by eanjewellery | May 22, 2022 | Press / News
Celebrate All of The Good Things
I haven’t written for ages. The main prompt for my post today is to remind you to take a moment to celebrate all the good things, however small. This Winnie the Pooh quote (big fan here!) by Eeyore spoke to me “It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine”.
This year, 2022, has thrown its fair share of challenges my way but I’m sitting here writing this having come through most of them and working on the others. In writing this, I want to record the highs and lows, as a reminder to my future self. If you haven’t guessed, I’m all about the positives today.
I may be here to celebrate all the good things but to appreciate them I have had to overcome a few hurdles then an aha moment to realise that I need to celebrate today. Without going into the gory details I still want to give you an outline of the journey that took me to my keyboard today…
2022 So Far
In January and early February I had a cancer scare, mid February I caught Covid for a second time, in March both my clinically vulnerable parents and their carer caught Covid, as a result my dad was hospitalised for 2.5 weeks which directly caused his Alzheimer’s to deteriorate a great deal, I stepped in to temporarily care for my parents having no previous care training, April disclosed extensive water damage in my flat which needed major repairs. All the while I continue to struggle with Long Covid, which has been going on for 2 years now. In May things got on top of me and my mental health took a turn for the worse. This caused several bad incidents involving some good friends.
Now for the positives!
Please celebrate all the good things with me:
- I don’t have cancer and I was privileged to road test a brand new biopsy machine at the Birmingham Breast unit. The staff there are really amazing, thank you.
- My mum and dad are ok. I’ll visit them this week and give them a huge hug.
- I’ve now been referred to a Long Covid clinic.
- The bathroom will be sorted out soon.
- I’m talking to a therapist regularly, working on understanding myself better. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to do this but better late than never.
- My self care, that has fallen by the wayside this year, is firmly scheduled back into my routine.
- I have very understanding friends. A million thanks!
- My business is going well and I won 2 awards: West Midlands & South England Winner in category “Jewellery” from English Wedding Awards 2022 and UK winner in category “Jewellery” from Guides for Brides customer services awards. With everything going on I have only just added this to my website.
- I created a brand new online course for jewellery making which is launching tomorrow.
So to conclude my post today, can I just urge you all to celebrate all the good things today, acknowledge your mental health and look after it. I can easily see from writing all this out that my list of wins is longer than my list of hurdles. Being here to share all of that with you is the biggest win of all. If any of this resonates with you please leave your thoughts in the comments below, thanks.
Tomorrow I have a big announcement ! Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day, Elizabeth
by eanjewellery | Aug 14, 2018 | Press / News
Claim your free gift card worth £10
Mama Mia, here I go again, my my, how can I resist you?! Resist no longer! You’ll make a song and dance of the free gift card worth £10 you’ll receive with your order this August. Here’s why…
What is this free gift card?
Throughout August, every order you place at Elizabeth Anne Norris jewellery will include a free gift card worth £10. That’s right, we’ll pop a £10 gift card in with your jewellery to be redeemed at any time in the future. Keep it for yourself or give it to your bestie? Ah! how nice. Your gift card is easy to use. Each card has a unique code on it. Next time you want to order anything from our online shop enter the unique code on your gift card in the “coupon code” box at the checkout. As if by magic, £10 (or your countries equivalent monetary value) will automatically be deducted from the total. Each gift card is unique and can only be used once but it is valid forever.
We’ve had some great offers for you already this year like our best sellers offer in July. We plan to have more so please stay tuned.
How do I get my free gift card?
So you’ve been day dreaming that prince charming will surprise you with that beach inspired necklace you’ve been drooling over? You’ve been lusting after that eco silver ring for a while now and haven’t taken the plunge? Wait no longer. If you order anything this month you’ll automatically receive a free gift card with your order. Why not give it to prince charming as a subtle hint? Or you could order a ring size tool to claim your gift card.
To claim your gift card worth £10 all you have to do is place an order at Elizabeth Anne Norris jewellery before the end of August 2018. It’s really as simple as that.
Don’t miss out on future offers
Loved our free gift card offer? Be the first to hear about future offers by signing up to our mailing list*.
Click here to sign up now.
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by eanjewellery | Jun 14, 2018 | Chain Links
My 30 Day Jewellery Challenge on Instagram
I’m currently taking part in a 30 day jewellery challenge over on Instagram. You can follow my progress here to see how I’m doing.
Why I decided to take part in the jewellery challenge
If you’re asking yourself why I decided to take part in the jewellery challenge, I’ll tell you. If you’ve read my previous blog post about setting goals you’ll know I like to set myself challenges and goals. This is a good way for me to learn, improve and progress with Elizabeth Anne Norris Jewellery.
When I stumbled upon a comment about an Instagram course, run by Jessica from the Jewellery Academy it piqued my interest. I thought it would be a good way to refresh my enthusiasm for Instagram and learn some new ways I get the message about my sustainably made jewellery across to my followers. I took a look at the course and signed up immediately.
Part of the Instagram course is a 30 day instagram challenge that I’m currently on day 8 of. You can see what I’ve posted on Instagram so far here.
What’s the jewellery challenge all about?
The jewellery challenge on Instagram has been set by Jessica from the Jewellery Academy. The jewellery challenge consists of 30 days of prompts as suggestions for what to post on Instagram. The prompts include:
- A photo of yourself
- Work in progress pics
- Jewellery close ups
- A jewellery collection
- Inspiring quotes
- Where the jewellery can be bought
- Videos
- The list goes on
Following these prompts, the challenge is to post something relevant each day for 30 days in a row, no easy task!
Probably the most important part of the challenge, for me, is to clarify the take home message I want my followers to have about my handmade sustainable jewellery. To me the key factors are:
- To appeal to those who appreciate high quality made to last jewellery
- The importance of offering sustainable jewellery that is ethically made
- That most of my jewellery and packaging is made from recycled materials
- My passion for handmade jewellery over mass produced manufactured jewellery
- My love of tools and the traditional jewellery making process
Along with each post on Instagram we have been asked to include the hashtag #30daysofjewellery. This means that all the jewellers taking part in the jewellery challenge can search this hashtag and follow each others progress. It’s been a lovely way to meet and get to know other jewellers on Instagram.
The hashtag #30daysofjewellery is not only for jewellers. If you use Instagram you can go to the search tab and type in this hashtag to find all the jewellers taking part in the jewellery challenge too.
Check out how I’m doing and leave your comment
So far the 30 day jewellery challenge on Instagram has been fun, challenging, and a great way to meet other jewellers and find out about my followers.
I urge you to pop over to Instagram now, follow me and see what you think of my challenge. You can visit my Instagram page here. Please leave your feedback and comments in reply to the questions on my posts. I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading.
by eanjewellery | Feb 16, 2018 | Tuesday Trivia - Tuesday
What is White Gold?
Lots of people wonder what white gold is. Is it a natural element? Is it really gold? How is it the silver colour? Well white gold is not a naturally occurring element, it is a man-made material which is a combination of yellow gold and white precious metals; such as silver or palladium. This gives the gold a white colour and to make finished jewellery pieces have a more silver look they can be coated in metal called rhodium. This can give jewellery a brilliant shine.
If you’d prefer to find out about sterling silver you can click here to read my previous post called “What is sterling silver?”
Why was White Gold created?
White gold as a material was created towards the end of the 19th Century when the gold was combined with copper, zinc and nickel. The nickel in the alloy was replaced in recent years with platinum and silver. This was because of reported allergic reactions to the materials when the jewellery was worn next to the skin. It was made available to people in 1912 and grew quickly in popularity. It was seen as a more affordable alternative to Platinum during the 1920s.
Why does white gold turn yellow?
The white gold base material, a mixture of yellow gold and white alloys, is coated in rhodium and over time the rhodium plating can wear or be scratched, especially with wedding rings, revealing the base metal. Even though the white gold is a silver colour it can still have a slight yellow tone, it can be noticeable, especially if you are used to the silver colour of the material. The only way to remove the yellow tone is to re-rhodium plate jewellery which will renew the white colour and shine.
Was this helpful to you?
I hope this post ‘what is white gold’ was helpful and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask. Did this give you the information you needed? Is white gold something you would consider for your jewellery or wedding rings? I have a selection of handmade wedding ring designs in white gold that you may be interested in. For more information on the sugar ring click here and here for the daisy wedding ring. Or click directly on the images.
If you have any questions about white gold jewellery or white gold wedding rings please leave a comment below as I’d be interested to hear from you. Alternatively, you may be interested in a bespoke commission? If so can contact me here. Many thanks, Elizabeth.
by eanjewellery | Feb 12, 2018 | Chain Links
For the love of jewellery making tools
You may already know that I’m a tool geek… I massive tool geek! Yes, I love all the jewellery making tools I use to make my jewellery. Each tool is designed for a specific job and I love that it helps me carry out a specific jewellery making technique well.
I must mention my love of tools quite often because I regularly receive comments from other jewellers, particularly on Instagram, telling me they love jewellery making tools too!
Shout out for Maun Industry Pliers
Last year I was asked to give feedback on Maun Industries new website. I gladly offered my suggestions and was delighted to receive a personal thank you from them for my efforts. Maun Industries manufacture great quality jewellery tools and I particularly love their parallel action pliers for my jewellery making. Click here to find out more about these Maun pliers.
Since then I’ve developed a good relationship with Maun Industries and have been lucky enough to have my jewellery designs featured on their website and social media. It is wonderful to be chosen by them as a designer who uses their tools for jewellery making. Thank you so much Maun Industries.
I originally bought my Maun parallel action pliers back in 2002 and they are still going strong. I use them pretty much every day. They are perfect for straightening wire and it’s surprising how often I need to use them in silver jewellery making. I really believe they will last me a lifetime.
As a teacher, I’m always recommending tools to my students in my jewellery making classes. You may have read my previous post “what jewellery tools to I need” in which I recommend tools for budding jewellery designers to get as part of a beginners jewellery making tool kit?
Want to try your hand at silver jewellery making?
If you’d like to know more about jewellery making tools and how to use them why not read more about my jewellery making classes here. You can try a class without committing to a course so they are perfect for busy people with big or small jewellery making projects.
What’s your favourite tool?
Are you a jewellery designer / maker? A hobbiest or a professional? What is your favourite jewellery making tool and why? Let me know in the comments below. It would be great to hear from you.
