British wildlife jewellery – woodland creatures

I absolutely adore hedgehogs and they feature heavily in my silver jewellery but I also love all of our fabulous British wildlife.

Much of our precious wildlife is in trouble – facing the same challenges of habitat loss, over use of pesticides and a range of other human-caused dangers including roads. The continuing decline in hedgehog numbers has recently been in the news.

All of my silver jewellery comes with information about helping hedgehogs and I hope it will inspire the recipient to take action to save our wildlife. Barn owl numbers have recovered in recent years thanks to conservation efforts so hopefully we can do the same for our hedgehogs.

I thought I’d share some of the other designs in my wildlife collection, all inspired by woodland creatures.

They make lovely gifts for any wildlife or nature lover and I can inscribe a word or name on the back of many of my designs to make them extra special.

Tiny silver owl bracelet, silver owl bracelet, heart owl bracelet by little silver hedgehog

Handmade silver barn owl bracelet – it’s face is a heart shape making it a fabulous valentines or anniversary gift

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Handmade silver fox charm. It can come on a charm bead to hang from any Pandora bracelet

Silver bumblebee earrings, silver bee earrings, silver honeybee earrings by little silver hedgehog

Handmade silver bumblebee earrings. Bees are my favourite insects but are facing the same reasons for decline as hedgehogs including over-use of pesticides. These would make a fabulous gift for a gardener or bee keeper.

Silver hedgehog pendant with blue glass bead, silver hedgehog necklace, hedgehog jewellery by little silver hedgehog

Of course hedgehogs remain one of my top inspirations!

Silver pawprint Pandora charms, silver paw charm, dog paw charm, cat paw charm, handmade silver charms by Little Silver Hedgehog.JPG

Handmade silver paw prints

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If you can’t choose between my wildlife designs, I make a bracelet with all my woodland creatures on.

All of my silver jewellery is made by hand by me. It is hand sanded and polished and comes presented in a recycled card gift box with a hedgehog rescue postcard and information about helping hedgehogs. It is also made from recycled silver so you are helping the environment too.

You can visit my jewellery shop here.

Thank you so much for looking

Emma and the hedgehogs

Nature in silver

I’ve been so busy making lately that I haven’t had time to post. It is great news that everyone is thinking of the hedgehogs and buying ethical this Christmas!

I love nature and it inspires everything I do so I thought I’d show you how I translate nature into my jewellery.

I make my jewellery using silver clay. I trained in traditional silver-smithing but I love the versatility of silver clay and the way I can literally take nature and emboss it into my designs. I hunt for flowers, leaves, twigs, seeds, shells and anything with a beautiful pattern that I can use to emboss into the clay. I’ve always got a little bag with me for foraging trips in the woods, meadows and seashore.

Designs in silver clay ready for firing

With this pendant and earring set, I have embossed a design from nature and then inset gorgeous sparkling Peridot stones. I love the freshness of the green.

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This pendant features a real leaf imprint and is set with a garnet cabochon. I use an individual leaf so no two pendants are ever exactly the same.

I’m a keen gardener and I often look to my own garden for my nature inspiration. I particularly love the delicate blue forget-me-nots that flower in the Spring and have incorporated them into many designs.

Forget me not pendant inspired by the flowers in my garden

My garden and the colours and flowers that inspire my work. The forget-me-nots are at the front of the beds.

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Daisy chain bracelet with embossed forget-me-nots

As well as embossing direct from nature, I also create designs based on what I see in the garden. Here is my bumble bee pendant.

My next plan is to try embossing with the delicate leaves of herbs in the garden and I’d love to try moulding from an acorn……

Thank you so much for reading. I’d love to know what you think of my work and its nature inspiration.

www.littlesilverhedgehog.etsy.com

Gifts that give back – building an ethical brand

I make silver jewellery to support my hospital for poorly and injured hedgehogs and buy food and medicines to help them back to the wild. It’s a gift that gives back. My customers receive something beautiful for themselves or a loved one and these adorable garden residents are helped in the process.

Silver jewellery by Little Silver Hedgehog

My jewellery is inspired by nature and wildlife and I work hard to carry these values throughout the business; from the materials I use to make the jewellery, to the boxes I package it in. Where possible, everything is recycled and recyclable.
I use silver clay to create my designs. It is an amazing product that allows nature to literally be imprinted upon silver. Leaves, flower heads, plant stems, shells, can all be pressed into the clay, which is then fired to 99% silver. Best of all, it is a recycled product, made from recycled metals including silver from film stock and negatives.

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Designs made in silver clay ready for firing

Each piece of jewellery comes packaged in a Little Silver Hedgehog gift box – ready to give as a gift or to keep for yourself if you can’t bear to part with it. I use these gorgeous boxes from the Tiny Box Company. The card is made from consumer waste and the paper outer from sustainable sources. The inserts are made from recycled cotton. The outer boxes I use for sending orders through the post are also made of recycled card, which can itself be recycled.

Little Silver Hedgehog gift boxes

As well as raising vital funds, my aim is also to use the jewellery to raise awareness of the plight of hedgehogs – whose numbers have dwindled in recent decades. There are now thought to be less than one million left in the wild with humans being the number one threat to their survival.

Each order includes a leaflet about how to help hedgehogs by feeding them, creating a wildlife garden and what to do if you find a poorly one out in daylight. I hope that all my customers will be inspired to do their bit and pass the information on to family or friends, multiplying the impact and the numbers I can reach with this vital message.

An orphaned baby hoglet – one of the hedgehogs helped by my rescue work

I hope that my customers can take heart in the fact that their purchase helps a hedgehog and doesn’t hurt the planet in the process – it really is a gift that gives back.

You can shop for my handmade silver jewellery at www.littlesilverhedgehog.etsy.com

littlesilverhedgehog

I run a hedgehog hospital in York rescuing sick and injured wild hedgehogs. I make handmade silver jewellery inspired by nature and wildlife to raise funds for the hospital.

handmade crafts

British wildlife jewellery – woodland creatures

Nature in silver

Gifts that give back – building an ethical brand