It's been a great week at www.fionaingramjewellery.co.uk - my pieces have been finding their way all over the world. As well as to all the lovely clients in the UK, I have sent items to Hong Kong, Belgium, Italy and France! It can be daunting setting up a new business, but ‘mighty things from small beginnings grow’ - it's been really exciting.

I've been getting ready for Christmas sales this week and experimenting with the 'mokume gane' clay technique. In Japanese mokume gane literally means 'wood grain metal' and in metalwork the term describes the way that layers of different precious metals are pressed together to make beautiful patterns.

In the clay version, the process includes:

- stacking layers of contrasting colours

- impressing the stack with tools or found objects

- slicing thinly with a fine blade to produce fascinating layers of pattern

I spend hours finding sections to roll thinly and apply to my jewellery.

My favourite accidental phenomenon that uses built up layers is 'fordite' - a beautiful byproduct of layers of paint recycled from car factories and used in amazing pieces of jewellery - industrial and beautiful.

...and welcome to my blog, a place to share ideas, thoughts and techniques related to my amazing creative journey.

It all started 15 years ago in Leicester when I enrolled on an evening class in silversmithing at De Montfort University. I was leading a big secondary school English Department then - and didn't have time to think, let alone create my jewellery pieces, but I was totally captivated.

Since then, I have read books on jewellery making techniques with a passion, set up a workshop at home and created jewellery pieces whenever my lovely children and/or my teaching and writing career would allow.

I've now decided to focus much more on my jewellery and have been getting properly 'skilled up' with tuition from Lisa Cain at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery (thanks Lisa!) I love the elegance and purity of silver, bronze and copper, but I am also drawn to the almost infinite colour variations and effects achievable with polymer clay and resin.

I hope you enjoy looking at my website. If you are thinking about making a purchase, please remember

- there is not another one like it anywhere!

- I will package your pieces in pretty tissue paper and a gift box

- postage to the UK is first class and free (last recommended posting date is 20th December)

-I will be adding new items regularly and will be linking up to Facebook in the new year

Thanks for looking