All of a sudden we’re in the middle of November and now seemed like the best time to start our new monthly newsletters. This month we’ve been adding more solid gold products and looking at 2020 Wedding Planning. Nikki made it through half term feeling frazzled, unlike Gin who home-ed’s and cooly plans awesome things for their family all the time. Joanna has been poorly but still doing a fab job on admin and posting out sending kits.
This week Bastian has chicken pox and I think I have shingles so Gin has taken a list of orders and is cracking on, while we get better.
New Products
The past month we’ve been overwhelmed with requests for our solid jewellery so by popular demand we’ve added the Gold Umbilical Cord Pearl and Gold Wedding Dress Pearl and a 14ct Gold Wedding Dress Ring and a 14ct Gold Flower Ring. Also, the classic Wedding Dress Pearl has returned in this wedding-themed collection. As brides start to plan 2020 weddings it’s really lovely to think of our clients who have said their vows wearing our memorial pieces.
Announcements
Not exactly a new announcement but after finishing a short apprenticeship in the studio with me, Gin is now working from home for Tree of Opals on resin and silverwork, and creating amazing jewellery through their brand My.liu (*tw* the pieces are sometimes specifically crafted for baby loss families). I’m looking for someone based near me in North West Bristol to come and be my new part time studio assistant/modern apprentice so if you know someone please send them our way.
Industry News
Kerry Miles from Keepsakes by Kerry had a few lovely pieces with the BBC including a lovely video done with a family she made a *tw* baby memorial piece for. I got in touch with Kerry and invited her to join the professional Breastmilk Jewellery Group I run on Facebook. We’re hoping to meet up in the new year to share creatively and I want to order one of her handcasts for my mum for Mother’s Day. It’s great to be surrounded by lots of creatives through the group and I’m sure you’ve all seen my growing blog for other keepsake artists. No business ever failed by helping another.
If you’re looking for Damson, Cookson and Bellore discount and have a jewellery business in the UK they’re worth joining, plus it’s nice to belong to the community.
What I’m Reading
This week I’m re-re-re-re-(ad inf.) The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel. This is part 4 of a 6 part series of pre-historic fiction novels by an American who spent decades travelling Europe researching what little historty we have of those times. I started reading Clan of the Cave Bear when I was nine but got stuck a few chapters in. I picked them back up age 11 and was reading the first book when I visited my penpal in Soyons, where we visited the Musée Archéologique and Caves of Soyons; my passion for the novels became an obsission that’s now spanned four generations of my family. In fact, if you were wondering where my daughter’s name came from, Ayla is the protagonist of the Earth’s Children Series.
If you’d like a birth, death or marriage announcement in our next newsletter please email me directly on info@treeofopals.com
Nikki x