Summer | Earth Balance Craft

July Birthstones

25/06/2020 by Nicola

July is the birthday month of ruby and carnelian gemstones. Here at craft HQ, I work with the orange and red hues of carnelian in many of my jewellery and home decor designs. It has a rich translucent quality that … Read More

Design Inspiration | Jewellery Inspiration

Summer Solstice Inspiration

21/06/2020 by Nicola

Litha on the Isle of Wight Early Sunday morning on the 21st June 2020, I went to Lake on the East coast of the Isle of Wight to view the sunrise on the morning after the solstice. I drove in … Read More

Summer Fruit Give Away

14/06/2020 by Nicola

Enter below to be in with a chance of winning one of these zesty lemon hanging decorations. This summer inspired botanical piece is hand-made with copper wire work and adorned with zesty gemstones and glass. The design follows the familiar … Read More

Butterflies in the Making

16/08/2019 by Nicola

Butterflies in the Making This week has been full of butterflies and dragonflies in my studio. There are two new suncatcher designs hot off the work bench with very different colour palettes and levels of detail. The muted design with … Read More

August Birthstones

28/07/2019 by Nicola

Peridot & Chinese Jade Beautiful peridot and Chinese jade are the birthstones for August. Peridot has a vibrant lime green translucence quality and is catches sunlight very well. Chinese jade, known as jadeite is my favourite gemstone of all, it … Read More

Design Inspiration

Summer Foxgloves

05/06/2019 by Nicola

British foxgloves are the most beautiful wild flower there is. They come into flower late May and are in full bloom in June. Both a poison and a herbal medicine, the foxglove extract is used to help heart problem. If … Read More

Seven Seas Showcase

24/07/2018 by Nicola

This Thursday evening, the 26 July at 8pm, you will find me and a variety of British artists and designers in the ‘Seven Seas’ showcase. Featuring an array of oceanic, beach and nautical themed designs, from hand-made jewellery to bookmarks, … Read More

Wildlife Suncatcher WIPs

04/06/2018 by Nicola

Wildlife Suncatcher WIPs One of the largest most intricate pieces I have made to date is this wildlife suncatcher. Hand-made using only copper wire wrapping, adorned with semi-precious gemstones and Czech glass beads. A labour of love went into the … Read More

Azure Dragonfly WIPs

26/10/2017 by Nicola

The Beautiful Azure Dragonfly This sun catcher design is inspired by the ‘Azure’ damselfly, one of the British dragonfly species with bright blue-green metallic colourings, she is a shimmering beauty! She is adorned with rainbow fluorite, labradorite, table-cut glass and … Read More

Ocean Waves Suncatcher WIPs

30/03/2017 by Nicola

Always Dreaming of the Ocean Here’s a look into my copper wire work process making this large framed ocean waves hanging window decoration. Three waves are adorned with watery gemstones and glass beads, capturing the colour palette of the sea … Read More

Citrine November Birthstone

28/10/2016 by Nicola

Citrine is the secondary birthstone for November. A beautiful translucent crystal with honey yellow colours. It is a variant of the quartz semi-precious gemstone, where the colour is made through heat treating smokey quartz or amethyst. The name ‘Citrine’ is … Read More

Blue Dragonflies Collection

09/08/2016 by Nicola

I might be a little bit fascinated by blue dragonflies. It’s the metallic colours that draw me to them, with shimmer and shine as the dart around by the river. I love the British species ‘Beautiful Demoiselle’, the ‘Blue Damselfly’ … Read More