May 2013
2 posts
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Mediterranean treasure hunt
Following on from my holiday in Cyprus, I am finally getting round to sorting through all the found objects I scooped up and brought home with me. I do like a treasure hunt, so being in a foreign country only adds to the excitement of what I might find! Some people get their kicks from drugs, I get mine from stumbling across an unusual feather or beautifully patterned rock. Each to their own,...
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Cyprus
Did I really go on holiday? Or was it just an illusion? As I sit here in the same seat typing away in the same place as I did before I went away, I am asking myself this very question. Back to reality seems so real that it’s almost as if I dreamt I had got on a plane and visited my friend for a week. But such is life and the relentless speed by which we all seem to be whizzing along. Nothing...
April 2013
1 post
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The Conversation
Well it seems to have been ages since I last wrote a blog post. Lots has been happening, not least a much longed-for holiday to Cyprus, which warrants it’s own blog post later on. But this post is a little update about one of the things I’ve been doing ‘on the side’. Kind of in addition to the goldsmithing and jewellery rather than instead of it. I’m now a...
February 2013
1 post
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Getting a bit personal.....
*Contains regular use of bad language.
This post is a bit long, but bear with me…
First off, a quick round up:
The Good:
In the last few weeks the first shipment of Fairtrade and Fairmined platinum and silver arrived in the UK from an artisanal/small scale mining co-operative in Columbia. This means that there should be a steady influx of traceable precious metals available for jewellers in...
January 2013
1 post
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Ruin and regeneration
I’m beginning the new year with a slight change of direction in terms of subject matter. My obsession with containers is a life-long one, however I have put it on the back burner temporarily. Winter-absolute is most definitely upon us and these stark surroundings are breathing new life into me. I can’t help but feel passionate about the fact that winter has us firmly in its chilly embrace because...
December 2012
1 post
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Merry Christmas
Well I’m signing off for this year and what a year it has been! 2012 has definitely been one of the most challenging and exciting years of my life with a major career change amongst other things. The ambulance service seems like a very distant memory even though I only left in April. It’s stored in the memory banks and filed under the ‘how to not follow your heart’ section of life. When I think...
November 2012
2 posts
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Why I love winter
Winter is my favourite season, very closely followed by autumn. Right now I can tell you that I am secretly doing cartwheels whenever it is grey, cold or wet. No, I’m not being sarcastic, no I’m not clinically insane and yes I am serious. I used to think of winter-love as an affliction because no-one else seemed to like this cold season. But the last few years I have decided to embrace the fact...
noir-ne asked: You are one of my favorite blogs! :D I got tagged in one of the chain-ask "favorite blog" games, so I'm letting you know. :)
October 2012
1 post
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Sentimentality
Emotional association and sentimentality are the two sensibilities that form the foundation of my obsession with jewellery. Being able to keep these cherished objects close to myself is the other. My magpie tendencies kicked in early and I would say that I have been obsessed with jewellery since primary school age. I was never into shoes, clothes or bags, I just wanted to raid people’s jewellery...
September 2012
10 posts
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Other people's kindness
Today I was sent a beautiful gift. It was given to me by a dear lady called Gloria. The gift was a set of two beaded bracelets brought over from Nigeria. They are beautiful, I will post a picture of them.
Really though, it’s not about what the gift is. Although they are beautiful and I couldn’t have picked better myself, it was just the thought behind it. The fact that she had...
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Fairtrade and Fairmined gold
Tootsievalentine® is one of only 50 jewellers WORLDWIDE to be licenced and certified with the Fairtrade Foundation to use Fairtrade and Fairmined gold. This means there is a traceable and transparent supply chain from the actual artisanal small-scale mining co-operative where the gold was extracted, all the way to the jeweller and to the customer who is wearing the piece. The jewellery carries a...
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The Importance Of My Little Bubble.
Today was the first day in a long while that I have had a major creative block. It follows on from a good couple of months of easy-flowing, couldn’t-get-ideas-on-paper-quickly-enough creativity. So naturally the first sign of it waning has put me into full panic mode. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before, because of course this does occur from time to time, it’s just...
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August 2012
11 posts
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Joanna Taylor On The Value Of Ethical Jewellery →
Here’s an interview I did with Designs On Earth. The article was published today. It’s about sustainability within the jewellery industry.
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Gold Recycling
It always feels so great to meet people who share a similar vision to you. It feels energising, exciting, like you can’t wait to get started with your news ideas. Well, a few days ago I was fortunate enough to meet up with a lovely lady called Laurie Spicer with whom I had this connection. We were introduced at a networking event and found out immediately that we were on the same wave-length when...
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Departures
Vessels are such a major source of reference for most of my current work. And it’s the simple ones such as this lab vessel that I find myself going back to. I hasten to add that I was rubbish at chemistry when I was at school, so it’s not the subject matter that intrigues me so much as the forms. Essentially they are glass, they are cheap and most definitely designed with function in mind rather...
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July 2012
26 posts
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“The inner peace for which people of our time are longing can be found. Our own...”
– From Bauhaus Women, by Ulrike Muller.
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A nice write up! →
Milk Concept Boutique’s blog post about my jewellery.
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vinylrescue asked: I've never been to New York City but there are a lot of small creative arty communities in upper New York State. And it's beautiful country. I hope things work out well for you in whatever place you find yourself.
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Decisions
Today I had a few meetings in Hemel. They were spread from one end of the day to the next with a big gap of time in the middle which proved a welcome break from traipsing around in the sun. I don’t hate summer, I just like a moderate max temp of 20 degrees centigrade. Clear blues and nice breeze, yes. Sweltering and losing half of my body weight in sweat, NO. So I went to my usual place of...
vinylrescue asked: Another Roy Harper fan! Nobody here (edge of nowhere USA) knows who he is. I took my youngest son back from his summer visit with me yesterday. It was about a 4 hour drive from there back alone. I listened to Flashes From The Archives Of Oblivion as the sun started to set about an hour from home. I wish I knew people I could share this album with! Tried to get my daughter interested. Maybe...
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“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– ~Mahatma Ghandi
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Twitter →
Finally, the Tootsievalentine brand has joined twitter….
@jtaylorjeweller
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