.
3 silver stacking rings with Cubic Zirconia.
My client wanted to replace her engagement ring but also wanted to wear a combination of rings together so she commissioned me to make these 3 stacking rings. They can be worn separately or together to create a chunky ring effect.
9ct white gold engagement ring with diamond
It’s a wonderful life engraving detail inside ring
I also make bespoke engagement rings and wedding bands. Here is a simple, classic but timeless design which I made for a friend. The ring has a special engraving inside saying “It’s a wonderful life”
Bespoke silver charm bracelet with house charm and boy and girl charms representing my clients children.
This gorgeous silver charm bracelet was made for a client as a gift to his mother. The boy and girl charms represent his children. Each charm has a different texture and finish, and has initials and age of the children. It was really enjoyable making this piece and the client was over the moon!
Dendritic quartz ring
I love getting the chance to make statement rings with unusual stones. This square silver ring with dendritic quartz was made for a client. I have lots of unusual stones so if you would like something similar do get in touch. Even if you have a stone from an old piece of jewellery, this can be converted into a new piece.
So if you are looking for something a bit different and would like to commission me get in touch.
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