Overdue update: exhibits next year and book news

 It's been a while since I updated, mostly due to finishing up at the Royal College of Art and graduating in September. It's been an eventful few months! The highlights are: 

Book News: 

You can listen to me chat about my and Janet's book "Silver Jewellery Making" with host Sharon on the Jewelry Journey podcast: find me here in two part episode number 207: https://thejewelryjourney.com/podcasts/ 

Our book is included in the Cooksongold Christmas catalogue: https://www.cooksongold.com/Books/Silver-Jewellery-Making-By-Machi-De-Waard-And-Janet-Richardson-prcode-999-A204 

And Kernowcraft now also stock it: https://www.kernowcraft.com/products/just-arrived/silver-jewellery-making-a-complete-step-by-step-course-for-beginners-machi-de-waard-janet-richardson

Jewellery News:

My work is available at the lovely New Ashgate Gallery, always worth a visit if you're into high quality craft! https://www.newashgate.org.uk/shop_artists/7702/c/101/machi-de-waard/jewellery 

I'm also delighted to have my work at Platform Gallery, Clitheroe: Winter Showcase of British Craft October 2023 – January 2024 

I will be participating in Henley Arts Trail 4-6 May 2024 - details to be confirmed, but I will be at a vineyard near Hembleden. 

I will also be taking part in Oxfordshire Artweeks at Peach Croft Farm near Abingdon - well worth a visit to see amazing work in a beautiful barn. And there's a lovely farm shop & cafe right next door! Plus plenty of parking. 18-26 May 2024

Teaching News: 

My regular evening classes at Maiden Erlegh in Reading are in full swing again. The next term starts January 29th. Please contact me if you have questions. 

I'm doing private lessons again as well, here are some examples of recent work by private lesson students: 

solid silver armband

silver oval hoop earrings

And lastly, rather randomly, I was on the radio talking to Andrew Peach on BBC Berkshire due to my connection with Reading PA and Reading UK, as I've lived the bulk of my life in one or the other! I'm on at around 7:25am - it was an early morning!- which you can find here (scroll to about 1 hour 25 minutes in): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ghx2qh

Jewellery Making Classes in Reading

 

Community Arts at Maiden Erlegh in Reading

Jewellery Making Classes in Reading

The next 10 week term starts the week commencing 19 September 2022. If you have any questions about these classes, please email me at machidewaard@gmail.com

18:45 – 21:15 Monday evenings – all abilities welcome

18:45 – 21:15 Tuesday evenings – all abilities welcome

18:45 – 21:15 Wednesday evenings – all abilities welcome

Learn or continue learning silver jewellery making. Students will be guided through a series of projects or a single more complex project. Full instruction in the use of tools and equipment will be given. Students can work in silver or copper. Silver can be purchased in class.

To book, please go to this link: https://www.maidenerleghschool.co.uk/page/?title=Workshops+%26amp%3B+Courses&pid=130

Oxfordshire Artweeks 14 - 22 May 2022

I am taking part in Oxfordshire Artweeks once again this year! It is 14 - 22 May 2022. The opening hours are 10 - 5. 

I will be there: 

10 - 12 on Saturday 14 May 

all day Sunday 15 May with a special Meet the Authors events with my co-author Janet Richardson. 

10 - 1pm  Friday 20 May

all day Saturday 21 May 

I am exhibiting with 4 other jewellers in a fabulous barn filled with other art such as paintings and ceramics. There's also a lovely farm shop in which you can get a snack or hot or cold drink. And there's plenty of easy parking! 

Venue

Peach Croft Farm Barn

Twelve Acre Drive

Abingdon

OX14 2HP

Website: 

http://www.peachcroft.co.uk

Facilities available: 

Accessible for Wheelchairs, Demonstrations, Refreshments, Parking

Silver Jewellery Making at Community Arts Maiden Erlegh - starting in May

Hurrah!

Silver jewellery making classes are starting again at Community Arts at Maiden Erlegh in Reading!!! Finally, after much Covid disruption, we are starting classes again from 9 May 2022.

I will be teaching the Monday and Wednesday evenings (Cathy will be teaching the Tuesday evenings).  

To book, click here: https://www.maidenerleghschool.co.uk/page/?title=Workshops+%26amp%3B+Courses&pid=130

The dates are: 

Silver Jewellery dates		Silver Jewellery dates		Silver Jewellery dates
Monday		Tuesday		Wednesday
09/05/2022		10/05/2022		11/05/2022
16/05/2022		17/05/2022		18/05/2022
23/05/2022		24/05/2022		25/05/2022
06/06/2022		07/06/2022		08/06/2022
13/06/2022		14/06/2022		15/06/2022
20/06/2022		21/06/2022		22/06/2022
04/07/2022		05/07/2022		06/07/2022
11/07/2022		12/07/2022		13/07/2022

New jewellery classes in Oxford & Henley and Arts Trail in September

 

 

Henley School of Art

New Classes:

Saturday 25 September – Making Silver Rings

Saturday 23 October – Making Silver Bangles

Saturday 4 December – Making Silver Rings

Learn the basics of silver jewellery making a wear a piece you made yourself by the end of the course! For more information and to book, see www.thehenleyschoolofart.com/courses

 

JASSO
New termly class!
Thursdays 10am - 1pm

Starts 16 September  I will be teaching a 10 week class at the fantastic workshop of the Jewellery and Silversmithing Society of Oxford. To join, you must be a member of JASSO but joining is incredibly good value at £20/year.

 

11 & 12 September 2021
I will be at Venue 10 St. Luke’s Community Hall, Norfolk Road, Maidenhead, SL6 7AT along with six other artists. Come see jewellery, paintings and ceramics!

Various jewellery related goings on: book and locket

It's been a while since I posted, mostly somehow lost in a lockdown fug where every day sort of passes in similar fashion. But this very, very long month of March is drawing to a close. The sun is shining, the daylight is longer and the spring flowers are out in full force. Hurrah! Let's hope we have a lovely summer, getting closer to being safer with every vaccination! 

In book news, my and Janet's book Silver Jewellery Making is out there in the world. Janet went on Jewellery Maker TV and for a brief moment (about half a day), our book had the coveted "Best Seller" banner on Amazon in our category of metal work! That was quite exciting! Also very thrilling for us is that we are now on TWO recommended book lists. The first is on Metalsmith Society's page, here: https://metalsmithsociety.com/pages/book-recommendations. The second is on Nottingham Jewellery School's blog, which is here:  https://www.nottinghamjewelleryschool.co.uk/post/reading-recommendations

On that second list, check out the Jewellers Creative Journal if you fancy some help with your creative process. I haven't seen it yet, but a friend recommended it and said it's great if you're just starting building up your own designs.

Both of those are well worth following on Instagram, by the way, if you're on there, at @metalsmithsociety and @nottinghamjewelleryschool

Otherwise, I have been busy making lots of new jewellery pieces. At the moment, I am on my quest to make modern lockets. This is one of those lockets. It's my "mini orb" locket, made from sterling silver and 13mm in diameter. I am enjoying getting a better grip on hinges, learning what to look out for and what works well. I figured out that several times, I thought the hinge knuckles were sitting nicely in their little groove, but it turned out that they were ever so slightly *above* the bottom of the groove, which meant that later down the line, the fit was not as good as I wanted. So I've learned to get the loupe out and check under the hinge knuckles from the side to make sure they are sitting down properly in the groove. The tube I'm using is 1.2mm outside diameter, so loupe required! Anyway, here are photos of my mini orb locket: 

Publication day of Silver Jewellery Making: a step-by-step course

 

 

The day is finally here, our book is published!!!! Hard to believe it, but it's finally here. Janet and I are doing an  Instagram takeover for the publisher, @searchpress if you want to follow us there. Apparently there are some delivery issues at Amazon UK, but there are plenty of other places to get the book:

• WH Smith
  
• Waterstones
• Blackwells
• Search Press
• Guardian Bookstore
• Amazon USA
• Penguin Random House
• Bol.com in the Netherlands
• Amazon Germany 

This is me at my bench and the photo below is Janet at her bench :-) 

Happy New Year!!

Silver Jewellery Making: a complete step-by-step course is NEARLY here. It's published 1 February and is available, amongst others, at the following places: 

• Search Press (publisher’s website)
• Waterstones
• Amazon UK
  
• Penguin Random House (USA)
• Amazon USA   

Janet and I were SUPER excited to get our own copies of our book right before Christmas! It was quite a moment to see it really, truly in print! 

I wish I could tell you about exciting launch events we're doing, but sadly that will have to wait until the situation improves. For now, it's all online! Janet and I will be in the Henley Standard very soon , talking a bit about how the book came about and the content. We're also over on the More Arts website! Various other things are in the pipeline, so I'll update when things happen. 

I hope the new year will bring many positive things for everyone. The vaccination has started, which is great. I am really missing seeing people, so I'm looking forward to the day I can make lots of plans with everyone! For now, the only outing is the post office or the supermarket, so I am glad I have my studio to retreat to as a creative outlet. I've made many new pieces of jewellery, which I am looking forward to showing, but I need to take the photos first! 

While we're all stuck at home, for any fellow jewellers and jewellery students out there, I can highly recommend Metalsmith Society on instagram (@metalsmithsociety) and also the website. Another great resource with very useful and relevant podcasts is Jewellers Academy.