New Website

Our new Chris Cole Jewellery website is finally up and running.

www.chriscole.co.nz

It has all the pics that are on the flickr site as well as other info, including most of the blog posts from this site

Let me know what you think…

Thanks, Chris

 

We’re Back!

Here are some of the pieces of jewellery I made at the end of last year for various folks to give to loved ones for Christmas.

These two beautiful 18ct white gold and diamond engagement rings were given to two lucky ladies over the xmas holidays.

As you can see there’s a lot of variety in the pieces of jewellery I’ve been asked to create. Basically, If you can think it, I can make it.

If you want something made for yourself or someone you love this year then come and see me and we can get designing your perfect piece of jewellery.

Chris

2010…. DONE!

Chris Cole Jewellery will be closed until Tuesday the 11th of January.

Thank you to all our customers who have been in during 2010. You are what makes Chris Cole Jewellery.

If you find yourself in need of an engagement ring over the holiday break, make sure you check out more engagement ring advice website – how to buy an engagement ring.co.nz and make contact with us when you’re ready to talk.

Be safe friends and have a great holiday break,

Chris & Anne

Double Plait Rope Chain

Here’s the latest addition to my handmade chain range:

It’s called a Double Plait Rope Chain.

It’s different from the Single Plait Rope Chain by having a two for two twist instead of a one for one.

(The photos make the Double Plait look bigger but it is in fact the same size as the Single Plait.)

I can make these chains any length and using any metal. They look rather spectacular in gold…

Xmas Sale

We’ve decided to have an xmas sale for the whole of December.

25% off everything in the window!

If you’ve been thinking about buying something you’ve seen in the window but have  kept putting it off, now’s the time to buy it.

There are all of my handmade silver neck and wrist chains, a couple of gold necklaces, silver rings and other pieces. There are also 5 handmade gold and gemstone rings and 5 pairs of gold and gemstone earrings. 25% off means that you’re saving from $100 up to $700 on original handmade pieces of jewellery.

Here is some of the jewellery I have in the window:

The 25% off xmas sale will last until the 18th of December when we close for the year. We will reopen again on Tuesday 11th January 2011.

New Earrings

I’ve made a few new pairs of earrings recently. The first pair is made using 9ct yellow and white gold with half moon Madeira Citrines and small diamonds set rub-over fashion. The earrings are designed so they dangle beneath the ear lobes on gold hooks.

The second pair I made for Anne for her birthday. She calls them diamond flicks which I think suits them nicely. They can be worn either hanging down from the ear or pointing backwards with their curved shape following the contour of the ear. The earrings are made in 18ct white and yellow gold with rubies and diamonds set rub-over style.

I’m sorry the photographs aren’t the best but you can see how each pair looks and can imagine how they would look in the ear.

Feel free to come in to the shop and try any of my pieces of jewellery on. The best way to know if you like something is to try it on first…

Chris

Sapphire and Diamond 3-stone

Here’s a really nice engagement ring I made last week…

The center stone is a 2.22ct octagonal cut Ceylonese Sapphire and the two side stones are brilliant cut diamonds, 0.20ct each. The ring is made in predominately 18ct yellow gold with the diamond settings in 18ct white gold. Yellow gold is often used for  settings for coloured stones as the yellow colour gives the stone a much warmer look than white gold, whereas white gold is used for diamonds so they retain their brilliant whiteness.

The setting for the center sapphire is a basket style setting. Two thin, flat  bars of metal are crossed beneath the stone and bent upwards to form four claws. A plate of metal the same dimensions as the sapphire with a hollow carved out to seat the stone is then soldered in place. When the Sapphire is set, the plate is completely covered so that from the top only the four claw tips show, and from the side much of the beautiful blue of the sapphire is still visible through the basket.

Rope Chains

I like these chains. They, like all my other work, are made completely from scratch. There is nothing else like them in the jewellery world.

It is a shame, but hand-making chain is a dying art. Most chain that can be purchased from a jeweller these days is machine made. It is cheap to buy and can be sold on to a customer relatively cheaply because there is no labour cost in making the chain. It doesn’t last long however. Machine made chain wears quickly, especially thin or hollow-link pieces, and you can end up paying more by constantly repairing your chain than you did buying it. Handmade chain is very different. It is made with solid links, is heavier, and far sturdier; and it’s true that it costs a lot more to buy, but it will last you the rest of your life. And these days, everyone wants to spend their money more wisely…

 

Xmas gifts…already?

I know it’s pretty early to be thinking about Christmas presents, but if you’re planning on having a special piece of jewellery made then the earlier you get on to it the better.

The turn around time for any piece of handmade jewellery varies. Three or four weeks is normal if you’re getting something handmade with stones in it. The metal and the stones have to be sourced, then the piece of jewellery is manufactured from those raw materials, and finally the stones are set by a professional gem setter.

If you want something truly fantastic then it may take up to six weeks to complete. Especially if a complex design or difficult to source stones are part of your piece.

If you have a design for a piece of jewellery but don’t know whether it will work, have drawn something you’re too embarrassed to show anyone because it’s so bad, or simply can’t describe the piece of jewellery you have in your head, then come in and talk to me and I’ll help you fine tune your design into something workable that I can make for you.

So start thinking about your loved ones and what you’d like to get them this year for Christmas… and think “Handmade jewellery”. It is always the best kind of gift because you’re giving something you’ve created yourself.

Roman Style Gold Ring

Here’s something a bit different.

This ring I’ve made in 9ct yellow gold with 9ct white gold shoulders. I’ve kept the design rather simple, using strong, simple curves to enclose all of the square shaped stones. I’ve called it a Roman Style Ring because the shapes resemble the curved contours of Roman style furniture.

The green stone is a baguette-cut Tourmaline with a unique colour: a dark oily green at one end fading to a lighter green at the other. Four small princess-cut diamonds are set into the shoulders.

This ring could easily be made in other metals too. A combination of platinum and 18ct yellow gold would work very well. The center stone could be replaced with almost any stone cut similarly, including a diamond, and look equally fantastic.

All of the jewellery I make can be altered to suit an individual’s taste and budget. My sole aim is to give the customer what they want, not what I think they should have, so I’m always open to suggestions…

Chris