Handcrafted vs Handmade explained…

Handcrafted…. handmade, they sound like the same thing right?  Wrong…

The wonderful thing about Jewellery is the vast array available to buy and also the seemingly endless ways to create it. 

Here at MooKi™ we hand craft all our pieces from scratch but what exactly does that entail?  Well, we only use raw materials such as sheet, grain and wire to fabricate our designs exactly how we want them.  In the case of our range of charms they are all hand sculpted in house before we make moulds of them which are then cast here in the studio using traditional Lost Wax Casting methods.

All precious gemstones are set carefully using skillsets that take time and much practice to learn.  Soldering every tiny, individual component as we go along.

 Silversmithing is an artform in itself that we are super proud to keep alive.  We do not use CAD printed designs or 3D printed parts in our pieces because we prefer to work the old fashioned way to bring you designs that are bang on trend.

So how does this differ to handmade jewellery?  Handmade jewellery is usually comprised of mass produced components such as charms and cast pieces that can be readily purchased from many suppliers (mostly cheaply imported from overseas).  Any pieces with gemstones are usually glued into pre bought settings which we never do because glued stoned ultimately aren’t as robust in the long term and often get lost with minimal wear.    

Our mission from day one was always to go the extra mile to bring you truly handcrafted, original jewellery that you simply cannot buy anywhere else.  Using traditional silversmithing techniques that have been around since the dawn of time, or so it seems!  We want to keep this craft alive and kicking and provide you with a stunning piece that can be passed down through generations.

All our work is Hallmarked where necessary which is a legal requirement in the UK.  This is your absolute guarantee that your jewellery is genuine silver or gold.  Sadly some jewellery just has a “925” stamp which unfortunately is not the same thing at all.  Worse still, often such mass produced jewellery is made from cheap base metals such as brass or nickel and then plated with a very thin layer of silver.  It is then stamped with “925” which is very misleading and unfair to the unsuspecting buyer.   Always look for a genuine Hallmark when purchasing quality jewellery.

Here is one of ours (hugely magnified).  CVG is our Silversmith Clare’s initials, followed by 925 to denote Sterling Silver.  Next comes the tiny anchor which is the mark of the Birmingham Assay Office where our pieces get sent for stringent testing and finally the letter V which in this case means the year 2021.

If you have any questions at all about anything in this blog please feel free to send us a message.