Selwyn Gale Goldsmith and Jeweller
Jewellery designed and handmade for you. I specialise in designing and making by hand unique pieces of jewellery for individuals. From sourcing gemstones to designing and making your jewellery you receive a bespoke service.
Having a custom made hand crafted ring, earrings, necklace or brooch to suit your budget is both attractive and affordable. Commissioning fine handmade jewellery designed and made in Wales.
There is also the opportunity to buy directly from a small selection of work I have already made and offer for sale - please see Items for Sale or click on those items which display a cost.
I am an independent Welsh jewellery designer, silversmith and goldsmith working mostly to commission, primarily using precious and semi-precious gemstones mounted and set in gold, platinum or silver. I have been making jewellery for many years, and a small portion of my previous work is displayed on this website.
I am based outside Cardiff in South Wales and I'm pleased to meet prospective clients to discuss their requirements without obligation. For those living further afield and abroad communication via email and telephone is equally as effective.
To view my work please click one of the images at the top of the page or enter a query in the 'Search' box.
You can see my work at Craft in the Bay, Cardiff, Wales where as a member of the prestigious Makers Guild in Wales I have a permanent exhibition in the Guild's gallery. If you haven't been to Craft in the Bay you are missing out on seeing the largest display of fine contemporary Welsh craftsmanship in the country.
I mainly work in gold, silver, platinum, palladium and gemstones, sometimes allied with the crafts of enamelling and etching. All my work is hallmarked at the London Assay Office or the Birmingham Assay Office.
Fitted and Matching Wedding Rings
I am increasingly designing and making wedding rings which fit or match engagement rings. I've developed a technique of making individual wedding rings by hand which tightly fit engagement rings of different shapes at an economical cost. I do not use a CAD/CAM machine which takes the individuality out of rings. There is also the opportunity to design unusual wedding rings, sometimes with flush fit diamonds. I'm pleased to do this with engagement rings which are not of my making. See my wedding ring section for some examples.
Gold & Silver Prices
The very high price of gold is a challenge. I'm now making fewer gold pieces than ever as the prohibitive price of gold results in higher costs. Using your gold is a good way of overcoming this problem. I can either use your gold, sell it on your behalf or use it as payment for the work. Let's hope the world economies improve soon and the price of gold goes down. Silver is also approximately five times its cost a year ago - the cost having been forced up by the price of gold.
Selling your Gold
Gold prices remain very high and although the 'selling gold rush' has reduced somewhat there are still adverts for companies buying scrap gold with sellers often incurring high and undeclared processing costs. I continue my offer to sort and sell your gold for you with a 7.5% deduction from the total I receive (to cover my work) from the sale of the gold (I provide you with a copy of the sales document provided there is sufficient to send as a batch). If you have a small amount to sell we agree the price per gram having consulted the Cookson trade price for scrap gold that day. I sell scrap gold to the UK's leading bullion merchant. Please contact me if you wish to discuss this service. Any stones included in the jewellery remain your property.
Palladium
Palladium now has a hallmark. It is now illegal to sell work made of palladium without a hallmark. Costs of palladium are approximately those of 9ct white gold. It is a white metal which resembles white gold.
Composite Rubies
The British Jewellery Association (BJA) supports a new Gemstone Industry and Laboratory Conference (GILC) ruby committee measure saying retailers should ensure the proper identification of lead glass-filled rubies. It voted that retailers should label the gems as: "Composite-Ruby, Glass-Filled, Requires Special Care."
The committee's measures are recommendations and are not enforceable. Composite rubies consist of around 50 percent ruby, 50 percent glass. They are cheaper than traditional rubies, but can require special care, as lemon juice, soda and even gem cleaner can cloud the glass filler.
Composite rubies have become increasingly common over the last few years, particularly in the US market. The majority of rubies are also heated to improve their colour and it's not uncommon for them to be filled to disguise fissure.
Synthetic Diamonds
There has been a warning from the British Jewellers Association that there has been a sharp increase in the number of diamonds sold as natural but are in fact synthetically produced. While there is nothing wrong with synthetic diamonds, there is a very big price difference between synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds.
Synthetic diamonds have been available since the 1960's, but the stones were only of industrial quality. Recently gem quality diamonds were finally brought to market. There are currently two different processes used ("High Pressure, High Temperature" and "Chemical Vapor Deposition") both create gems which are chemically, optically and physically the same as diamonds made by nature.
Testing laboratories are working to develop procedures so that they can reliably and quickly differentiate between natural and lab created diamonds. The necessity for sophisticated equipment clearly indicates that synthetic diamonds will be indistinguishable from natural diamonds even to professionals. If you spend a lot of money on a diamond make sure you get a reputable certificate.
Synthetic diamonds should not be confused with diamond 'lookalikes' such as YAGs (yttrium aluminium garnet) and moissanite which can be detected with less sophisticated equipment.