Silver Designer Jewellery Blog : Silver Designer Jewellery Blog

06 January 2009

LucyQ the Beginning

In 2004 I launched LucyQ with only about 10-15 Jewellery Designs.

Hey you have to start somewhere!!

The first thing I did was get in touch with the Princes Trust, all Business organisations and who ever or what ever I could get involved with that would help me along the way. I attended Business Courses, meetings, net working parties and so on. But it was the Princes Trust that took me into the direction I was looking for. They gave me a great grant and loan along with a Business Advisor who got my accounts and marketing up and running.

So I was ready, things were running smoothly, I few pieces of jewellery were selling and then WHOOPS I got Pregnant!!!!!!!

That was it the end of my career. I might as well give up now as having a baby will take all my time and energy away from me. But I was one of the lucky ones and had a great supportive husband who encouraged me to carry on.
I was more determined than ever, I wasn't going to let a baby stop me from having my dream career, and I didn't. I actually think that having a baby gave me more strength and power to turn LucyQ into a well established business with plenty of the best quality, quirky, sterling silver Jewellery that is found upon our bodies today.

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16 December 2008

WORK

Ok, so I was not as ready as I thought I was. I had all the Silver Jewellery designs in my head ready to go but still didn't really have much of a clue as to how to manufacture them. You see, when I was at University the tutors would concentrate on the design aspect of the course not really the technical side. I developed some weird and wonderful things from silicon, wood and the odd bit of Silver, my teachers would let my imagination run wild. But to be honest I came out of my degree with no clue as to how to make real jewellery. I couldnt even size a ring, let alone fix a chain. So I decided to get a job!!!!!!

There was a Jewellers/shop in Town named Erwin & Co. They were a proffessional Jewellers with a shop on the ground floor and a workshop in the basement (thats where I was). I managed to get a full time job here on minimum wage, and obtained a great teacher named Reg ( real Silver/Gold Smith), he showed me the ropes when it came to silversmithing. How to Fix a ring, size a ring, how to cast a pendant, secure a stone, set a stone, solder some studs and so on.

So after a year of silver smith training I felt I was ready to go it alone. Show the World what I was made of.

But to be honest I still didnt have a clue!!???!!!!

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12 December 2008

University Life

So after School I decided to go on to further education and do a foundation course. This taught me many different types of design that I could possibly look towards, such as graphics, textiles, architecture.....etc

I tried each kind and still it was jewellery that I was excelling towards. I just love to design on a small scale, and think up new ideas that will be noticed by others. It worked for me every time, and within each new design I would feel a great accomplishment.

So after the foundation course I then got a place at Sheffield Hallam University studying a course of 'Metalwork and Jewellery Design'. This was a very intense three year course. I would work from 9 in the morning till 6 in the evening most days. Lets just say the student night life was rare and far between for me. I would say that I was one of the more time consuming workers, but very ambitious with it. I was never happy with my work and was constantly trying to improve and change it but sometimes this would only make it worse and it would end up in the bin or even wrapped around a polisher (that was not a good day!).

I finally graduated with a rewarding 2:1 that I feel was totally deserved. However I would have loved a 1st but I don't know anyone who has obtained this within Jewellery as I think one has to be the ultimate genius designer to get a grade like this.

So after three hard years I was finally at a stage where I though I would be able to go it alone into the world of WORK.

But was I?

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11 December 2008

The Beginning

Hello, I thought I would start my blog with abit of information about myself and where I have come from.

Well I am 28 years old and live in Chester. I have lived here most of my life and love it. It is beautiful part of the country and the shopping is fabulous.

So when did the Jewellery thing start out?
I was just 16, still at school (Mostyn house school) on the Wirral and doing my A levels, DT (design and technology) It was our final major research project and I wanted to develop something abit different from the average box.
At the time I was very much into the old decades of jewellery, Celtic, Deco, nouveau etc....... so from this I designed some beautiful modern Celtic pieces. I was very happy with them and decided to produce these designs. I didn't have a clue what I was doing and just went for it. It took me weeks to develop something I could wear (these days I could make something similar in a day), but I was so proud of my creation and that was it I was smitten.....I was obsessed with all jewellery kinds and creations and knew that this was the track I was going to go down.

So that was the very beginning of Lucy Quartermaines Jewellery Design.
I will list the next stage in my life tomorrow

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