So, here's our hommage to Wimbledon today - three pieces of porcelain.

A tennis bag Limoges Box.

A porcelain piggy by local artist Stephen Bartley.

And a Limoges tennis ball box.

RUBY - The Birthstone for July

 

"The Ruby stole a spark from heaven above
To bring the July maiden untold Love."

Notable sources of ruby are Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Their colour can be a pale rose-red but the sought after colour is traditionally called "pigeon's blood" and is a fine even colour and transparency.
In the Middle Ages it was believed that the ruby could relieve pain as well as protect the wearer from drowning and cure rheumatism. The Hindus likened the glowing colour of rubies to an enduring fire.
A legendry ruby, the size of a man's hand, said to belong to the King of Siam in the thirteenth century, was thought to prolong youth. Each night and morning the king rubbed the priceless ruby over his face and neck. When he died, at the age of ninety, his complexion was like a young man's - unblemished and unwrinkled.
The ruby has been the traditional choice of kings and emperors for their Coronation rings. Among the Crown Jewels of France that survived the French Revolution are the celebrated rubies of the Royal Collection. These were redesigned and set with diamonds in 1816. The Black Princes Ruby in the English Crown Jewels is in fact actually a spinel, which is another beautiful red gemstone.

The qualities of ruby are said to be contentment, love and devotion.

Pearls Pearls Pearls Pearls

Yes, the birthstone for June is the wonderfully pretty PEARL!!!!!

All shapes, all colours - we love them all, each one individual.

We have a stunning array of pearl set jewellery in stock especially for this month - so if you are looking for earrings, necklets, bracelets and rings pop over to see us before the end of the month!

In the meantime, here are a few images to tempt you.........

I know the weather's been really poor and you don't feel like schmoozing around the shops dragging your umbrella and waterproofs around, but it should be picking up for the weekend!!! So, pop along on Friday or Saturday and get some inspiration for that big day!!! And, even if you're not "getting" married we still have some amazing displays for ladies and gents formal wear, pretty jewellery, delicious cakes, flowers and much more all under the one roof until Saturday.

And there are special offers to be had, too.

You could win an engagement photoshoot with our wedding photographer Kerry McNair, you can get 10% off the bridesmaid range at Sue Hill Clothing (vouchers exclusive to this Wedding Event), there's a £50.00 voucher to be won for Cherish Vintage who has some very pretty tiaras and hair combs and other accessories, plus a £50.00 voucher to be won for us at Payne & Son. We are also offering a 15% Gold Client Card with any Wedding Related purchase made in store this week. All you have to do is register your details with a member of our staff in store.

And if you need further tempting, we have some beautiful cup-cakes made for us by La Roche and some very tasty Champagne Truffles.................. need I say more?????

The event is only on til Saturday 12th May..................

We're into our Wedding Event now, day number two!

We have the most amazing 1968 Rolls Royce Silver Wraigth Wedding Car being parked 

outside the shop all week.

We have 17 local shops and businesses involved in this event and we are blown away by the 

support and enthusiasm of everyone involved.

We have a very handsome looking groom courtesy of AUSTIN REED.

A pretty wedding dress from JUDY MOTT.

Mother-of-the-Bride by LA BELLE FEMME.

Bridesmaids by SUE HILL CLOTHING.

Tiaras and combs by CHERISH VINTAGE.

Spa treatments by CHAMPNEYS.

Hair and beauty by SW1 HAIRDRESSING.

Wedding Cars by ER HICKMOTT.

Reception area by THE BREW HOUSE HOTEL.

Photography by KERRY MCNAIR.

Honeymoons by GET-TRAVELLING.

Floral arrangements by STYLE WORKSHOP.

Mobile disco care of NOSS RYAN.

Cakes and patisserie by LA ROCHE.

Catering by JULIETS.

Easels and books by TOSETTI & SON.

And much support from SO TUNBRIDGE WELLS MAGAZINE.

The event runs from Tuesday 8th May through to Saturday 12th May, 9.30 - 5pm daily.

Please pop in and see us.

And this is our first display piece for our Wedding Event which starts on Tuesday 8th May!!!!

With very many thanks to Austin Reed for supplying this rather elegant Groom for us.

He doesn't have much to say for himself though...............

Tuesday 8th May to Saturday 12th May.

AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Only ONE week to go to our Wedding Event.............

We are really so amazed at the warmth and support we have received from all our participants.

This week are getting the shop ready - we are decorating  and re-organising the place so it may be a little different when you next visit us.

And don't feel that just because it's a wedding thing you won't be welcome - of course you will.....everyone's welcome.

So come and join us next week for some great gift ideas for all ocassions - including weddings............

Another glorious spring day in the Garden of England!!!

It's rain, rain and a little bit more rain - with a months worth of rain falling over the next five days - how can we possibly have a hosepipe ban?????

I suggest you come and spend some time in Payne & Son Jewellers of Tunbridge Wells. 

We have a wide selection of beautiful jewellery for you to look at - some pieces are very unusual and "one-off" pieces. 

We also have many gift ideas for you - writing instruments, pewter, silver photo frames, silverware, watches, clocks and a very fine range of porcelain from the Zelli Porcelain Gallery which includes sculptures from the likes of Meissen, Nymphenburg, Dresden and Ludwigsburg to name but a few.

We are having a wedding event in the shop in May - 8th to 12th in case you have not seen our advertising. The event involves a number of our neighbours, shops and businesses within the 

High Street area and it will include displays from:

Austin Reed

The Brew House Hotel

Champneys

Get Travelling

Judy Mott

Kerry McNair

La Belle Femme

La Roche

SW1 Hairdressing

Style Workshop

ER Hickmott

Noss Ryan Mobile Discos

Sue Hill Handknits

and So Tunbridge Wells Magazine.

There will be a prize draw on the final day - so all you brides-to-be put the dates in your diary and come and share a glass of bubbly on Saturday 12th May in the afternoon.

Leave us your details for the chance to win one of our prizes: an engagement wedding shoot by photographer Kerry McNair, or a £100.00 voucher towards your honeymoon through travel agents Get-Tavelling and much much more.................

Wedding Event

 Here we are with two weeks to go to our wedding event - things are hotting up!!!

We have had a couple of newcomers joining us, so welcome Sue Hill Handknits - for bridesmaid dresses, ER Hickmott for wedding cars and Noss Ryan for mobile discos.

The total number of participants now stands at 14 I think - great!!!!!

Here's a re-cap for you:

Austin Reed - The Brew House Hotel - Champneys - Get Travelling - Judy Mott - Kerry McNair - La Belle Femme -         La Roche - SW1 Hairdressing - Style Workshop - 

Sue Hill Handknits - Noss Ryan - ER Hickmott - SO Tunbridge Wells - and I think that's it..................... Yell at me if I've forgotten anyone...... oh yes there's us of course - Payne & Son Jewellers and Zelli Porcelain.

We are going to start decorating the shop next week in preparation for this amazing collaboration, and we can't wait.

Kerry McNair, our wedding photographer has donated an engagement shoot  for one of our prizes in the draw taking place on Saturday 12th and Get Travelling have kindly offered £100 voucher off a honeymoon. We will also be giving a 15% discount and Gold Card status to any ourchasers of wedding rings during the event. There may be a few more treats around the corner -TBC.

If you have any questions please give a call on 01892 525 874 or drop us an email at jewellers@payneandson.com.

Please note that our normal website of www.payneandson.com is currently under construction so you can always check up on the events progress at www.payneandsonevents.co.uk.

 

And this is the inside featuring all the very wonderful shops and businesses who are kindly taking part in this event.

This is the outside of the leaflet that you will begin to see around the High Street very soon. You may have already noticed the poster in our window which is the first of many to pop up in the next few weeks.

So, this is one of the posters you wll begin to see up and down the High Street in sunny Tunbridge Wells.

We are very excited about this event and hope you will be able to join us at some point during this week long fair.

We are very grateful to all our supporters and I will mention them again:

www.austinreed.co.uk

www.champneys.com

www.thebrewhousehotel.net

www.get-travelling.co.uk

www.judymott.co.uk

www.kerrymcnairphotography.co.uk

www.labellefemme.co.uk

www.styleworkshop.co.uk

www.sw1hb.co.uk

www.tunbridgewells.so

 

Dates in your diaries everyone: Tuesday 8th May to Saturday 12th May 2012!!!

Wedding Event

Well, with Spring finally upon us - and it is upon as now as the clocks have gone forward, the daffodils are raising their little yellow heads to the sun, and warmer and brighter days are here at last - we are pleased to announce an event to be held in store which will be in collaboration with a few of our friends in the old High Street and on the Pantiles.
A Wedding Event - in store from Tuesday 8th May to Saturday 12th May.
In conjunction with :
Austin Reed
Champneys
The Brew House Hotel
Get Travelling
Judy Mott
Kerry McNair
La Belle Femm
Style Workshop
SW1 Hairdressing and
SO Tunbridge Wells Magazine.
All these great names under one roof bringing you a host of inspiratioanl ideas for wedding attire, gifts, jewellery, spa treatments, beauty, honeymoons, and much more.
The chance for a bride to win a photo shoot.
It will all be going on here!!!!
So stay tuned folks -
We'll let you know further details as they progress.

Exhibition of Rare Black Opals

This month celebrates the rather unusual gem stone, the opal.

Birthstone for October and National Gem Stone of Australia.

We welcome John and Leisha Wheeler all the way from Lightning Ridge in NSW, and their stunning collection of loose stones and jewellery designs both on display and for sale.

Australia is the worlds main source of opals, producing 97% of the earths resources. So called because of the large deposit of iron stone, Lightning Ridge is the only area to find the rare black opal.

Formed from tightly packed silica, the rainbow of colours found in an opal is formed by the light that reflects and refracts between these tiny silica balls.

Flashes of red in a White opal, found mainly in Southern Australia, are the most desirable.

This is "The Tempest".

A black opal from Lightning Ridge. It weighs an immense 519 carats.

This is "Tree of Life".

It weighs 295 carats and was dug out of the ground in 2002.

So, come and visit us at 37 High Street, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1XL

01892 525 874

This amazing exhibition runs from Tuesday 1th - Saturday 15th October

10-1 and 2-5

Black opals have vivid sparks of blues and greens.

Gem Stones Beginning with "A"....

OK

Here we go....

Achroite, Adularia, Agate, Alabaster, Albite, Alexandrite, Almandine, Amazonite, Amber, Amblygonite, Ambroid, Amethyst, Ametrine, Andalusite, Andradite Garnet, Anglesite, Apatite, Aquamarine, Aragonite, Australite, Aventurine Quartz, Aventurine Feldspar, Axinite, Azurite, Abalone, Agate, Ammonite..............

There are many more I am sure, so let me know by email and I will add it to the list.

jo@payneandson.com

Summer

Are we to expect our Summers to be like this from now on? Global warming? Really?

Anyway, we do have some very lovely pieces of jewellery for the summer. In particular some very pretty porcelain jewellery by the German house of Nymphenburg.

Porcelain is made of three basic ingredients, kaolin, feldspar and quartz.

These three are ground very fine, mixed together and has water bubbled up through it.

This mixture must rest in a humidity controlled environment for up to two years before it is ready to use. When ready it is turned into a a workable and pourable mix which is filtered into moulds.

Moulds must be replenished after 300-400 uses to maintain definition.

Hand finished and dipped in a liquid slip (glaze), the pieces are fired several times with one very intense firing at 1260 degrees making the porcelain impervious to water. The porcelain can shrink up to 20% whilst being fired, taking away all remnants of water content.

The finished item!

Beautiful.

Now, what summer birthstones do we have? For the fiery and siummery month of July it is the hot and fiery Ruby. August boasts the ever lovely Peridot, a mossy/bottle/khaki green stone which is clean, clear and crisp. And with September round the corner, a whole array of colour from the Sapphire.

Rubies are very rare gems.

They exist in many shades of red from pinkish to purplish to brownish and reddish.The red colour is determined by the amount chromium, which further enhances the colour by causing a red fluorescence. A ruby's brownish colour indicates iron. From the Latin name "rebeus", the true ruby has sometimes been called "oriental ruby" to distinguish it from the red spinel.

                                      Peridot is the gem quality variety of the mineral "olivine".

A rock forming mineral, olivine occurs in silica-poor igneous rocks, such as basalts, gabbro, troctolite, and peridotite.

Peridots shades of green are caused by the presence of iron, and it often has a greasy lustre.

The mineral is named from the French word "peritot" which means "gold" because the mineral can vary towards that colour.

Sapphires come in a variety of shapes and sizes - and colours.

Every colour except red in fact as red sapphires are actually rubies.

Most sapphires are heat treated to eliminate impurities and to improve a gems colour and clarity. I prefer the term "enhanced" as treated makes it sound as if there's something wrong with a stone.

Cornflower blue sapphires are most desireable.



New Range of Jewellery

We have a rather unusual addition to our stock of jewellery........

Stunning pendants depicting Angel Wings and Coral.

And these are made from.....

Porcelain!

From the German house of Nymphenburg come this stunning collection of porcelain jewellery.

A mixture of quartz, feldspar and kaolin is finely ground and bubbled through water to create the rough porcelain. It must rest for up to two years in a humidity controlled environment before it can be worked with.

When it is ready, it is mixed with water to create liquid slip which is poured into a mould. Fired a few times over with one crucial firing at 1260 degrees which makes the porcelain water resistant and tough.

Each wing, and each piece of coral is dipped in liquid slip and fired for a final time.

With either silver or yellow metal bails, you can mount these on chains, silk cords, leather strings to create your own look and style.

With British Silver Week well and truely under way, we thought we would share with you some pictures of the open evening we had where Steve Wager, one of England's leading silversmiths, gave a demonstration on the making of a piece of flatware - in this case he transformed a single ounce of silver into a teaspoon.....

What an amazing sight it was to watch Steve Wager, one of England's leading silversmiths, create a beautiful spoon from a little block of silver.

Thank you to all those people who stayed on into the evening to watch the demonstration.

And don't forget you can win this spoon by entering our prize draw!!

Just pop in store and fill in one of the entry forms.

Thank you as well to all the silversmiths who have let us use their work for the exhibition.

The event runs until Saturday 25th June, so you still have plenty of time to come in and have a good look.

You will soon be able to see behind the scenes of 37 High Street, as we are very much supporting the Tunbridge Wells Project. This is run by two dedicated locals who are aiming to capture the old buildings of the town in a website which will showcase the parts you can't see!

Take a look at the link below to see how many buildins they've manged to view so far.

http://www.thetunbridgewellsproject.co.uk/

We have a a wide selection of goods in stock. We are not just a jewellers!!

We have many gift ideas so please feel free to come and browse the selection we currently have in stock. Here are a few ideas for you....

Pens

Silver Frames

Pewter Tankards

Porcelain

Clocks

Barometers

Watches

Silver Models

Boxes

Silverware

Decanters

Silver Jewellery

Chamilia Charms

Gold Jewellery

Cufflinks

Ceramics

We have a gold buying service, valuation service, repairs and servicing.

We also welcome browsers, so don't let the door put you off - press the buzzer and we will let you in so that you can browse at your leisure.



British Silver Week

Here are a few pieces you can expect to see at the exhibition starting next week - here at

37 High Street, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1XL.

Also visit us at

http://www.payneandson.com/