Another packed week, kicking off with the "Chrysalis" show of works-in-progress by the final-year BA students, a fascinating glimpse into what we can expect come summer 2016.

This was a particularly interesting show as it was…

This was the week that the School of Jewellery hosted the recycling-performance work, "JUNK: Rubbish To Gold" with teams of the most experimental and interesting jewellers coming in - from as far afield as Ohio and Germany - to…

Two posts in the space of one week - so much going on and I still have the feeling that next week's post might be a busy one too.

This week saw the opening of the Symposium that I organised…

It's that time of year again.

Life in Birmingham continues apace and if I'm being honest, I have to confess that it all still feels a bit unreal. Reality came one step closer this week as I sold my Glasgow house…

First of all, I have to make it clear that the Justified Sinner is still alive and kicking. My website has gone offline whilst I change hosting companies due to a ludicrous hike in pricing at Small Business Host who previously…

So we kick off this week with an correction and an apology. In my last blog, I credited the elegant champagne-flute holders which were used at the Fei Liu reception as having been "designed and made" by Paul…

Another busy week, starting early on with the first stirrings of the performance-making-piece "JUNK: Rubbish To Gold" by Jivan Astfalck in which…

AND back at the bench! Hooray!

I've begun to catch up with commissions and making stock work. Immediately, I'm working on a piece incorporating a small 9ct Edwardian brooch and some of the metal found on Dungeness…

The new intake of students were in this week: gemmologists, horologists, jewellers, silversmiths, CAD designers; the new HND, BA, MA starts. It was brilliant to be in the school when it is buzzing and we spent Monday avoiding…

I've started work at the School of Jewellery just as it turned 125 on Friday 18th September, 2015.

From the Birmingham Daily Post of 19th September 1890:…

The ACJ annual exhibition for 2015, "Sleight of Hand" opened last Thursday at…

Well, it's Friday and I'm home in Bearwood, Birmingham, my new home. I suppose I should feel a bit unsettled, maybe even a bit down, but I don't. From the moment I turned up at the School of Jewellery on Monday to wishing my new…

Today was the first day of my new job at the School of Jewellery in Birmingham, part of Birmingham City University. I've spent the last six weeks preparing for the…

It is the end of the holiday period and some of you might be wondering why I've not posted very much over the last few weeks and the truth of the matter is that I've not been able to speak about what's been happening until now.…

I have recently had cause to find a serious alternative to cross-border money exchanges since my spat with PayPal last summer which has left me relying on other methods to take payments for work. Google Wallet will only work within the country in which you are resident; a couple of other transfer services wouldn't identify my bank correctly; direct bank-to-bank transfers are costly if you are…

So, as per my summer norms, I am in Brighton again for the summer season, reminding me of the quote from "Prick Up Your Ears", 'When you say he's on the Coast, dear, do you mean he's in…

A year has passed since the 2014 Handmade By Machines show at…

Another busy week, this time hosting at Glasgow Kelvin College our first "Jewellery Technology Day" comprising demonstrations and visits from a variety of people connected with digital…

As the end-of-term approaches and it becomes time to pack up the workshops for the summer break, I've been making up the stock to keep things going over the summer, which this time has involved using up odds and ends from other projects. A while…

Just spent the weekend in Brighton, a much needed break after the week of marking last week, marking the final submissions of our degree students. The above cake was a present from the lovely…