Ray Earrings

David Neale Ray Earrings. 2.5cm across. Gold-plated silver. $300, includes shipping to anywhere!
Ask me about these or a solid gold or silver version: thegoldensmith at gmail dot com

David Neale Diamond Ring

Newen Days ring with halfmoon-shaped diamond set in 18ct white gold.
Beautiful sparkle to this one!
Music; I was listening to Alhaji K. Frimpong via Awesome Tapes 

Saw

The jeweller's saw can be very very fine. This one is about half a millimetre, so its relatively chunky!
Most jewellers have several tell-tale scars on the left index finger- from those accidental saw cuts. One lapse of concentration and this very thin blade slices to the bone!

Australian Sapphire, Cut In Australia, Made in Australia

Do you take time to think about where an object comes from, and how it is made?

The rough blue sapphire was especially chosen by the bride-to-be, (imagine a girl in a lolly shop...) and then skilfully ground and polished, facet by facet- by a man who lives geometry- Doug Menadue of Bespoke Gems, Sydney. Apparently, the land where this stone was found is now closed to prospectors, making it all the more rare.
I was really excited to be able to bring together a fully Australian ensemble- this adds real value to the provenance, because many gems, (including Australian diamonds and sapphires!)- are cut in India, Bangladesh and Thailand, likely under working conditions that would be unacceptable in the West.
It would make a bride weep if she knew. But not this bride!

Did you know? -Although this stone is a sapphire, the long octagonal shaped cut is called an 'emerald cut'- because it was developed to best show the colour of an emerald. Nowadays it remains a popular shape for diamonds and sapphires, as well as the eponymous emerald.

Specifications: Custom-made 18ct white gold engagement ring- featuring a 3.1ct natural Australian sapphire from Lava Plains, Queensland. Goldsmithing by David Neale.

My next quest is to bring together an Australian-cut Australian diamond and recycled gold setting. Maybe its for you?

Diamond Newen Days Ring

Diamond 'Newen Days' Ring.

"There's the olden days and there's... the newen days."

I'm interested in old things, as you know from reading this blog,

- but I look forward to new things even more.

This is a half-moon cut diamond set in 18ct yellow gold.

I think this will make a beautiful engagement ring.

So ask her.

Enquiries: Pieces of Eight Gallery

Fiori stud Earrings

A stud version of the Fiori earrings in 9k rose gold. I made the rose coloured alloy up myself, so its a very subtle shade of pink. (see earlier post about the making process). These are available at Pieces Of Eight right now, and here on the Golden Smith Shop very soon.

Jasper and Turquoise

This ring was a custom request for a variation on my Newen Days ring with spidery turquoise and an arc of jasper. The gold was recycled. The customer's fiancé found the red jasper on a field trip - I love that kind of personal significance. It was tricky to cut in this shape though!

Golden Ratio Ring

A ring designed to rhyme with your finger bones. But not too precise. It has a warmth.
You can buy this 9k gold version from The Golden Smith Shop.
Also available in silver, platinum or 22k gold by request.

Earrings

New batch of David Neale earrings at Pieces of Eight in Melbourne. Gold-plated silver.
International folks; please email me if  you'd like a pair...
US$300- Free shipping to anywhere.

Old Game

All thats left of this game is the bone bits. I wonder if the missing tiles were wood. It is some kind of egyptian checkers- Im guessing the object is to get your pieces to the other end(?). Very sculptural.
British Museum.

Gold Beater

History of Metalworking:
Beating gold into sheet or foil by hand-hammering.
Note also lattice flooring- if you drop something precious, it gets compartmentalised.

Advice To My Younger Self

Thanks to Debbie Pryor from Craft for an interesting interview, 10-odd years on from when my work was in Fresh! '03.
 Read the rest here  -includes Advice To My Younger Self. 
Ah yes, 20/20 hindsight.

Hermann Jünger rarity

Here's a rarity:
A Hermann Jünger brooch, 1960/70 at auction. (auctionata)
Also a rarity- a chance to see the back! Something I have never seen.
Jünger's maker's mark is a standing bird- and looks to me as though he's engraved the stamp himself-
a nice touch.
I was not expecting to see the square wire framework supporting the composition- very interesting.
There's a freeness in the face composition, and then a lot of formal, organised work to hold it together underneath.
There is always lots of things going on in a Jünger piece;
claw-setting, bezel setting, enamelling, granulation, fusing- a kind of playful game, mixing things up...
you'll see an emerald next to green glass, ivory next to white enamel.

Gold Loom Bands?

2,000 year old Loom Band?

(top)

Or as the style is known to jewellers;

'Loop-in-loop' chain

Golden Ratio Rings

Golden Ratio Rings
In silver, set with white marble and lapis lazuli

Horseshoe Nail Ring

A gold horseshoe nail ring I made recently as a custom request.

Its a classic form that I've never made before, so it was fun to forge out the geometry with hammer and anvil. I wanted it to have a forgey, satiny, textural finish, so I didn't polish it.

Pinterview

My work was featured on the Pinterest Blog… shucks!

Chevron Mens Ring- 22 carat gold

Pompon

Francois Pompon

Chouette

1923?

More Pompon here

24k Horse Pendant

I love working with pure gold- not typically used for today's jewellery, being somewhat softer than the lower alloys, but the trick is to make it proportionally hefty, then it is very robust, and… well…

bodacious! 

 Silver or 18k Horse Pendants can be adopted from

here,

 or the rare 24k breed by special request, 

here

Gold Stud Earrings- Custom

Custom-made gold studs 

-that can spin!

Got ideas you'd love to crystallise?

Just ask.

Pine Needles- Black

Pine Needle pendant

Blackened Silver

Yours at The GoldenSmith Shop

New Earring Patterns

New earrings. Some of these patterns are now at Pieces of Eight in Melbourne...
Or world-wide folks can get them from:
The Golden Smith Shop
Email me if you cant see the patten you like.

Horse / Walk

Dad's new horse- I went for a little walk. 

Golden Ratio Rings

Golden Ratio rings.
Formula with Feeling- that's my intention.

Newen Days Rings

Newen Days rings;
Moonstone and reclaimed ebony in gold.
Joe thought of the name;
"coz dere's de olden days and, dere's de newen days"

Golden Fiori

Fiori Earrings in vermeil. These have extra flowers too.

Lapis, Lapis, Lapis, Lapis Lazuli

Finding a rhythm in making these over and over...

Silver, too, if thats your colour.

Acquired

David Neale, Colour Fold
Acquired by National Gallery of Victoria

INSTAGRAM

You can now find me on Instagram:

david_neale_jewellery

Check it out for more jewelry (and jewellery too)

Bangles

 'Mayon' Bangle.  Steel. I was thinking of a climber's mallion. Plus Marcel Wander's quote:
"we can no longer marvel at a tube being bent"- well the tube part is straight.
Simple and heavy.

'Rond' Bangle

'Lozenge' Bangle.

Gold plated bronze.

I first made this in 2009 I think...

but I may start making them again.

Diamond Ring

David Neale 'Emerald-cut' Diamond, 18k Gold Ring

Simple, simple.

Golden Ratio proportions.

Stack Rings

Gold, lapis lazuli or turquoise stack rings.

To be worn above other rings,

 or alone, 

or flip over and wear below.

In The Golden Smith Shop now

Stack Ring

A ring to stack on top of others.

Rainbow moonstone and copper, set in silver.

Blue with a red border glows.

Golden Ratio Ring

Golden Ratio Ring.

 Made of gold (what else?)

I really like just a simple, simple ring, dont you?

But I often think, what is it that would make a simple ring good?

Answer: pleasing proportions.

Also known as sectio aurea and the Divine Proportion.

Rhyming game

Marie's Gates

Gilt wrought iron detail from the gates at Petit Trianon, Versaille.
(The mini-palace where Marie Antoinette sought refuge from court life. And Louie.)

Flower Earrings

A pair of earrings I made today. The design has in mind a methodology that doesnt require sanding or polishing, mainly just shearing and flame-work (a bit like etruscan?). I would love to make these in 22k gold (of course!) Please contact me if you'd like a pair in gold.
The silver version is available in The Golden Smith Shop. US$250

 Here is the method:

First, roll out silver to a thin sheet, using rolling mills.

Cut out discs, then petals. I use scissors for this- snips or saw would be too awkward.

Flatten and texturise the flowers on a rough anvil, with an antique hammer.

Scribe lines on petals using a double-pointed tool and on a heavy paper pad to allow the right amount of push-out.

Close-up of said tool. I fashioned this from a broken twist drill and hold it in a pin vice.

Dome the shapes using a wooden punch and matrix.

I dont use steel versions of these tools as these would probably spread the already-thin material.

I also stone-washed (not shown) these components to de-burr the edges.

Little backing cups are made using the same method.

 All components, including ear wires are organised for assembly.

The backing cups are soldered to the ear wires. Soldering (not shown) is done under an exhaust hood and I also wear a respirator- to protect myself from potential fume hazards.

The flowers have holes punched through their centres, and are attached to backing-cups with a ball rivet. These rivets are formed from short lengths of wire with little heads melted on each end- and will allow the flowers to move a little.

A hot little flame is needed to quickly melt this rivet-head without heating the adjacent solder join 

-which has a lower melting temperature. In other words, if you do this wrong, the whole lot melts together... or falls off!

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat... Repeat!

Assembly complete.

Bend assemblage into earring configuration, with ear-hooks.

 Looking a little grey at this point, I immerse them in a bath of citric acid, 

which brings them to a bright colour.

I burnish the ear-hooks to be bright and smooth, and give them a soapy wash.

Finito.

I may try some similar versions with elements other than flowers?