Summertime Sunshine!

Michele's Adventures

Michele has recently returned to the gallery after a trip to Germany! She stayed in Mainz, a city on the Rhine known for its medieval architecture and market squares – and for being the home of the inventor of the printing press.

Michele was in Mainz for performances with her choir, the Birmingham Festival Choral Society, the most established choral society in Birmingham. The photograph below shows their concert at the Christuskirche for 170 people in Mainz.
Please enjoy this selection of photographs from Michele’s time away, with examples of Germany’s beautiful architecture and the lovely summer sunshine she was treated to.

New in the Gallery

Michele’s work never fails to impress – and her new brooches are no exception! Lovingly handmade with designs inspired by the stones she has used, her new landscape brooches are oxidised silver and most have 18ct gold details to emphasise the storytelling. Each of the landscape brooches have loops meaning they can also be worn as pendants.

As well as new landscape brooches, Michele has used her signature motif – the ginkgo leaf – to create a gorgeous brooch. In sparkling silver with a freshwater pearl, this brooch oozes timelessness. It is the perfect addition to any outfit!

These brooches are all available to view in our gallery or on our website where you can filter our collections to specifically explore Michele’s incredible range of brooches.

Please give a warm welcome to the newest maker at Artisan Alchemy, the incredibly talented Francesca Marcenaro.

We have pieces from her ‘Volcanic Treasure’ collection that bring their unique sparkle to the gallery and will captivate your attention. Since 2004 Francesca’s unmistakable signature in jewellery has been her ‘glass granulation’ technique. Inspired by the ancient techniques of granulation (with granules of gold) and enamelling (using glass powder), Francesca uses glass granules to do granulation. The resulting effect is a soft sparkle which accentuates the natural look of her pieces – and is absolutely charming!

Dates for your Diary...

The JQ Festival is back for 2023!

On Saturday 22^nd July, the Jewellery Quarter will be buzzing with live music, tours, maker demonstrations and so much more. Keep an eye out for posters appearing around the JQ to show you which businesses are participating. This will be a wonderful day to experience the heritage and energy in one of Birmingham’s most creative hubs and explore everything the area has to offer.

We have been hard at work devising our brand-new offering... the Crafty Artisan Alchemy Quiz! Pop in between 11am and 5pm to meet our friendly gallery team, explore our collections of bespoke furniture and jewellery, and complete the quiz!

We are delighted to be hosting another artist’s talk! Marco Guardincerri, architect and founder of REA London will provide insight into his innovative ‘REA’ Algorithm. This event has been postponed from the original date of Thursday 15^th June, and is being rescheduled for the autumn.

A provisional date is the beginning of October, when we will welcome Marco into the gallery for an evening of information about this extraordinary combination of evolutionary theory and artificial intelligence applied as a new kind of jewellery-making.

To keep up to date with information regarding rescheduling, be sure to follow our social media channels and check our next newsletters for details!

Father's Day is on its way!

Father’s Day seems to have approached faster than ever, but it brings with it the chance to get a one-of-a-kind gift. From classic cufflinks to cutting-edge rings, a place to keep treasured collections safe, or wall art to brighten up a summer interior, you’ll be spoilt for choice at Artisan Alchemy! With work by over forty talented makers, there is something for everyone here.

Explore our jewellery and furniture collections online, or visit the gallery, open 11am to 5pm from Tuesday to Saturday.

Please note that Artisan Alchemy will be closed on Friday 16^th and Saturday 17^th June 2023 – so make sure to visit us or order online by Wednesday evening if you’ll be giving a bespoke gift this weekend!

THANK YOU FOR READING!