The Royal Cornwall Show 2009

What do Princess Alexandra, Rick Stein and

Paul Wright Jewellery have in common?

HRH The Princess Alexandra at the Royal Cornwall Show 2009

... All three attracted the attention of visitors to

the Royal Cornwall Show last week!

The showground, located just 10 minutes drive from Padstow, bursts into life for three days every year during the annual Royal Cornwall Show. There are a number of dog, falconry and equine competitions at this popular agricultural event where visitors are free to explore the many trade stands and exhibitions at the showground.

This year saw the visit of HRH The Princess Alexandra. It was her fifth visit to the show and she was presented with her badge as a Vice-president of the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association. Her Royal Highness requested a visit to the Rural Crafts Association marquee where she took a keen interest in the exhibits on display including the hand crafted silver and gold jewellery by Paul Wright Jewellery.

Princess Alexandra, 'The Honourable Lady Ogilvy', is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest granddaughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She was married to the late Sir Angus Ogilvy. Prior to her marriage she was known as Princess Alexandra of Kent.

Princess Alexandra carries out royal duties on behalf of her cousin, The Queen. She is 33rd in the line of succession to the British throne; at the time of her birth in 1936, she was sixth.

Many of the exhibitors and visitors to the Show took advantage of dining out in Padstow where the popular television cuisine presenter, Rick Stein, has several renowned restaurants including his famous Seafood Restaurant.

Stein opened his first business in Padstow in 1974, and now specialises in fish cookery. His business operates four restaurants, a bistro, a cafe, a seafood delicatessen, patisserie shop, a gift shop and a cookery school. His impact on the local economy of Padstow is such that it has been nicknamed "Padstein" despite the phrase being openly disputed by Rick himself.

Paul and Wendy Wright took time out each day to dine in the restaurants of Rick Stein along with other visitors to Cornwall and the agricultural show. Sadly Princess Alexandra was unable to attend Rick Stein's restaurant on this occassion but we would like to thank her for visiting our stand during the show - a very charming and gracious lady!

We can't help those who missed Princess Alexandra and Rick Stein last week but if you also missed the 'Paul Wright Jewellery' trade stand in Cornwall you have an opportunity right now to see some of the new jewellery designs in the Summer Collection for 2009 by clicking here.

Jewellery Making Books

Jewellery Making: A Complete Course for Beginners

by Jinks McGrath (author)

Whilst exhibiting at a recent four day 'Craft and Design Fair' held at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, I became aware of just how much interest there is in jewellery making - from simple glass beaded jewellery to the more comprehensive skills required in making precious jewellery. Many of the visitors asked me to advise them on which jewellery making books I would suggest as being useful for an 'apprentice jewellery maker' or craft worker.

It is not easy to make a general recommendation because jewellery making is a vast subject and the skills required will depend on the type of jewellery the craft worker wishes to make! However I will start by recommending a fairly comprehensive jewellery making book that I feel benefits any would-be jewellery maker. In later blogs I will look at specific areas of study in the field of jewellery making and suggest suitable reading material for each.

"Jewellery Making: A Complete Course for Beginners" is very definitely a complete course in designing and jewellery making. Carefully structured tutorials guide you through every stage of the jewellery making process, revealing how to translate inspired ideas into workable, wearable jewellery designs, and you'll find professional advice on presenting and selling your work too.

Learn about tools, equipment and safe working practices; how to build an inspirations file; select suitable materials and transfer your jewellery designs; work with precious and semi-precious stones, metals, glass, plastic, resin and wood. Clear, step-by-step photographs demonstrate all the techniques you will need, at-a-glance panels explain the effect that different techniques have on a variety of metals, and practical exercises provide guidance in tricky skills - with ideas for trying these out on inexpensive substitutes before using your chosen materials.

This is not just a jewellery making book with an attractive cover! This book takes the jewellery maker through the whole process from start to finish. There are comprehensive chapters outlining not only many useful techniques and 'tricks of the trade' but how to set up and equip your own jewellery studio. The jewellery making projects are laid out in easy to follow steps with illustrative photographs to help make everything easy to understand. The book could be used to create step by step lessons in a structured jewellery making course. This practical book will be very useful to all jewellery makers.

It's great value for money too!

Have a look through some of the highlighted books we recommend below. Simply click on a book of interest for more information:

Gift for a girl called DAISY!

'Daisy' is so much more than just a popular girls' name.

Silver Daisy Jewellery

by Paul Wright (Designer)

I recently received an email from one of our customers complimenting us on our popular range of silver daisy jewellery. Here's what she said:

"I want you to know how much I enjoy wearing my Daisy jewellery. The first 'daisy' in my collection was received as a gift. I have since added to the collection and now I have several daisy pieces in the range. As my name is 'Daisy' I am particularly thrilled to have jewellery with a 'Daisy' theme. I am always asked where I found them and I receive compliments whenever I wear them."

Daisy Kidd

Dorset

We receive a disproportionate number of orders from customers with the name Daisy or we are asked to post gift wrapped orders directly to recipients, with our daisy gifts, who are named 'Daisy'. Daisy is clearly a popular girl's name and I am reliably informed that many babies are being named Daisy these days. I am sure that can only help make our unusual silver and gold daisy jewellery that much more appealing as it is obviously a great gift for any girl called Daisy!

What do we know about the name Daisy? According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Daisy is "more commonly known as Despina, in Greek. It is also known as Marguerite in French, or Margarida in Portuguese. Daisy may refer to a flower of the family Asteraceae, especially the common daisy Bellis perennis".

Daisy has also been used as the names of towns. There are three I can find in the world and they are all in the United States. There is a town called Daisy in Arkansas, a Daisy in Georgia and a Daisy in Oklahoma.

Wikipedia also identifies several films that have been made with the name 'Daisy'. There was a Korean urban melodrama made in 2006 called 'Daisy'. In 1998 there was a Malaysian musical romance filmed called 'Daisy' and before that in 1966 a Czech film production company shot a movie called 'Daisies'. Daisy Bell was sung by HAL 9000 in the Kubrick 2001 film: A Space Odyssey and finally Daisy Wertham was the lead character in the film 'Driving Miss Daisy'.

If we extend the list to include television and cartoons the following may also be included:

A Walt Disney cartoon character called Daisy Duck

There is Daisy in 'Keeping Up Appearances'

A character on the TV series Californication is called Daisy

Daisy Adair - a character on the TV series 'Dead Like Me'

Daisy Duke - a character on the TV series 'The Dukes of Hazzard' and the movie

Daisy Mayhem - a character in the TV cartoon series 'Laff-A-Lympics'

Daisy - a character on the TV series 'Pokemon'

A meerkat on the TV series Meerkat Manor is called Daisy

An orangutan on the TV series Orangutan Island is called Daisy

A train in the TV series 'Thomas and Friends' is called Daisy

I also found that there are many examples where music has connections with the name Daisy too. For example the musician 'Daisy' was a member of 'Foxy Shazam'. There is a song called "Daisy Bell" which I'm sure you all remember. It starts with "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do ..." . Then there is "Daisy" - a single by 'Halfway to Hazard'.

Did you know that D.A.I.S.Y. is an acronym for "Da Inner Sound, Y'all", coined on the De LA Soul album 3 Feet High and Rising? There is also a song called "Daisy" written by Brotherhood of Man from the album Oh Boy!

Yes 'Daisy' is a popular girl's name but did you also know it is also the name of a cocktail drink? Then there is the fashion designer Rudolph Moshammer's pet dog called Daisy. There are the 'Daisy' Girl Scouts there is a digital talking book called 'Daisy' and the Apache computer software programme called 'Daisy'. There is a geyser in the Yellowstone National Park called the 'Daisy Geyser', a guitar manufacturer called 'Daisy Rock Guitars' and, apparently, even a sour cream called 'Daisy'!

We would like to acknowledge our thanks to Wikipedia for the information provided.

If you would like to purchase a daisy gift

for a baby called Daisy click here!

And finally if you are choosing a name for your baby remember the words of our famous Bard:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose (or a daisy)

By any other name would smell as sweet."

William Shakespeare

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

Paul Wright Jewellery joined other people, from all over the world, in marking the Bard’s birthday this weekend as Stratford-upon-Avon embarked on one of the largest festivals it has ever undertaken.

Sir Donald Sinden opens the Bancroft Gardens

The Shakespearian actor, Sir Donald Sinden (featured above), was invited to open the newly refurbished Bancroft Gardens by unveiling a commemorative plaque and tourist information point on the Theatre Promenade. Sir Donald is an English actor of stage and screen, who has remained enormously popular with audiences since his days as a film star in the 1950s. He was spoofed mercilessly on the TV show 'Spitting Image' for his stage-actorly delivery and fruity voice. I recall his 'spitting image' puppet, sitting in a restaurant, summoning a waiter and asking "Do you serve a ham salad?" the waiter replied, "Yes, we serve salad to anyone!"

Cllr Les Topham, leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council said: “I think the Bancroft has been reborn as a result of this work. It will be the perfect companion and complement for the theatre and other improvements that will be made to this area of the town over the next 12 months".

The weekend saw "all singing and all dancing” celebrations in Stratford-upon-Avon and the focus on Saturday was the customary carnival-style town procession from Shakespeare's birthplace to Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare was buried. People from all over the world attended, many in national or period costume, to participate in the walk which symbolises Shakespeare's journey from cradle to grave.

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of
infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand
times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims atit. Here
hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now?
your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,that were wont to set the
table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen? Now
get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, lether paint an inch thick, to this
favour she must come; make her laugh at that."

Yin Yang

... and the meaning of life!

Yin Yang Pendant

This year sees the introduction of a new collection of symbolic jewellery in the Paul Wright Jewellery collection. These new silver and gold pendants have been designed and created by Paul to convey special meanings and invoke the deeper mysteries of faith and belief. Symbolism has been a part of all cultures since the dawn of time. Wearing symbolic jewellery can balance both the physical and spiritual energy fields thereby enhancing our sense of well being. The first of our new and exciting range is the 'Yin Yang' pendant based on the Tai Chi symbol shown below.

Tai Chi symbol

The meaning of Yin Yang can be best found in the symbolic imagery of its very nature. It is a circle made up of two different tadpole shapes, one in black (known as the Yin side) and the other in white (known as the Yang side). You will see that in Yang, represented by the white tadpole, lies the seed of Yin represented by the black dot and vice-versa. The Yin Yang pendant and earrings design similarly conveys these interacting opposites but using the complimentary silver and gold colours instead of black and white. The white cubic zirconia has been set into the gold side and the yellow cubic zirconia has been set into the silver side illustrating the interdependance of each on the other.

Yin Yang Earrings

It can clearly be seen that Yin and Yang are complimentary opposites within a greater whole. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, which constantly interact, never existing in absolute stasis. In Chinese philosophy and religion, two principles, one negative, dark, and feminine (yin) and one positive, bright, and masculine (yang), from whose interaction all things are produced and all things are dissolved.

As a concept the two polar elements referred originally to the shady and sunny sides of a valley or a hill but it developed into the relationship of any contrasting pair: those specified above (female-male, etc.) as well as cold-hot, wet-dry, weak-strong, etc. It is not a distinct system of thought by itself but permeates Chinese life and thought. A balance of yin and yang is essential to health. A deficiency of either principle can manifest as disease. (Encyclopedia Americana).

If you would like to have the new Yin Yang jewellery designs simply use the link below to make your purchase:

New Designs by Paul Wright Jewellery

including the Yin Yang Pendant and Earrings

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Images from our year of shows...








Play our multi-media presentation above to see some of the memorable events that took place over the course of 2008 - from the Badminton Horse Trials in the South to Edinburgh's Royal Highland Show in the North!