Vidya Wolton

‘A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver’. This is one of the few proverbs I know and it comes to mind after day2 of ‘Working with Amber’ which involved setting stones. If anything were a precise art then this is. There isn’t any margin of error and making jewellery has on the one hand the highly crafted dimension but on the other hand, what amazing creations are possible along the way. It has to be well-made because otherwise it just looks ugly and today we were striving for that professional finish.

It was with some foreboding that I set off to the Jubilee Stores (in conjunction with Quay Arts) this morning, having enrolled for a whole week of jewellery making and most definitely moving outside my comfort zone. The relatively minute scale we are working on is such that I can’t quite see what I am doing at times (having developed long-sightedness with age). We were, however in the capable hands of Sophie Honeybourne, an experienced jewellery maker who very patiently helped me in spite of failing eyesight (must remember glasses tomorrow!). I actually think that working in a different medium, with different tools and as a class activity will be quite good for me and may actually inject my own practice with something new. I already have a little seagull motif which has emerged unexpectedly and takes me back to my numerous trips along East Cowes seafront with the many squawking Black-headed Gulls. Lets see where this all leads. Setting stones tomorrow. Watch this space for the breaking news. By the way, the course is entitled ‘Working with Amber’.