Reasons to buy handmade this Christmas.

 It's that time again - Christmas shopping has started and so I wanted to share my top 5 reasons for buying handmade gifts this year.  

Of course not everyone is going to buy handmade goodies for everyone on their list, but here are some great reasons to buy just a few...

1 - An individual and unique gift. 

All of my jewellery is handmade (usually to order) by me in my little workshop, and as such each is completely unique and individual. Some of my pieces contain unique or freeform stones so there will never be another item quite like it.

Each piece of handmade jewellery is unique. In fact I don't think I could exactly reproduce something if I tried. I could get close, but there will always be some differences.  

If you'd like any extra touches, just ask me - for example, I'm happy to put the clasp of a necklace on the left hand side for a left handed recipient.

Little touches that like that can make such a difference. 

And it's the same with all handcrafted items. Those little touches can show the recipient how much thought you've given to getting them the perfect gift. 

2 - Birthstones and hidden meanings

A lot of the jewellery I make includes birthstones, or has other ways to include special meaning with the item. For example I can also engrave lots of my items to make them extra personal. 

For most of my birthstone or birthflower collections I include gift card(s) to explain a little more about the meaning of the piece. 

3 - Ethical and sustainable

I use 100% recycled sterling silver and gold in my jewellery. I try my best to keep my footprint as light as possible in my personal life and for my business. It's one of the reasons I mainly make to order. I don't want to have 30 pairs of earrings to sell - I want to make 30 pairs of earrings for people who have specifically chosen them. It means the making of the jewellery is more special and fun for me, and also means less waste. 

Other small craft businesses often have the same philosophy, but even if they're not making to order, they're not creating anything close to the huge amount of waste in a factory system. 

4 - Keeping crafts alive

I use traditional jewellery making techniques, albeit with some slightly more up to date tools than my jeweller predecessors had.

It's so important to keep these skills alive.

It's a joy to make and wear something hand crafted, and would be so sad if these things no longer existed.

Wouldn't life be boring if all the jewellery was mass produced to specific molds.

It's the same for other crafts too. There is a extra joy in a handknitted scarf that just isn't there in the factory made item. 

5 - Helping small businesses

Last but not least by buying handmade this Christmas you could save some small businesses.

Honestly, I'm not being dramatic - so many small businesses have shut this year, and many are holding on and hoping they will have a good Christmas season. The big global corporations don't need your hard earned cash, let's be honest, they won't even notice. But buy just a few of your gifts from a small business, or craftperson, and I promise your purchase will be noticed, and so, so appreciated.