Bling!     10th Mar 2009

And now for a bit of Bling! For no other reason than pure self-indulgence and a bit of sparkly lusting, here's a sneak peak at some pretty cool jewellery designers that I wouldn't mind having in my jewellery box.

Nicola Malkin makes super-lovely ceramic jewellery pieces; think giant charm bracelets, mammoth strings of pearls and little hand crafted blossoms, a beautiful play with scale and delicacy that almost makes you believe you may be  suffering from Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (yes, it's a real condition!).

Ruth Tomlinson makes jewellery collections inspired by lifecycles, changes in nature and my own personal favourite, shipwrecks! Her beautifully fragile work is so unique and different, like little bejewelled pieces of sunken treasure! Love it.

Pippa Small is famed for big, unpolished pieces, for women who like their glamour (and their gem stones) a bit rough round the edges. This is Bling with shoulder pads...

Ambre France takes everyday objects, like the cable tie, transforming them through artistic process and materials into something extra ordinary and precious. She invites the wearer to interact with her pieces, customising and making it their own, whilst some of her text based work has a cheeky twist to it... ( a few years ago I swapped her some Macbeth Wallpaper for a ‘Craft doesn't Pay' Badge - which I like to wear to Craft Scotland and Scottish Arts Council Events.)

Sometimes a girl needs something a little less Bling and a bit more, well, quirky. Here's my favourites in the non precious section:

Sarah Chilton graduated from Art School the same year as myself and showed her resin-set jewellery at New Designers in 2005. I love the minature scenes she creates, captured for eternity within clear resin. A little bit like wearing a time capsule I guess. Her website seems to have vanished off the net, but well worth Googling her.

The girls at Tatty Devine have built an empire on the plastic fantastic knick-knacks more usually found in A) a Kinder Egg, B) a Party Bag or C) a cheap Christmas Cracker. Their multicoloured, acrylic delights make you happy to be alive... and also craving a Kinder Egg.