Tag: maya

Inside the Jewellery Box

Hi Everyone! Corinne here writing directly to you in this blog post. As the owner, designer and maker here at A Silver Circle, one of the most frequent questions I get asked is, ‘You must have so much jewellery?!’ and the answer us always, ’no, not really’. As much as I love all of the pieces I make, I do not own all of them. So, today I am going to run you through what my jewellery collection looks like and how I go about selecting my jewellery for the day.

My jewellery collection is stored on a shelf surrounded by beautiful smelling body oil, cute travel ornaments which also double as earring stands and my go to hair accessories. I love having an inspiring little corner to find my favourite additions to any outfit.

My jewellery collection is made up of two types of jewellery pieces: Collection pieces and Samples/One of a Kind pieces. So they are separated into sections. Lets dive in!

COLLECTION PIECES

The below pieces are all from the current ASC collection.

RINGS

These are my constant companion. I rarely change them and don’t take them off so rings are the pieces that need to survive my lifestyle and go with everything i own.

Silver Hexagon Ring – I wear this ring on the ring finger on my right hand. It is the perfect one for this finger as it is a statement piece that is super light and easy to wear for all parts of my life. I once decided to switch it out but it made its return pretty quickly! It hasn’t left since then.

Circle Ring with Domes – This is the second one I have owned in this style. The first one was gifted to my beautiful friend Iris, as she was leaving to move back to her home town of Toronto, Canada. Easy to wear yet a statement piece, i move this one around a few fingers depending on mood.

Amazonite Ring – I have not taken off this ring since I first made it! I am actually still wearing the initial prototype for this piece and I absolutely love love love it! it is great to layer with my Twisted Ring and Hammered Ring, but can also work as a stand-alone piece. The calming energy of the stone is a great reminder to let things go, and an added bonus is that the colour compliments everything in my wardrobe!

PENDANTS

With pendants, i do swap them out, though i will usually have a staple piece for a few days that is shorter and then change it up with or without the addition of long chains.

Nava Deco Pendant – This piece was one that took me a long time to hone in on the design of. I had it floating around in my head and just couldn’t quite figure it out. Finally, it came into being and it has been a staple piece for me ever since. I adore the way it captures the light and has a nice movement to it. It is perfect framed when I wear my longer necklaces!

Islamic Stone Pendant – Simply put, I love this piece! I have a lot of shades of navy, turquoise, and purple in my wardrobe so the Turquoise stone always matches with my outfits. It also helps to soothe my ever-fidgeting hands to have something to play with as I rotate the stone around.

Ladder Pendant – This one is a bit of fun, and I wear it whenever I am feeling a little quirky! I love seeing people’s reactions when they realise what it is. It is so simple in its lines, yet still makes a statement with how much it pops against a solid colour top, such us with navy, teal, and maroon colours.

EARRINGS

Earrings are my go to piece to make an outfit. They can be the feature and these 3 are my go to pieces to make the outfit pop.

Maya Fan Earrings – This is from one of my more recent collections. Since its inception, I have been grabbing these as the ‘go with everything’ piece whenever I want an effortlessly stylish look. They are lightweight yet statement size and are great for day and night, so I don’t need to change when going to dinner from a day in the studio.

Islamic Stone Earrings – This is the only matching set I own. Personally, I have never been big on matching jewellery, but I adore this set with the Islamic Stone Pendant. I alternate between wearing them separately and together. This collection was created from my love to travel and architecture, and I am transported back to those places every time I wear them.

Geometric Earrings – I own the Hexagon shape of these, which match my ring from the same collection. I have had these for so so many years and they are still a go to favourite of mine. I love the sound they make! It is like having light, delicate wind chimes on my ears (not annoyingly so – trust me!). These are always a best seller and I am a big advocate as to why.

HAIR PIN

Small 2 Piece Hair Pin – I originally made the hair pins to tame my waist length locks and I didn’t realise how much I would love them at the time. I have this piece in both the Diamond and Teardrop shapes. This is a rarity for me to have more than one variation of an item. They are perfect for that half up, half down hairstyle when I want to get my hair out of my face.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: I couldn’t put everything in, but I will mention a couple of other go to’s are the Teardrop Pendant with Figure (Reading Girl figure – she is me!), Blue Lotus Short Earrings, and the Textured Medium Ring (perfect in a ring stack).

SAMPLES AND ONE OF A KIND

Not many people realise what each collection piece goes through before they are put into production. I am always making samples or prototypes of my ideas once they have made it to the final design process. I will then wear each piece to test it for at least 2 weeks constantly to see if there are any practical issues.

Rose Quartz Heart Pendant – After having a particularly hard couple of weeks, I felt called to create a pendant with the Heart Chakra and healing in mind. When I got to the studio, I found this beautiful Rose Quartz (good for healing!) and the creation just flowed. This would usually take me a day or two to create and I finished it in 3 hours! It was truly meant to be.

African Blackwood Chain Earrings – I was gifted some rare pieces of African Blackwood from a friend and I knew I wanted to make something out of them, just like the above piece, it just flowed. These are a more statement piece that I love to wear with lots of colour. The chain movement is a lot of fun too.

Maya Oval Earring Sample – This just didn’t quite work for the collection, but as I do not own the collection version, this is a great go-to piece instead. The size and pattern were changed as the proportion wasn’t quite right for the collection. They are still super cute and go with everything.

Overall, it is so interesting how these pieces can become such a big part of our lives. I use my jewellery to express to the world who I am and what I love. Through colour and form, it is referring to where I have been and where I want to be.

I hope you all have enjoyed a little delve into my jewellery collection. I would love to hear your stories of how your ASC piece has become a part of your life. Share via our socials or via email asilvercircledesign@gmail.com.

xx Corinne

Easy transitions: Day to night styling

Have you ever had trouble transitioning your jewellery from outfit to outfit, for day to night or how to add that little thing to make the outfit pop?

Well, we have created a few different looks for you to see how versatile the jewellery at A Silver Circle really is, and how easy it is to look stunning, vibrant and 100% you in any situation. We have explored three different looks, to cover all the little events you might find yourself in.

Look 1: From the office to casual drinks after work

As modern-day women, working 50+ hours a week in the office can be a hard thing for us ladies to style and make work each day. We want chic, minimalist with a bit of flare. So, when your colleges ask you out for a few drinks at Freds or another cute bar in Surry Hills- you will probably want to let your hair out and add that little pop of a cool casual vibe, to wash the day away.

You are a chic lady. Black dress pants and a minimalist elegant work top works well and makes you presentable for all your meetings. To make your look, we have put you in our Islamic Studs, to add a bit of shin to your ears, a plain stack of rings (Thin hammered, Twisted and Plain) to your fingers and added a Domed Patterned Pendant to your neck. We want you to look smart yet stylish for your hard days work.

Not having time to duck home before drinks, you add over the blouse a clean elegant jacket and a colourful scarf to achieve that cool casual effortless style you want to let your hair down after a long day. Most of your jewellery is the same we just swap out the studs for our Maya Teardrop Earrings to take your look to the next level. Happy socialising!

Look 2: From brunch with the girls to a nice dinner date

You know those days, when suddenly you have a whole bunch of everything happening at once. You forget about the ladies’ brunch with afternoon drinks you’re supposed to be having because you were totally preoccupied with that dinner date you have with someone special that evening.

When meeting your ladies, we have put you in a cute happy day dress, one you can easily pair with some sandals and a cute shoulder bag. The look is accentuated with some colour from your Islamic Stone Drop Earrings in Amethyst and Rhodonite ring stacked with Black Twist and Hammered layering ring, which is all tied together with your Navajo Diamond Pendant that delicately combines geometry and elegance.

Making a quick transition into your dinner look, we have put you in an elegant cocktail dress, with your hair up and a pair of heels. Your jewellery is what makes you sparkle. Our Geometric Earrings draw attention to your beauty, the Navajo Diamond Pendant compliments your dress and the Hexagon Ring adds a bit of pop to your fingers. We guarantee your date won’t be able to keep their eyes off you.

Look 3: From casual weekend chills to dancing at a clubbing with friends

Whether it is summer or winter, weekends are weekends, a time to relax and get comfortable, to go get coffee and have a lazy Saturday in your favourite ‘not work’ outfit. The day always fly’s by way to fast, suddenly its night and your phone rings- it’s your girlfriends wanting to release that work week stress at a club, to dance the night away before you head back for another week in the office.

For your day look, we have put you in something causal and comfy. That stunning new organic cotton tee-shirt with your old, yet totally still hipster mum jeans. You are decked out with a fun sunhat, your favourite comfy shoes and some cute jewellery. Our weekend fav’s are the Domed Ring, Thick Hammered Ring Band, Figure Earrings and Amethyst Stone Drop Necklace, to show the world you can make anything, even causal Saturday’s look good.

For your night look, you want to kind of show everyone you’re cool and sexy side- you don’t try to hard to look good. You bought that flattering skater dress from the op shop that you pair with your go-to black strappy heels and a flowing boho top to catch every move on the dance floor. Add some bold red lippy and our statement Blue Lotus Double Drop Earrings which are sure to catch attention. Thicken up your ring stack with the Thin Hammered Ring, Twisted Ring, a couple of Plain Rings and the Amazonite Ring for a pop of colour and you’re ready to go hit the town!

We hope that this provides you with some fun inspiration for your next outfit. We have had a lot of fun putting it together for you. Please be sure to share with us on our socials how you style some of our pieces for day to evening.

See you next time
xx Corinne and the team.

It’s all about Maya..

Explore the unique fan shapes of pre-Colombian history with our new Maya Collection! Combining simplicity and elegance with the spiritual symbolism of this rich culture, these pieces will definitely draw the eye! This collection is the result of months of careful experimentation, sketches and research, with the aim of reviving this long-lost culture with a modern twist.
As history tells it, jewellery was considered a vital part of the Mayans trade with other neighbouring civilisations. Hence the name; the Maya Collection.

One of the most common ritual ornaments of the period, worn by warriors and priests alike, was the Nariguera (nose fan), a gold piece that was often hooked to the nostrils and was in the shape of an upside-down fan decorated with patterns and engravings. The elite would often wear them as pendants depicting gods or animals. This served as a key piece of inspiration for the Collection’s design process.

Jewellery also played a key part in this tribal narrative as it symbolised religious and ritual meanings. Many pieces from this period were made from gold which had an association to the Sun and was a powerful symbol of fertility. These pieces were also used in ceremonies to protect the community and cure sickness. In contrast, we have used sterling silver- the colour associated with the moon. As a of bringing something new to the design while also maintaining its historical roots.

The design process of these beautiful pieces started in Corinne’s studio where she would often lose herself in books on pre-Colombian tribal cultures. Like some of our past pieces, including the Navajo and Blue Lotus Collections, the story of these old cultures really caught her eye. She was fascinated by their unique shapes and stories which she later incorporated into the collections designs.

After multiple sketches and prototypes, Corinne settled on two earrings and pendants. Handcrafted with recycled sterling silver, these pieces come in both an Oval and Fan shape. The juxtaposition of space creates balance through the open form of the oval/teardrop shape with the solid structure of the hanging fan. Her main goal however, was to pay homage to the beautiful and intricate design of this tribal jewellery while embracing modern textures and techniques.

So whether you wear these pieces with your vintage finds or with your chic office attire, these pieces are easy ways to elevate any look! Wear them alone or together, as these pieces are wonderfully versatile! Our pendants can also be worn as the centre piece of a layered look or as a single statement piece. Embrace your inner tribal beauty with your own flare or draw inspiration from our styling and pair the pieces with patterned scarves and kits, and your favourite vintage finds.

In our journey to explore the roots of our jewellery-making ancestors we have really enjoyed designing these pre-Colombian pieces. We hope you love them as much as we do! Head on over to the shop page to check out the Maya pieces. We would also love to hear your thoughts on how you combine things old and new in your daily life, please tag us on Instagram or Facebook, with you favourite styles. Until next time…

Love the ASC team xx