I was so pleased to see the drive to support small, handmade indie businesses around this year’s Black Friday. Huge supporters of creative and indie businesses, such as Holly & Co’s colour friday, Just A Cards continued campaigning to encourage and support small businesses and the many new market places for indie businesses, such as And So To Shop have made it easier to gain visibility. Bringing to attention that smaller businesses can’t afford to drop their prices in the same way large chains do.
Image credit @cheerful.geek
It made me think about what value we attach to products and our purchases and how as makers we can be more informative about our work to enable you to understand its worth. A great way of doing this is through blogs, so I have decided to give you more knowledge about the jewellery you want to buy from me and to help you understand the value of the items. I’m going to write a series of blog posts about the various resources used. These blogs will give you specific information about each wood and metal used in my designs and their incredible values.
To start this series I want to introduce you to the topic of product value with specific attention to my work and give a brief and generalised summary of the materials used.
WHAT DO YOU BUY WHEN YOU BUY FROM ME?
I craft my jewellery with the very finest of materials to ensure that they survive your busy lives, whilst also making you feel special and unique. Their value surpasses their function as they become a part of you. They will act as milestones for those moments in your life and connect you to your life’s journey.
Along with this they hold my maker’s thumbprint, the two decades of experience and training, honing my craft and learning the various qualities and abilities of the materials used.
This jewellery connects us, maker and wearer as we become bearers of the earth’s precious materials. It’s a hugely important fact that we should embrace. The materials used to make this luxury product are given to us from this planet we stand on. It is our responsibility to use and wear them respectfully.
MATERIAL COST
Vannucchi jewellery uses a mix of noble metals with glorious woods, but to ensure true sustainability I only ever use recycled sterling silver from reputable national providers.
Sterling silver weighing above the minimum legal threshold of 7.78g has to be hallmarked by an independent 3rd party. This guarantees for the buyer the fineness of the metal being sold. As a maker, this is my way of guaranteeing for you the quality standard being provided. The 3rd party called the Assay Office will not only mark the metal with my maker’s mark and the metal’s fineness they will also signify their office and the year in which it was guaranteed. This varies internationally, so it’s always worth researching when purchasing from abroad that the mark is what it says it is and that it complies with customs.
I regularly encounter the opinion that wooden jewellery is less valuable than that of gems and precious metals. Wood can be a more sustainable material, but is still a precious and protected resource. Some woods are now restricted or limited due to a decline in their numbers, making them incredibly expensive and or hard to trade. For more information check out the ICUN List.
I believe that if something has been felled and is in existence then it is more of a waste not to use it. However rather than adding to a supply and demand situation I only source off cuts, or am gifted such woods. I have in my wood store Bog Oak which is carbon dated over 2000 years old, burnt eastbourne pier wood, deliciously smooth dark Ebony and a range of other beautiful, uniquely grained and historic woods.
When I source and work with these materials I try to use them in a way that is sparing, sustainable and respectful.
It’s really important to me that I use the woods on the right projects and so planning is an important part of this process. Coming up with a suitable design and then developing it, enables a more efficient use of the material. This also enables me to work out my cuts, so that I can maximise on the lifespan of the material for future projects. It’s all about responsible manufacturing and each piece is thoughtfully handcrafted by myself before it finds its forever home.
SUMMARY
I want to be able to share my love of different woods and their use within my work, so I hope you are as excited to read more about the materials used as I am to share this information with you. Check out the second blog in this series next month, where we will look at my all time favourite wood, Olive wood.
If you want to know why it’s a favourite and maybe learn about its significance as a wood, check in next month.
