News from C'est La Vie Jewellery

FAQ'S

Posted on 8月 30, 2021 by Catherine Ash-Vie

FAQ’s

General;

Is it handmade?
1. All my jewellery is designed and hand made by myself at my studio bench in Lymington.
2. The Harken blocks, winches and winch handles have been taken straight from the Harken engineering drawings (with Peter Harken’s permission!), scaled down and then investment cast in solid silver or gold.
What material is it made from?
1. The silver items are solid 925 sterling silver – there are no plated items in my collection.
2. The gold items are solid 9ct yellow gold.
3. All the ‘findings’ (the little rings, connectors, clasps and earwires) are also proper silver or gold; this makes the whole piece a higher quality and gives you confidence that the findings are not going to wear, and turn your skin green!
Is the piece hallmarked?
1. Jewellery that is under a certain weight of metal does not legally need to be assayed and stamped. Most of my pieces have a stamp of ‘925’ somewhere on them. By not officially hallmarking, I have saved you that extra, sometimes significant, cost.
2. The gold blocks are hallmarked. However, the gold wire pieces, including the Turks Head Knot ring, are not stamped – as this is extremely difficult without damaging the piece!
Can I have something different?
1. I am always very happy to look at customising a piece for you, or even working with you for a fully commissioned design of your own. Please do contact me directly by email or phone.
Will it tarnish?
1. Yes; all silver does tarnish. (Commercially produced silver may have an anti-tarnish coating, but this is not available on a hand-made item)
  1. The rate at which it turns black depends on the acidity of your skin and general humidity and pollution of the atmosphere.
2. If you want to store the piece, or only wear it occasionally, remember that silver tarnishes in oxygen; so the best thing to do is to close it up in a ziplock baggy, preferably with an anti-tarnish paper.
What is the best way to clean the piece?
1. The easiest way to get tarnish off silver jewellery is to use ‘Silver Dip’. This is readily available in stores and supermarkets. You just dip your piece in the liquid for a few seconds, then wash with soapy water (use a soft toothbrush to dislodge any dirt), and dry and polish with a soft cloth.
2. Gold does not tarnish and just need washing in soapy water and gently buffing with a soft cloth.

Cord Bracelets;

Is the size adjustable?
1. Yes, this bracelet should sit tight to the wrist – so you may need a friend to help tighten it up for you.
2. The knots are sliding knots; just pull/push the knot along the ‘standing’ line.
3. TIP; move the ‘locking’ ring down to beside the knot; the knot will slide easier this way. Then ‘lock’ the cord again by moving the ring back up to the block.
4. The T2 racing block; both sides of the cord will adjust – but one side may need tweezers/pliers to pull the cord through the block.
What is the cord material?
1. This is marine grade Dyneema. It will withstand many years (perhaps a lifetime!) of continuous wear; even treated with abuse in salt water!
Can I replace or shorten the cord?
1. Yes, of course, it is easily cut/untied. You can send it back to me to put a new cord on, or work out how to tie the slider knot and do it yourself.

Reef Knots;

How is it made?
1. The knots are made from heavy weight solid silver or gold wire, and hand-tied into reef knots.
Can I have a different size?
1. The chains can be shortened or lengthen to suit you; just contact me by email or phone and I will be happy to help.
2. The rings are easily stretched, so you can have exactly the most comfortable size. Either contact me, or go to your local jeweller who will usually be able to stretch it on site.

Turk’s Head Knots;

How is it made?
1. These ingenious pieces are made from solid silver or gold wire. What makes them unique is that one single unbroken length of wire is used, which means you have no unsightly join or weak point, and a lovely real weave texture.
2. The wire is first patterned around a weave jig, then woven through using great care not to kink, bend or distort the wire or the weave. Very much as if you were doing it out of rope – but a lot harder!
Can I have a different size?
1. Yes, these rings can be easily stretched to your exact size and comfort. Either contact me, or go to your local jeweller who will usually be able to stretch it on site.

Seagull over Wave;

What is the material?
1. The seagull is cast or cut from a solid silver or gold sheet and shaped and polished to give a lovely heavy quality piece.
2. The wave is made from solid gold or silver wire.
Can I have a different colour?
1. The pieces look gorgeous when mixing gold and silver – so your seagull can flash over a gold hued wave! Or any combination you desire. Just contact me directly by email or phone, and I will be happy to help.
Can I have a different size?
1. Yes, the chain can be exchanged for a different length, and the earrings can be set to any dangle length you like.
2. The ring is adjustable, so you can just mould it around your chosen finger.

Carbon Fibre;

What is it made of?
1. The ring base is made of titanium, and is infilled with real carbon fibre (not plastic look-alike!), with a marine grade epoxy laminate.
What is the blue colour?
1. The titanium metal has natural properties which means that it changes colour when flame heated.
2. The blue will scratch and degrade with severe use.

Fish Skeleton;

What is it made of?
1. The pieces are made from solid sterling silver wire and sheet; all hand cut, shaped and twisted into place.
Will the chain tangle?
1. It is extremely easy to straight up the chain; just lay it flat and start turning the links until the links lay flat against each other.
Will it be comfortable to wear, or catch and scratch?
1. I have very thoroughly tested the wear of these chains, and they are surprisingly comfortable to wear, as they lie flat against the skin (so long as you have not put it on tangled!).
2. Given provocation, the chain will catch on delicate fabrics – but, in general, the ends are smooth and do not scratch.

Mussel Shells;

What is it made of?
1. This is a solid sterling silver piece, cast from a locally sourced shell.
2. The black ‘patina’ is an oxidating solution applied to the silver to turn it black. It will come off if heavily burnished.
3. The gold finish is done using the ‘Keum-Boo’ technique of bonding 24k gold foil onto the surface of the silver, so that it becomes structurally part of the metal.

Behind the Scenes - Mussel Shells; How it's Made!

Posted on 7月 05, 2021 by Catherine Ash-Vie

Glowing Gold and Iridescent Black!

This gorgeous shell was cast in solid silver from a mussel shell - using a lost wax casting method, then the magic happens! A layer of solid gold is carefully heat-applied to the silver, then an iridescent patina is applied to mimic the outside of the shell.
read on for more details ....

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