jewellery

Gift Guides : Personalised Jewellery

26/10/201713/05/2018
by Claire Wryght

Believe it or not Christmas is coming and it’s time to start thinking about your online shopping. Remember personalised jewellery can take a bit longer as many are made to order.

There are a couple of ways to personalise jewellery : names or initials, gemstones, and special places or locations.

Initials
I’m very excited to launch my own range of personalised jewellery with these sweet and affordable initial necklaces. Currently available in copper and brass for just $29 including a 45cm sterling silver necklace chain.

Names
Name necklaces have been cool ever since Carrie on Sex and the City. There are now a few different ways to have names, the traditional cut metal, a wire outline or a stamp or engraving on a metal shape. My personal favourite at the moment is this one from MhohoandCo on Etsy

Gemstones
Birth stones are a subtle way to personalise jewellery and can make great gifts even for Christmas. For the full list of birth stones check out this resources which includes both the precious, semi-precious and some more affordable options (particularly useful for anyone born in xx who’s primary stone is diamond). Fairina Cheng offers beautiful birthstone bracelets like this peridot for August and you can even add an engraved initial for that extra level of personalisation. And yes August is my birthday!

Special Places or Locations
This could be a home state or town, a special holiday, maybe even the place someone got engaged or married. Again etsy abounds with different ways to commemorate including cut outs of state shapes, geographic longitudes and latitudes or even landmarks. I’m very pleased to announce the return of both the silver and copper Sydney Opera House necklace to Wryght Designs. Handcut and finished on a 45cm sterling silver chain and currently exclusive to www.wryghtdesigns.com.

Fashion

Gift Guides : Secret Santa

22/10/201713/05/2018
by Claire Wryght

Christmas present buying clubs like secret santa or kriskringle always sound like a great idea. Only buying one present but everyone getting something. But the pressure to get something good can be high. So here are some ideas for getting a good gift.

Useful
Top of my list of best presents are some of the useful things that people have bought. For desk dwellers maybe some lovely stationery or an air plant. For shoppers maybe a resuseable stylish bag. For city slickers maybe a quirky folding umbrella or a stylish travel pass holder.

Edible
If you aren’t sure of the giftee’s style but have an idea on taste, you could put your culinary skills to use and make them some edible goodies like mince pies, fudge or even some homemade chocolate! If your culinary skills are a bit lacking you could try a DIY hot chocolate mix or baking jar where you assemble the ingredients, in a cute jar or wide neck bottle, in the right ratio and they just add milk and/or eggs. And if even that seems too much pop over to Sweet Health Cookie Mix and get a ready made.

Stylish
If you happen to have to be buying for a lady that loves jewellery then luckily for you Wryght Designs has some great options.

For $30 you can buy some small simple shapes in either brass or copper with hook or stud backs – circles are probably the most popular so personally I’d start there.

For $20 you can get something from the tiny range again copper or brass, in this size diamond is the most popular shape.

Fashion

Gift Guides : Family

15/10/201713/05/2018
by Claire Wryght

Looking for some ideas for family Christmas presents? Here is a quick gift guide to help you with some ideas.

Mum
Mums seem to love a good gift set so set her up with matching earrings and necklace. My current favourite is the circle collection in brass, mix up the sizes for a modern twist or stick with super size for full statement like these here.

Dad
I always find it hardest to pick a present for dad, this year I’m thinking about a quirky keyring like this Japanese fisherman’s hook inspired one from Sydney locals Woodlander Store. I might also team it up with a key finder like Tile Mate because he always seems to lose his keys.

Sis
If your sister is the type of girl that loves to make a statement then the supersize earrings will make the perfect choice. These super sized copper circle earrings are new at Wryght Designs just in time for Christmas.

Bro
If your brother is of drinking age and has a love of craft beer or cider then these bottle cap and bottle opener cufflinks from Thomas Mallory will make a great choice.

Niece
I’ve gotta say ‘tweenage’ girls seems to love personalised jewellery. At markets lots of them love picking out their initial or initials for a custom necklace. So the copper or brass initial necklace is a choice they should love.

Fashion

Capsule Wardrobe Accessories

20/07/2017
by adminwryght

Once you’ve organised the basic structure of your capsule wardrobe, it’s time to start adding your personality and style.

Adding jewellery that reflects your personality is a great way to customise your capsule wardrobe. You can either complement or contrast your base wardrobe with colours and styles.

Jewellery that won’t date is the best long term plan, think classic styles and long lasting features. Great examples would be precious gemstones, pearls and opals paired with classic metals like silver and gold.

If you want to add more contrast go for more unusual jewellery like resins, clays and feature metals like copper and bronze.

It’s great to have some real feature pieces think sculptural necklaces, chandelier earrings or chunky rings, though a minimalist style would let one piece shine rather than layer multiple feature pieces.

Feature Clothing

You know that patterned skirt you love, this is where it fits into your capsule wardrobe. A few key pieces that you adore will add fun to a potentially otherwise boring capsule wardrobe.

If you can, choose pieces that can be dressed up or down, and work well with the style of the other pieces in your wardrobe. One highly structure corporate skirt in a wardrobe full of bohemian florals is unlikely to get much use.

Other Accessories

Now you get to add the accents that make your outfits looks and feel different. Scarves, shoes, belts, tights and bags can all produce a very different look over the same base capsule wardrobe pieces. Sticking to a complementary colour palette will ensure these work well together and help you mix and match with success.

Have you been inspired to reassess your wardrobe? Check out what treasures are already stashed in there that don’t get too much wear and work out how you can maximise the value of your existing wardrobe.

Metal

Silver : A Brief Introduction

16/05/201716/05/2017
by Claire Wryght

Silver is one of the world’s most popular metals, precious but (more) affordable, vastly recyclable and still mined in Australia.

Pure silver is extremely soft which is why other metals are added in small amounts. There are four silver standards :
Sterling : 92.5% and 7.5% copper and stamped 925
Britannia : 95.8% and 4.2% copper and stamped 952
Argentium : can be either 93.5% or 95.84% balanced with copper and germanium
Fine : 99.9% with the balance of either copper, lead or zinc. This is the investment grade held in bullion.

Around one quarter of the production of silver is from recycled materials, aided by silver’s natural resistance to corrosion. All the silver metal sheet used at Wryght Designs is produced from recycled metal.

Silver is used in many forms, coins, jewellery, tableware and utensils, photographic film, medical instruments, investment bullion, x-rays and even solar panels. It is renowned for it high shine, durability and conductivity.

Did you know that although silver occurs in natural deposits, the majority of modern production is a byproduct of refining copper, lead, zinc and even gold?

Shop Silver now

Jewellery

Jewellery Box Decluttering : A Few Ideas

10/04/201711/04/2017
by Claire Wryght

Jewellery boxes are sentimental places. The bridesmaid jewellery from your sister’s wedding. The ring an ex-boyfriend gave you for your 21st. The Christmas necklace from your Aunt Hilda or the souvenir bracelet from your trip to Egypt.

But soon you are over run, particularly with some extra broken and odd pieces. Like a broken necklace clasp or an earring without its partner. So here are a few questions to help sort out your jewellery box : Do you still love it? Do you still wear it? Would it break your heart if you lost it?

When you decide it’s time for some letting go, here are some ideas to reuse and recycle

Regift : Would someone you know love the piece? Give it to them, but be careful not to regift if you could be found out. 😉
Donate : there are heaps of grateful charities and charity shops out there. Charities like Dress for Success help women with work wear and accessories for interviews and corporate life. Appeals like Share the Dignity’s #itsinthebag, fill unloved handbags with gifts and essentials for women at Christmas.
Resell : brand new or gently used jewellery could earn you an extra few dollars if you are willing to sell on sites like eBay or Gumtree. Good photographs and accurate descriptions are important. If you aren’t sure it’s a real diamond, then don’t advertise it as such.
Sell for scrap : if there is any gold, sterling silver or precious gemstones in your jewellery it might be worth weighing them in at a pawn shop or jewellery recycler.
Remodel or repair : a few tools and you could become your own jeweller. This is great for minor repairs and once you get the hang of it, beads can be restrung and a lone once loved earrings changed to a simple pendant.
Reuse : beads can even be added to other crafty projects like keyrings, decorations and scrapbooks.
Remake : lots of handcrafted jewellers can remake a piece of jewellery to give your special pieces a new lease on life. Stones and pearls can be reset. Metal melted and reformed. Rings resized.

Fill that jewellery box with joy! But not overflowing