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- Parent Category: Technical Articles from Journal Back Copies
- Category: Technical Articles 1999
In August 1979 1 visited the annual Gem Fair in the Crown Hotel at Harrogate, intending to purchase slices of agate, carnelian, etc. My interest at that time was in the making of leather belts and handbags, using the old Spanish technique of carving the leather; the stones were intended to be utilised for making fancy buckles for the belts, a very successful combination. At the Fair I purchased some 'Western' type buckles with a bezel on them to take a 30-40mm cabochon stone. Hans Theilade and his daughter were demonstrating enamelling, on his stall lay several 30-40mm blanks which had been decorated using small transparent mosaics; I picked one of the blanks up, trying it on the buckle - the effect was magical. After buying a few examples from him, I was becoming interested and decided to pursue the subject further.
Progressing further through the exhibition, my next discovery was that the Guild had a small stand of exhibits manned by Peter Wolfe and Ken Jones. On display were Peter's lovely falcons, also a plaque of a starling amongst apple blossom, a remarkable piece of cloisonnéwork. Ken showed the large perforated bowls which were inspired by caterpillar eaten cabbages, that may sound a little weird, but they were built up leaf by leaf and then enamelled in Thompsons 'forsythia'. One of Maureen Carswell's exhibits also fascinated me, a plaque of the scarlet berried woodland plant "Lords and Ladies".