Labradorite

Labradorite is an iridescent gemstone which displays a fascinating “schiller” or iridescence when viewed from different angles. It’s a member of the feldspar group of gemstones, my favourite as these gemstones display almost a rainbow of colours and often look as though they have an internal light source!

Labradorite has a background colour of smoky grey, but when light strikes the stone in a particular direction it displays striking colour reflections. Most typically these metallic flashes are blue and green but more rarely yellow, orange and even red can be seen, as in the pendant in the photo.

We bought this stone several years ago from a gem dealer and we were reluctant to set it as once it was on the shop floor we knew it would be gone rapidly. It took less than a week! Labradorite of this size and spectacular colour display are so hard to come by that I find it difficult to let them go! This effect is so unique to labradorite that it is referred to as labradorescence.
Labradorite is usually cut en cabochon or in flat slabs in order to best display the iridescence. Labradorite was named after the Labrador Peninsula in eastern Canada where it was first found around 1770. Deposits have also been found in Australia, Finland, Madagascar, India, Mexico and the Adirondack Mountains

There is a Canadian Eskimo legend that claims that the Northern Lights were once trapped in the rocks along the coast of Labrador where an Eskimo warrior saw them and smashed the rocks with his spear to release the lights. He managed to free a lot of the lights but some were still caught in the rocks which now form the gemstone Labradorite. You could almost believe it when you first see the flash of colour for yourself!

22ct Gold Vermeil

Vermeil (pronounced vermay) is a French word which came into use in the English language in the 19th Century .

It is a process of coating sterling silver with 22ct gold. Vermeil differs from gold plating in that in order for a jewellery item to be described as vermeil the base under the gold must be silver.
In the case of gold plated items it is normally a base metal that is coated with gold which can often cause an allergic reaction in sensitive people.

All our gold vermeil pieces are coated in 22ct gold, and although it is hardwearing, the wearer should ensure to care for their piece, and avoid allowing it to come into contact with chemicals such as detergents, soaps and perfumes.

22ct Gold Vermeil is an affordable way of creating a beautifully luxurious and stylish look.
Check out our website for shots of our 22ct Vermeil collection

Designer Dublin Craft Studio Trail

As many of you probably already know 2011 has been designated The Year of Craft, as part of that initiave the Dublin City Enterprise Board in collaberation with the CreativeD Network have created Designer Dublin.ie which is a celebration of the amazing abundance and variety of high quality craft produced in Dublin.

The Designer Dublin Craft Trail takes place on the evening of the 10th June from 5pm-8pm. Twenty one different studios and workshops that are dotted around the city are throwing open their doors for this ambitious event. They include jewellery, sculpture, millinery, fashion and ceramics. To encourage as many people as possible to visit the studios, the designers have organised a prize draw for customers with a value of in excess of €1500 worth of design and craft pieces. Many of the designers are also offering discounts of between 10% -25%. Download a map/brochure


In conjunction with this event we will be taking the opportunity to showcase our "Statement" collection. A collection of one-off, destinctive pieces, displaying some of the more unusual and rare gemstones that we have collected over the years.
We hope that the event will be a success and look forward to seeing everyone on the evening.

This is a fantastic opportunity for designers and craft workers to showcase their talents and if it is successful it will surely become an annual event

Fancy Making Your Own Ring

Having your wedding ring specially made just for you is a joy in itself, but have you ever imagined attempting to make it yourself. We recently introduced this as an option to all our couples that have booked their rings with us. Obviously there is a limit as to what a "novice" goldsmith can do but what we offer our clients is a opportunity to participate in a stage of the making of their rings. One of our recent participants were Dave & Amanda, in this case it was Amandas engagement ring. Amanda wanted something unique, and not your run of the mill engagment ring, she wanted a wide band in white gold with a yellow gold spiral detail and blue topaz set in the ring Once the design was set, Barry then brought the ring to a certain stage before inviting Amanda & Dave to participate in the next stage of the design. Upon their arrival to the studio, Amanda was set to the task of emerying and polishing the shank of her ring, and Dave was given the job of melting the yellow gold that was to eventually form the spiral detail on Amandas ring.
Amanda & Dave spend several hours in the studio and afterwards had this to say "Working in the studio was an incredibly interesting, educational experience" said Amanda, "Barry gave us an insight to the intricacies for high quality jewellery making and we left with a whole new appreciation and admiration for his craft, and we also have and amazing story attached to our beautiful engagement ring" If you think that you and your H2B would like to try your hand at it, please contact us for further details: barrydoyledesign@yahoo.com