Holly Budge | Award-winning sustainable jewellery designer

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T19:11:00.002Z

I am super excited about what's in store for 2012!

My workshop is bursting with new designs, I am excited to be working with new stockists and of course, creating big, bold and colourful designs! (Sneak preview of Spring Collection coming soon!)
Bring it on!

Check out the Eco-Chic Collection at www.hollybudge.com

Only 5 days to go...

2011-12-20T17:55:00.001Z

Join in our Christmas festivities with a special celebration -

10% OFF OUR ECO-CHIC COLLECTION -

simply enter the code 'xmasrocks' in our online shop.

*Offer expires on 25th Dec 2011*

Treat yourself this Christmas!

2011-12-15T18:54:00.001Z

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Eco-Bracelets Galore!

Our juiciest pickings from the Eco-Chic Collection...

Tutti Frutti Bracelet

Be seen this Christmas wearing our fave eco-chic bracelet! Handmade with carefully & ethically sourced vegetable ivory beads in hot pink, purple, sunshine yellow, lime green & azure blue, coupled with fine silver dipped beads & our signature silver clasp.

£33

(Bargain!)

Buy Now

Oceania Bracelet

Add style to any outfit with this little number! Azure blue shades mixed with ivory & black vegetable ivory beads, complemented with fine silver beads & our signature silver clasp.

£33

Buy Now

Jungle Fever Bracelet

Unleash your wild side with vibrant shades of purple & sizziling lime green! Accompanied with fine silver dipped beads & our signature silver clasp.

£33

Buy Now

Rhubarb & Cream Bracelet

(Yes please!) Look pretty in pink this Christmas, with this ensemble of hot pink & ivory vegetable ivory beads, with a hint of fine silver thrown in for good measure!

£33

Buy Now

Tequila Sunrise Bracelet

Tis' the season to be jolly indeed! Be seen out & about in vibrant orange & black vegetable ivory beads, mixed with fine silver to add a little sparkle!

£33

Buy Now

Secret Garden Bracelet

Transport yourself to exotic places with this vibrant eco-friendly bracelet. Look hot in bold pink & lime green shades of vegetable ivory beads, coupled with fine silver findings & clasp.

£33

Buy Now

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We Wish You A Very Merry, Colourful & Fun Christmas!

We are always delighted to hear your tales of adventure, see you making a statement with our jewellery or simply have a chat...

www.hollybudge.com | holly@hollybudge.com

Copyright © 2011 Holly Budge Jewellery. All rights reserved.

Culverden Fete Rocked!

2011-10-27T10:19:00.001+01:00

WOW! What a day we had today exhibiting at the Culverden Country Fete!

In it's 20th anniversary year, over 6000 well-equipped shoppers arrived, with the sun beaming over the idylic Canterbury countryside, backdropped with snow-capped mountains! It was a wonderful setting for exhibing our Eco-Chic Collection!

A big thanks to Lou, Fizz & Sue for organising such a great event and making it look effortless. Also thanks to Hannah & Hugo for feeding & watering us!

Tutti Frutti Bracelet goes online!

2011-10-02T12:34:00.003+01:00

The sun is shining... and.... it's October 2nd?! It feels quite bizarre to be putting on sun-cream and shorts in October, in the UK! I am definitely not complaining though! To match this summer feeling, I have just added the latest addition to my Tutti Frutti line - The bold and vibrant Tutti Frutti Bracelet, now available online. Check it out here!

The Shooting Collection Launch & Ladies Night!

2011-09-27T09:06:00.001+01:00

The Shooting Collection is about to launch!

2011-09-20T19:58:00.002+01:00

I am very excited to be just a few days away from launching my latest collection - The Shooting Collection.

What a great summer I have had and a long one too! My timing has been impeccable... summer in NZ, followed by summer in UK and now heading back to summer in NZ! Trust me, it's tough!!
I have spent most of my time in the outdoors, breathing in fresh countryside air, competing on my new horse (pictured below!), shooting guns (also pictured below) and working on the The Shooting Collection in my NEW workshop!

I have always dabbled in shooting but recently have started taking a keener interest, including booking myself in for some lessons and competed at The British Open last month! Bring it on!

So what is The Shooting Collection all about?

The Shooting Collection is a delicate mixture of sterling silver chains, necklaces, bangles, cuffs, earrings and rings, all inspired by different shooting disciplines. I have kept my materials simple - sterling silver, fine silver, more sterling silver and some striking green Gaspiete gemstones thrown in for good measure! Each piece is hallmarked at The Goldsmiths' Company, with my initials 'HCB', The Goldsmiths Company stamp and '925' to clarify it is the genuine sterling silver article!

Last week, we had a very successful photo-shoot with legend photographer, Chris Anderson and his canine companions! Charley March stylishly modeled the jewellery. She had never held a gun before, so she did a sterling job of looking like a seasoned pro! I wanted to capture the 'fresh' essence of the countryside in the photographs, so we headed into the fields, in the gale force winds, and got some really great shots!

The 'Skeet Round' short chain necklace from The Shooting Collection has already made it's first debut this year, at the Royal wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall. Karen pulled it off beautifully with her vibrant orange and navy outfit!

Check out my collections at www.hollybudge.com. Enjoy!

Ruby Dunes ROCKS, now stocking Holly Budge Jewellery!

2011-03-24T13:44:00.004Z

Imagine... Aladdin's Cave + idyllic seaside = Ruby Dunes shop!

Ruby Dunes is an absolute gem of a shop (pun intended), with prime position on Ohope Beach, coined as one of the best beaches in New Zealand. Their speciality is sourcing objects of desire, so it came as no surprise to us that they snapped up a range of our jewellery, including pendants and bracelets from our Eco-Chic Collection, handcrafted with vegetable ivory, a sustainable seed from the Amazon.

Also adorning their beautifully filled shelves is the Poseidon Pendant, a real statement piece handcrafted in sterling silver chain, a stunning Karen Hill Tribe fine silver centre bead with Peruvian Turquoise and Indian Aqua Blue Chalcedony.

We seriously recommended a trip to Ruby Dunes if you are in the Ohope area or looking for a tranquil day out at the seaside, with a little sophisticated retail therapy thrown in for good measure!

Check out our latest designs at www.hollybudge.co.nz

A time to reflect, a time to look forward.

2011-03-03T00:28:00.002Z

Wow, how time flies when your fulfilling orders, holding exhibitions, dodging earthquakes etc...

It feels as though Xmas festivities were only a couple of weeks ago, so what has been happening since?

I have moved from Christchurch in the South Island to Lake Taupo in the North Island of New Zealand. The first thing I would like to report is my lucky escape from Christchurch, just 10 days before the city rocked, shook and fell. It's a terrible tradegy for those who have lost family, friends, homes, livelihoods but also a tradegy to see 'The Garden City' crash and burn. It is heartbreaking to see my local haunts; shops, restaurants, parks and all so familiar places in piles of rubble. To make a contribution, I will be donating 5% of all my sales to the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal this month, as well as continuing to donate 7.1% of sales from the 7.1 Collection.

Last week I was honoured to exhibit six of my latest necklaces at the Academy of Fine Art in Wellington. 35 NZ artists joined together to illustrate that art is truly 'Borderless'. The exhibition looked great and was well attended. A huge thanks to Rach and Dean for putting a roof over my head and always being such a support.


Holly Budge Jewellery @ Academy of Fine Art, Wellington

I am particularly excited about is my latest stockist, Silver Moon. They have over 17 outlets throughout New Zealand and have taken on two designs from the Eco-Chic Collection. I will post details of where their shops are located shortly on my website.

I have been extremely busy fulfilling this order over the past couple of weeks. There are boxes of vegetable ivory beads fresh in from Peru, with spools of chain, boxes of silver beads and findings, newly designed business cards and jewellery tags and many more goodies spread out around my workshop. Very excited, with lots of creative energy floating around! Here are some pics I took to show the vibrant mix of colours and great looking beads I am hanging around with!

Vibrant ceramic & fine silver beads

Vegetable Ivory beads fresh in from Peru

Great looking new business stationary!

My happy & productive place!

Eco Chic Collection: Hunter Bracelet

Eco Chic Collection: Hunter Pendent

Eco Chic Collection: Jungle Fever Bracelet

A thought to leave you with - I read a wonderful quote the other day from a truly inspirational lady.

"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito"

Anita Roddick (The Body Shop)

Check out my latest designs at www.hollybudge.co.nz

A magical garden showcases our Jewellery

2011-01-07T05:31:00.004Z

We are delighted to announce our latest stockist of the Eco-Chic Collection.

Voted Lonely Planets No 1 café pick for the central North Island and one of the top 10 places to visit in New Zealand, L’arte Café Gallery is not to be missed when visiting Lake Taupo.

A trip to L’Arte is a visual and edible feast and unlike anything you have experienced before. The café and gallery are both set in a magical garden complete with an outside mosaic living room.

We definitely recommend the bacon sammy and a chai latte!

The Bead Workshop has opened it's doors!

2010-11-13T02:55:00.006Z

My studio, nestled in the heart of Merivale, Christchurch, is the first stop on YOUR creative journey! If you've ever fancied learning how to make glass beads, handmade sterling silver chain or a piece of jewellery, come and see me! All my workshops are one-to-one, with materials included. Check out www.beadworkshop.co.nz for course details.

The 7.1 Collection is now online!

2010-10-22T22:06:00.001+01:00

The 7.1 Collection has launched and is now online at www.hollybudge.co.nz

My hands, head, brain has not stopped for the past few weeks in preparation for the big 7.1 Collection launch! It has been crazy, I have had a TV crew and the local rag reporter in my workshop, meetings with retailers, interviews with lifestyle and jewellery magazines, and amongst all of this, have found time to create 26 masterpieces! (Big thanks to Linda, my mum and fellow jeweller, for sending some awesome pieces over the ponds!)

So where did the idea for the 7.1 Collection come from?

Well, on September 4th at 4.34am, I was awoken by mother nature's bumpy old fairground ride and believe me, there was no getting away from it! A 7.1 magnitude earthquake had hit Christchurch! I felt incredibly fortunate to have endured this powerful force of nature with absolutely no damage to myself or my things. However, when I stepped out of the front door, I quickly realised not everyone had shared my luck. There was carnage, some buildings were missing roofs and many shops were in turmoil. I felt compelled to use my skills as a jewellery designer to produce a collection, not only to mark this event but to make a contribution to the earthquake appeal and help the victims of this ordeal. 7.1% from the sales will be donated to the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal.

The 7.1 Collection is symbolic of the events, emotions and changes I has seen in Christchurch since the earthquake. A theme running throughout the collection is circles, representing the earth’s recurring tremors and aftershocks. One of the pieces in the collection is named 'After Shock 5.0' after one of the bigger shakes we have witnessed in the 1000+ aftershocks that have occurred over the last 7 weeks.

I have used vibrant semi-precious gemstones, such as Turquoise, Coral and Smokey Quartz juxtaposed with raw stones such as Lava to represent the contrasting cityscape and the changes that have happened to it. Natural materials such as vegetable ivory, wood, shells and coconut also feature throughout the collection as well.

Christchurch Rocks Necklace

I have spent a huge amount of time making sterling silver chains, all of which have been cut, hammered, soldered and polished in my workshop, to represent the spirit and strength of the Christchurch community that have come together during this time of adversity.

My jewellery is definitely truly inspired by my life experiences and adventures!!

On October 21st was the opening preview of the collection, held at No 4 in Merivale, Christchurch. It was a successful evening, with great support and documentation.

I would like to thank Hannah Ritchie for all her help and her photography skills at the launch, Emily Parker, a local and talented photographer who did wonders on my publicity shot and to No 4 for providing a great atmosphere and nice beer!

The collection can be viewed online at www.spiritmidas.com

Kumeu Art in the Garden

2010-09-19T22:57:00.010+01:00

Chill out in a garden, listen to live music & look at ma jewels...

I will be exhibiting pieces from the Spirit Midas Jewellery Collection at Kumeu Art in the Garden, Auckland. NZ.

Venue: Dragonfly House, 130 Muriwai Valley Road, Waimauku. NZ
Exhibition Times: Saturday 6th / Sunday 7th November 2010. 10am-4pm

This event is one of New Zealand’s leading and fastest growing art in the garden events, a festival over two days showing almost 100 of New Zealand’s fast improving, most sought after and talented Artists and Sculptors within the gallery of four of Kumeu’s award winning gardens.

Tickets are $20. Click here to buy online.

See you there!

Mother Nature Strikes Again...

2010-09-04T03:59:00.005+01:00

I must be jinxed (and lucky)... Firstly, I narrowly escape the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 Thailand and now, the Christchurch Earthquake, 7.4 on the Richter Scale. Mother Nature isn't joking when she shows up!

At 4.35am this morning, I was dazed and confused as I awoke to everything in my house violently shaking, my first thought....discombobulated, my second, earthquake!
After an intense few minutes and many more tremors, I got up! Fortunately there was very little damage to my house but I quickly released how fortunate I really was, when I stepped out of the front door. It was carnage, some building were missing roofs and big cracks were visible, one shop in particular had lost a whole side and many other shops were in turmoil.

A particularly distressing sight came when I peered into the window of REAL Gallery and saw many beautiful pieces of art smashed into a thousand pieces, littered all over the floor! There were a couple of Peter Viesnik's wonderful glasses in the rubble, what a waste....

It was only yesterday that I was chatting about insurance and how I must insure my work, after all, work on consignment is not necessarily covered by the gallery. This is a good example of what CAN happen and if your work is not insured, that's many, many hours down the drain. This is a kick up the arse for me to get on and organise insurance for my jewellery. I will post my insurance findings up here shortly!

Brand New Spirit Midas Jewellery Collection is launched today!

2010-09-01T01:59:00.003+01:00

The new summer 2010 Collection from Spirit Midas is now available online

Spirit Midas artisans, Holly and Linda Budge, have officially launched their new range for the southern Summer 2010.

Unique and offbeat, this thoroughly modern Collection takes it's cues from the fluctuating rhythms and paradoxes of nature's five elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Space. The result is bold and independent designs that run the length of the Collection.

To receive your special 10% discount off all Spirit Midas Jewellery, simply enter the following code at our online checkout: 10launch
* This offer is valid until 10.09.10

You can view our latest Collection online at www.spiritmidas.com

Tear Drop Bracelet In The Press...

2010-08-05T12:37:00.003+01:00

Thanks to the Pocket Rockets Exhibition, held this week in Dunedin, the Tear Drop bracelet from our Spirit Midas Water Collection has made it's way into two local publications - The Otago Daily Times & D-Scene magazine. The bracelet was sold today, after a man read about it in the paper and went to the exhibition to purchase it for his wife! What a nice chap!

Tear Drop Bracelet

D-Scene - 04/08/10

The Otago Daily Times -29/07/10

Pocket Rockets Exhibition in full swing!

2010-08-03T03:16:00.001+01:00

Last night, the Pocket Rockets Exhibition launched with a bang! Over 250 small artworks, from 41 New Zealand artists are now on show at the ROCDA Gallery in Dunedin. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area! I would love to have made it to the opening night but unfortunately Air New Zealand made me think twice about that, with a whopping $450 air fare to get from Taupo to Dunedin! What happened to last minute cheap fares??

I would like to say a big Thankyou to Tanya Dann for all her hard work in bringing the Pocket Rockets Exhibition to life. It looks superb!

I have exhibited 12 pieces from my Spirit Midas Collection (below).
The whole collection can be viewed at www.spiritmidas.com

Pocket Rockets Exhibition

2010-07-06T21:47:00.007+01:00

I am very excited about exhibiting twelve of my latest jewellery designs in the Pocket Rockets Exhibition. Over 40 NZ artists, including Isla Osborne, Peter Viesnik and Lisa-Jane Hervey will be exhibiting paintings, jewellery, sculpture, glass art, textiles and a whole lot more!

Venue: ROCDA Gallery, 73 Princes Street, Dunedin
Opening: Monday 2nd August, 5:30pm - 8pm
Exhibition Open: Mon - Fri 11am - 6pm and Sat 11am - 3pm

See you there!

The New Zealand Jewellery Show Highlights!

2010-07-03T08:06:00.004+01:00

Last Thursday, I attended the opening gala preview of the New Zealand Jewellery Show, held in the Sky Tower, Auckland. The show, now in its fifth year, is an exhibition of New Zealand jewellery designers' work showcasing top contemporary and fine jewellery designers from throughout the country. The doors opened at 8pm to a world of stunning contemporary and fine jewellery exhibits. It was great chatting with the artists whilst viewing their jewellery. At 10pm it was all over and I had covered less than half the room! I returned the following morning to finish off perusing. There was such a variety of styles and materials, I felt inspired but overwhelmed by the time I left! I spent most of my time in the Contemporary Jewellery Designers section and I was so impressed by some of the work, I have noted below which pieces really stood out for me.

Iain Henderson

Part 2: Setting Up My Glass Studio - The Elusive Kiln

2010-07-01T04:56:00.010+01:00

Do I need a kiln?

I spent some time deliberating over whether I needed a kiln straight away, as it was another big outlay of my hard-earned cash and I was able to make beads just fine using vermiculite and a fibre blanket.

Or so I thought... I then learn't that if I wanted to sell my beads, they would definitely need to be annealed in a kiln. The next question I faced was, which kiln?

If so, which kiln?

My first consideration was cost and my second, space. You couldn't swing a big cat in my studio, so I wanted a compact kiln, that could sit next to my workbench. After trawling through websites and chatting with manufacturers, I decided the Paragon SC2 was just the ticket. It was compact, affordable and has a digital controller built in. The next decision was where to buy the kiln from. I contacted the Paragon USA factory and got a quote for shipping to New Zealand. I also contacted Cindy Durant, a Paragon distributor in Australia, who had come recommended. Cindy's quote for one Paragon SC2 kiln, shipped to New Zealand was the most competitive, so I ordered through her. The NZ customs charges came to $128NZD. The total cost of the kiln came to about $1200NZD.

It was an exciting way to start the day when I opened the front door and a massive parcel was sitting on the doorstep. I felt like a small child opening a Christmas present! I was now the proud owner of a kiln! I quickly skipped through the manual, wanting to know how everything worked immediately! That is a trait I seem to have, I always want to run before I can walk!

How does it work?

I emailed Lisa-Jane at Bord to Bead for some advice on firing programmes, after all I had absolutely no idea what temperature soft glass fires at and at what rate it needs to cool etc...

Lisa-Jane suggested the following programme's;

Programme: #1 - Soft Glass Bead Annealing (Hot Beads)

Segment 1

Ramp Rate: FULL (999°C/1799°F)

Temperature: 515°C / 959°F

Soak Time: 3.30 hours or session duration

Segment 2

Ramp Rate: 315°C /599°F

Temperature: 200°C / 392°F

Soak Time: 0 mins

Programme: #2 - Soft Glass Bead Annealing (Cold Beads)

Segment 1

Ramp Rate: 330°C / 626°F

Temperature: 515°C / 959°F

Soak Time: 30 mins

Segment 2

Ramp Rate: 315°C /599°F

Temperature: 200°C / 392°F

Soak Time: 0 mins

I turned the kiln on with nervous excitement! I entered in programme 1 and pressed start.

The first thing I noticed was how quickly the kiln 'ramped up' to 515°C. It took about 5 minutes!! The second thing I noticed was the smell. It stank out my whole house with a gas-like smell. I thought I was going to have to put it outside permanently. Fortunately it was only this first time that it did this, so it now lives next to my workbench. The third thing I noticed was when it reached 515°C, it turned itself off! Not ideal. I tried restarting it, changing the programme around, re-reading the manual in a little more detail, changing sockets etc... This was a very disappointing start but another lesson was learn't - Don't plug your kiln into a shared socket! (If you have two sockets in the same fitting, only use one) It doesn't like sharing and simply turns itself off. So now the kiln has a socket all to itself and works perfectly.

Another tip, don't forget to order a kiln mandrel rack when you order the kiln. I forgot! I couldn't wait, I wanted to start using the kiln right away so I used the fire brick holders as a make-shift rack. This worked fine but not as a long term solution as they did fall over quite often and limited the amount of mandrels I could fit in. I ordered my kiln mandrel rack from Annie Rose and it does the job properly.

At the end of my bead making session, I always want to have a quick peep at my beads! I have to stop myself though or else I may end up with more cracked beads. I have been taking my beads out of the kiln when they are around 50°C. I have been told this is fine BUT they should not be put in water straight away. They need to cool to room temperature first. This may seem obvious but in the excitement it is tempting to take them off the mandrel and start cleaning. This advice has saved me a few beads I'm sure!

If you have any kiln tips you would like to share, I would be very interested in hearing them!

Part 3: Setting up an extraction system...coming soon!

Part 1: Setting Up My Glass Studio - Choosing A Torch

2010-07-01T01:30:00.008+01:00

After six days of lampworking, I knew I wanted to set up my own studio (below) to make beads at my leisure and begin to sell them online, as well as incorporate them into my current jewellery designs. With my very limited experience and indeed knowledge, setting up my studio seemed a daunting task! Which torch should I buy? Which kiln? Should I use oxygen bottles or an Oxycon system? What kind of extraction fan? How will I know if the air I am extracting is being replaced sufficiently? etc... etc...

I did some research in books and online, reading forum posts and various articles but I was surprised at how much time it took me to feel confident I had gained a reasonable understanding of what was on offer. I guess this is because we all have different preferences and ultimately there is no right and wrong. Anyway, I am going to share what I have learn't in the process of setting up my studio, what equipment I have brought and what I would change in hindsight. Hopefully this will be useful to those of you starting out, facing the same hurdles as I did.

Choosing a torch

I did some extensive research into which torch I was going to purchase. I talked with several experienced lampworkers and suppliers to get a better idea of the options available to me.

This is what I found...

Single-Fuel Torch

Pro's

Smaller start-up investment
Cooler flame allowing slower work pace
Sarah Hornik uses one!

Con's

Slow to melt glass
Noisy
Uses up fuel quickly

Dual-Fuel Torch

Pro's

Hotter flame
Glass melts quicker, so faster production times
Adjustable flame for glass reactions and fine detail work

Con's

Higher start-up investment and maintenance costs
More complex torch, steeper learning curve
Harder to transport and move around with

Which torch?

I brought the Nortel Minor Burner dual-fuel torch (£175) as I was impressed at how quickly it melted the glass and as i'm a speed freak, this appealed to me. I was also told it was a great torch for those starting out in. I am using an oxygen bottle set up in my studio, which I operate between 5 to 15 psi and the propane at .25 to 5 psi. Ultimately, I would like to run an oxy-con system as it is more economical in the longer run.

A Twist of Fate...

2010-06-26T01:13:00.011+01:00

Isn't it funny how events and meetings happen at certain times and in hindsight, it looks as though it all happened for a very particular reason. In my case - learning how to make glass beads! I have been making jewellery for over a decade, trawling through markets and bead fairs around the world to find beautiful gemstones and glass beads and creating jewellery collections which I have sold in galleries and showcased in exhibitions.

The beginning of my glass journey...

One fine summer morning in February, I was surfing on the net in a random fashion, letting one website lead me to another, when I stumbled across this glass artist who was making the most divine looking rings. I googled her name, found her website and discovered many more stunning pieces of her work and links to other glass artists.

Eventually I discovered the infamous Sarah Hornik's website and was blown away with the quality and style of her beads. I spent some time reading through her website and felt inspired to learn how to make glass beads.

I googled 'glass beadmaking' in New Zealand and landed on the Born to Bead website, a glass studio based in Auckland. On closer inspection, I couldn't believe my luck and the coincidence of it, Sarah Hornik was coming to New Zealand in May to run two workshops!! What a result!

I knew immediately that despite having no experience of making glass beads, I was going to sign up for the intermediate/ advanced Sarah Hornik course! I called the Born to Bead Studio and Lisa Jane Harvey, the owner and resident artist suggested I do a two day beginners course in preparation for Sarah's workshop.

Lisa-Jane is a great teacher and I was fortunate enough to have her one-on-one for two full days, teaching me the basics and more. When I had finished the course, it dawned on me just how much there is to learn about working with glass, colour reactions, heat control etc etc... It also dawned on me that I would be doing four days with Sarah Hornik in less than a month away and I would have little time to practice my new skills, as I was flying back to the UK the next day and arriving back in NZ the following month, the day before Sarah's course! Nothing like cutting it fine!

The Sarah Hornik Workshop

When I arrived, I introduced myself to the other seven ladies attending and it soon became apparent to me that they all had a minimum of two years lampworking experience! ekkk....

I shared a torch with Sarah (see below - I am in black!) , which worked out really well as I was able to see her demo's very clearly and take lots of notes! I was surprised at first how well I was keeping up and my beads were actually turning out pretty good. I thought maybe this was beginners luck... I soon got my confidence up and very quickly, I was loving it and achieving results.

In hindsight, doing the two day course with Lisa-Jane was invaluable and her precise style and meticulous way of working gave me a good grounding. Sarah's beads and teaching style is much more organic and I soon realised this was a style I felt comfortable working in. I like the unknown element of making organic beads, especially when you take them out of the kiln and they are completely different than you expected! (Sometimes this is not a good thing!)

My brand new studio

With only six days of lampworking under my belt, I felt driven and inspired to carry on working with glass. I decided to bite the bullet, leaving a substantial dent in my bank balance and brought a Minor torch and a Paragon SC2 Kiln. I figured if I was going to do this, I wanted to do it properly and have the best equipment that I could afford. I now lampwork everyday and already I am working on my own collection and style. Lisa -Jane from Born to Bead has been a great help and given me some good advice.

Award-winning beadmaker!

I joined the NZGBA (New Zealand Glass Bead Association) and recently won the Beginners category in the annual National Bead Competition, with a bead I made on my first day (below), with less than five hours torch time!

What's next?

I have been accepted as one of four jewellers to showcase my work at the Pocket Rockets Exhibition, held in August in Dunedin, NZ.

I am going to use this space to share my personal discovery of glass. Stay tuned!

Holly Budge | Award-winning sustainable jewellery designer

Happy New Year!

Only 5 days to go...

Treat yourself this Christmas!

Eco-Bracelets Galore!

Our juiciest pickings from the Eco-Chic Collection...

Tutti Frutti Bracelet

£33

Oceania Bracelet

£33

Jungle Fever Bracelet

£33

Rhubarb & Cream Bracelet

£33

Tequila Sunrise Bracelet

£33

Secret Garden Bracelet

£33

Culverden Fete Rocked!

Tutti Frutti Bracelet goes online!

The Shooting Collection Launch & Ladies Night!

The Shooting Collection is about to launch!

Ruby Dunes ROCKS, now stocking Holly Budge Jewellery!

A time to reflect, a time to look forward.

A magical garden showcases our Jewellery

The Bead Workshop has opened it's doors!

The 7.1 Collection is now online!

Kumeu Art in the Garden

Chill out in a garden, listen to live music & look at ma jewels...

I will be exhibiting pieces from the Spirit Midas Jewellery Collection at Kumeu Art in the Garden, Auckland. NZ.

Venue: Dragonfly House, 130 Muriwai Valley Road, Waimauku. NZExhibition Times: Saturday 6th / Sunday 7th November 2010. 10am-4pm

This event is one of New Zealand’s leading and fastest growing art in the garden events, a festival over two days showing almost 100 of New Zealand’s fast improving, most sought after and talented Artists and Sculptors within the gallery of four of Kumeu’s award winning gardens.

Tickets are $20. Click here to buy online.

See you there!

Mother Nature Strikes Again...

Brand New Spirit Midas Jewellery Collection is launched today!

Tear Drop Bracelet In The Press...

Pocket Rockets Exhibition in full swing!

Pocket Rockets Exhibition

The New Zealand Jewellery Show Highlights!

Part 2: Setting Up My Glass Studio - The Elusive Kiln

Part 1: Setting Up My Glass Studio - Choosing A Torch

A Twist of Fate...

Venue: Dragonfly House, 130 Muriwai Valley Road, Waimauku. NZ
Exhibition Times: Saturday 6th / Sunday 7th November 2010. 10am-4pm