When most people think of silver, they picture jewellery, coins or family heirlooms. While silver has been treasured for thousands of years as a precious metal, it also plays a vital role in many of the technologies we rely on every day. Silver is one of the most important industrial metals in the world. Thanks to its exceptional electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and durability, it is used in everything from smartphones to solar panels. So, where exactly is silver

A Beginner’s Guide to Soldering Silver Jewellery Soldering equipment Soldering is one of the three key skills in silversmithing. It is the process that allows jewellers to permanently join pieces of silver together using heat and silver solder. Although it can look intimidating at first, soldering quickly becomes one of the most satisfying parts of jewellery making once you understand the basics. For beginners, learning how to solder silver opens up a whole new world of creat

Mould used for adding texture to silver clay peices If you’ve ever dreamed of making your own silver jewellery but felt intimidated by traditional silversmithing, silver clay might just be the perfect place to begin. Creative, relaxing and surprisingly beginner-friendly, silver clay allows you to transform a soft, mouldable material into beautiful solid silver jewellery — all without years of training or specialist equipment. It really does feel a little bit magical. So, What

Last week I had a bit of a different day, where Keith a rather lovely photographer came to the workshop to take some pictures. The day started with me having my hair done in anticipation of having my photo taken, thanks to Claire from CJ & Co Hair and beauty, one of my Lady Heyes neighbours. This was actually one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in a hairdressers, straight up! Normally the light is so harsh I can see every blemish and I hate it, I never know what its all

Last Wednesday saw our second visit to the flower farm, and this time it the sun was kind and shone down on us for the whole morning! It was a glorious morning, and the farm looks so lovely when bathed in bright sunshine. So following an update on the last months changes and growth on the farm, plus a check on the polytunnel which is now full of a whole rainbow of Ranunculus flowers, us flower farm apprentices had two main tasks on the list for the day – potting on our seedli

A quick guide to making moulds

A short guide to attending craft markets

Write up of the March visit to the Wirral Flower Fram

Learn a new skill I guess this is the most obvious reason! There is lots to learn here at Halton Village Silver, we have a wide selection of workshops and classes to choose from, many being suitable for beginners and first time visitors and some will stretch your skills a little bit too. Learning a new skill is also amazing for your brain, its likes to be challenged and brain health is shown to be improved by using it to learn new skills. Support from your teacher Online vi

I thought that it might be a good time to introduce our Silver Jewellery Skills Workshops. We have been quietly running these for a little while now, and adapting and developing them and I think we are now at a really good point. Obviously I shall continue to take feedback and aim to continue to improve all of the time, but we now have what I believe is a really good course. These are held over 2 days, usually a weekend or over 4 half days spread out over 4 weeks and as well

I'm often asked how all the started and how Halton Village Silver came to exist, and of course there's a tale to tell! A fair few years ago now, I was sitting at home one afternoon watching day time tele (which I love by the way but that's a different story!) and was watching Money for Nothing, one of my favourites. The presenter on that day salvaged some metal, which she then passed to a very talented blacksmith who created the most lovely garden bench with it. He melted it

Example of Silver Clay Jewellery made with sage leaves

The Halton Village Silver Logo is based on my favourite tree. It lives opposite my house and as its roots are actually in my opposite...

You have invested your hard-earned pennies into a beautiful piece of jewellery and will want it to stay in a good condition. Unless...