My BLOG has now moved

This blog will cease to be, although I shall leave it here for surfers to read at their leisure.

MY NEW BLOG is now located HERE

Why the move?

Well, I was fed up of having tow seperate websites. One my website which incorporated my shop and my blog which was here. I have been struggling to find a way to combine the two and I am really, really happy with the result.

Please pop into my new blog and have a look around the new website.

Thanks for visiting here, but do pop over to my new place

Many thanks

Chris

Erin's Fingerprint Guitar Plectrum

Just completed Erin's fingerprint guitar plectrum. Hope you like the video.

Laura's fingerprint ring.

Just finished Laura's ring.

The video kinda says it all.

Laura's fingerprint handengraved onto a sterling silver 8mm handmade ring. Complete with hammered texture.

New website welcome

Been having fun creating some video's. Here is my latest one, this will be going into my new website which is nearing completion.

Please let me know what you think. Any comments welcome.

Thank you

Chris

Test post

just a little test post

Mr & Mrs Coat Hook

Mr & Mrs Coat Hook, a photo by Chris Parry on Flickr.

Who is getting married in the morning?

Took this little photo in my shop using my phone. I used a little app which creates these quirky little polaroid snaps.

This is a delightful little coat rack in this "letterpress" style font.

Mr & Mrs

i don't sell these on my website, so I am afraid that you are going to have to come in to my little shop in Gravesend to see this and all the other goodies that I have for you.

Wednesday Website.....

I have been fiddling with my website some more today.

Embedded a Flickr feed on the "about Chris" page.

Changed this main page to take the feed from my blog.

I kinda liked the idea of having a main page that is fresh and up to date. Nothing worse than visiting a website that was last updated in 2007 !!!

So what do you think? Do you like to see this blog feed so prominantly on my website?

Does it interest you at all? Do you like the idea of knowing what I'm listening to in the workshop, or what tickles my fancy. Feel free to drop me an e-mai and let me know. chris@chris-parry.co.uk

Tuesday Tip......

I'm currently finishing off a PDF file for help with marketing your "Independant Crafting Business".

Called "Crafty Marketing."

I will announce details of its release on twitter and here on the blog in due course.

Hugh Laurie......

Just realised I like blues music.

I was so intrigued by seeing Hugh Laurie's album in iTunes, I thought I would read some reviews. It is fair to say they were all rave reviews, so I took a punt and downloaded his album.

It is great. I have had it playing in the shop today and I have added it to my week's playlist. I don't have a set genre of music that I follow, having said that I just haven't got around to listening to much blues. Or more accurately, I haven't got around to listening to any blues !

So if you are feeling curious and wondering what Hugh Laurie sounds like, nip over to iTunes and have a preview listen.

If you are wondering what this actor is doing knocking out a real album, then here is the back story. According to Stephen Fry's autobigraphy, when Stephen met Hugh at Cambridge University as twenty somethings, Hugh was playing his guitar. Apparently he was very good at the time, according to Mr Fry.

So this latent skill of Hugh's has been there all along, we just never knew. So rest assured, this is not some pathetic excuse for an actor to try and earn a few bucks off their current popularity.

He can actually strum and hold a tune.

Hand Engraved Cufflinks - New Daddy

Hand engraved cufflinks. The lettering here is about 2mm high and hasn't been oxidised.

The cut of the engraver leaves a beautiful high mirror cut on the letter which sparkles in the light.

It is a shame that a photo can't capture this stunning effect.

I can of course engrave any message onto cufflinks, so feel free to drop me an e-mail if you would like something similar.

If you would like to have a look at my cufflinks on Flickr, then please CLICK HERE.

Fingerprint Rings

Here are a couple of recent commissions. Two fingerprints hand engraved onto his and hers wedding rings.

Monty Python Trojan Rabbit Cufflinks

Who doesn't like Monty Python?

I hand carved these in jewellers wax, then cast them in sterling silver.

A great tribute to one of the funniest films ever.....

Quest For The Holy Grail.

More details can be found here...

If you like these and want to see some of my other cufflink desings, then please visit my Flickr page here

Hand Engraved Inscriptions

First thing to say, is that I hate (with a passion) machine engraving.

You have to compare a machine engraved item next to a hand engraved item to fully appreciate how awful machines are at engraving. Or should I say, how wonderful a hand engraved item is compared to a machine engraved item.

The two forms of engraving are just not comparable and whilst at first glance they may look similar, the machine just can't replicate a bright cut letter, as created by a hand engraver.

Of course, I can say this, because I hand engrave my own work. I could of course pop out and buy one of these machines, train a monkey to use it and sit back and drink latte's.

To begin with a hand engraved line, carves away the metal, leaving a line of character. By character, I mean a line that can start thin, flare wide and finish off in a neat whisper. The kind of detail required when engraving an old script such as Palace Script.

You can, then of course go for a more modern block lettering or a funky typewriter font.

In short a hand engraver can engrave most font styles, even your own hand writing.

When hand engraving, the metal is removed via a special engraver steel, sharpened to core blimey sharpness with incredible geometric accuracy.

The best way to describe or compare the depth of cut you get with hand engraving, is to liken it to a stonemason chiselling away stone to reveal a well crafted letter. Because most people have seen and can see with ease such techniques, it is then easier to understand what is happening on a much, much smaller scale. Some of the letters I engrave are nothing more than 1mm high, and some of the letter strokes are sometimes nothing more than a tenth of a millimetre.

The other noticeable difference between machine engraving and hand engraving, is that a machine simply scratches at the surface of the metal, and doesn't create depth of cut.

So of course, not being very deep, the machine engraved lettering will wear away many, many , many years before a hand engraved letter would show signs of wear.

I will be adding another article on letter styles on another post. I hope you have found this somewhat illuminating.

Here is a link to some other pictures of my hand engraved work

Thanks for stopping by.

Barcode Date Cufflinks

Here is one of my most recent offerings.

Custom date cufflinks. All hand engraved.

Shown here is the date 29.04.71

These are great fun to make. More details can be found here...

Diamond Wedding Band

A recent commission

Six 0.10ct diamonds flush set in an 18k white gold ring.

Rocket Cufflinks

A young lady came to see me.

These are the cufflinks she commissioned for her husband to be.

The cufflinks are hand engraved and oxidised black to help give definition to the artwork.

The lettering is about 1.5mm tall.

Hope you like.

10% OFF on Etsy - Easter Sale

To celebrate the Easter weekend, I am offering 10% discount on all Etsy sales.

Simply visit my Etsy shop , select one of the items there and at checkout enter the code EASTER10

Chris Parry Etsy Shop

Offer applies to Etsy sales only

Offer ends midnight 25th April 2010

The Crown Ring

Here is a new image of one of my existing designs.

The Crown Ring.

Handmade from scratch in sterling silver. There are seven seperate components in this little ring.

More details can be found here...

Fingerprint Charm

Really enjoying my hand engraving at the moment.

Here is a recent commission of Violet's fingerprint on her mum's charm.

The charm is 18mm across.

More details can be found here...

Barbed Wire Earrings

Here is another piece in my barbed wire jewellery range

A pair of barbed wire silver stufd earrings. Full details can be found here...

Barbed Wire Cufflinks

A third item from my babred wire jewellery range

You can see full details of these barbed wire cufflinks here...

New UK handmade website....WOWTHANKYOU

So hopefully this new website will launch today.

100,000 ....gosh that is a fair few.

So, I was over on my Flickr page and was looking at my stats on picture views.

I've had over 100,000 views across all my pics over the years. Then coincidentally, my blog, you know the thing you are reading now, has also had over a 100,000 views.

Now, I know only too well, that some of those didn't bother to stay around and take in the scenery, but it is still a fair few.

Strangers, complete unknown surfers who have happened upon my part of the interwebernet.

The one thing I do know for certain, is that a fair few of them have turned into customers. They often start off with,

 "Saw your pic and I would like something similar....."

Every day I get e-mails from people who have found me via some obscure, long since forgotten photo or blog post. Quite a few of those contacts then progress into clients.

so the whole point of this little blog article, is twofold. a) thank you one and all, who have been nosey enough to stop by and have a gawp. b) if you, like me, are an independant artist, don't underestimate the power of the web. Things as mundane as Flickr and Blogs.

If it weren't for the web, then I would not be working for myself. I wouldn't have my own little shop and get to drink lattes all day whilst I listen to my music. Instead I would be working for someone else.

What a horrible thought!

This is a recent commission. 9k white gold and set with a bunch of stones that came from the clients old battered rings.

Barbed Wire bracelet

Here is another pieces in the barbed wire jewellery range.

You can see more details about it here...

Barbed Wire Ring

I have been meaning to make a series of barbed wire jewellery for years now. Here is a little stacking ring. If you would like to see the full details, then please visit my shop here...

18K yellow gold diamond engagement ring.

Jayne came to me with an old ring that she wanted to have re-modelled.

Here is the result.

A beautiful yellow oval diamond flanked by two brilliant cut white diamonds.

Handmade from scratch just for Jayne in 18k yellow gold.

Hand engraved letter opener

letter1,
originally uploaded by Chris Parry.

A recent commission. A sterling silver letter opener. The pattern and inscription was all engraved by hand.

Whale Tail with fingerprint

Whale Tail with fingerprint,
originally uploaded by Chris Parry.

A recent commission for a local young lady.

An existing pewter pendant had broken and the young lady wanted a similar whales tail made in sterling silver. We also added her fingerprint to make it even more special and a small bulbous heart charm.

Happy New Year

Indeed, a belated Happy New Year.

Things I am working on this year.

a) a secret project that I can't tell you about yet.
b) a jewellery making book - more details to follow
c) a Ring A Week project (RAW) - more details to follow
d) I have resolved to read more this year, so my aim is one book a week. Currently on Stephen Fry's biography. Very good indeed upto page 130
e) run more and my overall health......
f) to completely re-take all my photos for my website.
g) to blog more often (starting today!)

I think that will suffice for the moment.

OK, by for now