Journal

Although we were closed to new orders for most of March, behind the scenes I’ve been busy taking care of a good spring clean of the workshop, tackling a lot of the boring admin jobs ready for the new tax year, and also making a little time for a much-needed break. So, now we’re fully open for business again and things are returning to normal, what’s going on in the workshop?

Well, as our sterling silver money clips have been out of stock for a month or two, they’ve become a bit of of a priority to say the least! Due to the UK law regarding precious metals and hallmarking, selling goods made with precious metals is not quite as simple as working in other materials. Of course there’s also the expense of keeping sterling silver in stock (the raw materials for a sterling silver money clip cost around 40 times more than my copper ones)!

So what’s involved? Well unlike copper (which I keep large sheets in stock and cut off pieces to order), I only order silver sheet in small batches. When it arrives with me, I cut and file it to size, before giving it a brushed polish finish to get it as close as possible to the finished article without actually forming it. These flat pieces are packaged and sent to the Edinburgh Assay Office for testing and hallmarking on what will eventually be the inside rear of the finished money clip. Only when they’re returned to me are they finally ready to be completed with your personalised text, texturing and forming to shape.

They may take a lot longer to create and cost a little more, but there’s nothing quite like the feel and weight of sterling silver. Buy with confidence, secure in the knowledge that your sterling silver money clip has been hallmarked at the Edinburgh Assay Office.

Rustic Sterling Silver Money Clip

‘Raw Silk’ Sterling Silver Money Clip

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There’s nothing like a nice, clean, tidy workshop….. and mine is nothing like a nice, clean, tidy workshop! From October, when the Christmas orders start to come in, it’s sometimes tough just keeping on top of the general tidiness of the workshop, and by now a serious spring clean is in order. With Valentine’s Day having been and gone for another year, mid-February means time for a ‘reset’. I’ll be shutting shop for a short while to give the place a thorough clean, put things back the way they should be, and to go through all the little notes I left myself about new designs, modifying existing ones, and all the website and Etsy updates I just haven’t made time for.

Here are just a couple of my favourite makes of the month. You can’t beat working with sterling silver. As much as I love copper, the extra weight of silver certainly adds a certain something to a piece and truly makes these money clips something special. I finally got around to making a brass clip too, something that’s been on the cards for a while. The photo is a lightweight prototype made from an off-cut, but the proper stuff is on order and there’ll be a new product out soon!

You can still browse all our current items on the website, but everything is now listed as ‘out of stock’ during the break. I’m aiming to start re-stocking by mid-March. Responding to enquires may also take longer than usual, but I’ll be back soon! Okay, time to make a start on that spring clean.

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New Year resolutions have never been my thing, but that said, I do aim to be a little more proactive in both social media, and keeping the website as up-to-date as I can. The main reason I fall a little behind is because of the workload, which quite clearly I’m not complaining about! With this in mind, a monthly ‘Journal’ entry seems like a reasonably achievable goal for the year. So here are a few of my favourite January 2019 pieces.

I’ll be sharing some of the processes involved in creating your designs in coming months, and there will definitely be a 2019 giveaway at some point later in the year too. Right now though, I need to get back to the workshop and get on with your Valentine’s Day gifts ♥

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Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Valentine’s Day gift ideas couldn’t be easier with our range of beautiful designs, fully customisable to let you show your loved one how much they mean to you!

When looking for perfect Valentine’s Day gift ideas, it’s so important to find something that will mean the world and be treasured for years to come. Finding something that’s unique, romantic and yet still useful and practical isn’t always easy. We’ve put together a delightful collection of Valentine’s Day gift ideas that will make your valentine smile this Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re looking for a sentimental treasure or something original and contemporary, you’re sure to find it within these pages. From simple keyrings that you can personalise with a date, name or location, to individual money clips or bookmarks you can customise with your own special message, or plaques and coasters that will be treasured for all time. If you can’t find the perfect personalised Valentine’s Day gift right here, it’s only because you haven’t asked us to make it for you yet!

Key Rings

Our range of keyrings is just perfect for Valentine’s Day. From a simple hand-stamped heart tag to a personal etched message, we can create the ultimate custom keyring just for you!

Bookmarks

Copper and aluminium handmade bookmarks are both beautiful and practical. Have your own message hand-stamped, or personalise one of our existing designs to create your custom Valentine’s Day gift.

Money Clips

Our hand-crafted money clips offer a practical, usable and yet very personal gift idea. We can etch meaningful images, and with the addition of a personalised message, this is a gift to be cherished and used for years to come.

Coasters & Plaques

Personalised coasters make the most wonderful custom gifts. Plenty of space for a personal message and/or image, and a thoughtful keepsake that will not only be treasured, but used day in, day out!

Bespoke & Custom Orders

We LOVE custom orders and don’t charge extra for bespoke work. Can’t see the perfect gift? Please get in touch as we’d love to create a bespoke design just for you.

Also Available on Etsy!

Our secure online shop is open for orders 24/7 and our payments are handled by PayPal’s own secure server. However, we also recognise that some of our customers prefer to buy from larger, more well known sites, and for this reason, all of our personalised handmade gifts and keepsakes are also available in our Etsy store.

If you’re looking for a custom gift, we can also list it on Etsy for you. All our payments are handled on PayPal’s secure server and no payment details are taken or stored on our website. During the checkout process you will be redirected to PayPal where you can pay with your debit/credit card, whether you have a PayPal account or not.

Money Clip Gift Ideas

Of all the many things we make there’s no doubt I like nothing more than creating a new money clip design. I’ll confess that until two years ago I’d never owned or used one, but now I’m never without mine.

Therefore, as a gift idea they’re simply perfect for the man who already has everything. Because there is no real design limitation, they can be personalised to suit anyone. It’s also the type of gift that it doesn’t really matter if the recipient already has one, as I find it’s not possible to have too many! I have two ‘favourite’ money clips right now and rather more back-ups, depending on where I’m going! I’m always thinking about whats going on my next one too of course.

So currently there are around 20 hand stamped and etched money clip designs on our website. These examples give a rather good idea of how much detail and content we can fit on each clip. Whilst I love making each and every one of them, I love nothing more than receiving a request for a custom one.

Money Clip Designs

So, what can we do? Well hand stamping offers the most simple (also effective) form of personalisation. Hence the popularity of initials on the front and short message on the rear to make a really special gift. In addition, dates and coordinates are also a popular choice. Consequently, we’re happy to look up the latitude and longitude of any location and hand stamp this on the rear of the money clip. Hence, these make particularly good gifts for wedding favours, making brilliant keepsakes and usable everyday items too.

If it’s something more eye-catching you’re looking for, then our etched money clips certainly offer greater design opportunities. These can feature images and text relating to occupations, hobbies, pastimes, music, travel, cars, etc., the list is endless. Initials and messages can also be etched in just about any size and style of font.

My personal favourites are the ones that combine both etching and hand stamping. Hand stamping gives some texture and earthiness to the copper, and as a result of this, a more rustic feel is achieved. Additionally, by texturing the edges of the money clip with a ball pein hammer a beautiful weathered appearance can be achieved. An added bonus to hand stamping and texturing is that the process also ‘work hardens’ the copper making for a more effective spring tension within the clip.

Finally the Finish

Whilst bright new shiny copper is lovely, aged, rustic, distressed copper looks even more stunning. The rich coppery tones I strive to achieve on our money clips is all due to the final few processes.

Once sanded and textured an application of an ageing patina darkens the copper anywhere from a light brown tan colour to near pitch black. The use of patina is twofold. Primarily it is to make the design really stand out. The recessed areas of the etched image or hand stamped letters retain the dark patina and consequently provide a clear contrast to the copper colour. Secondly, a light application of patina adds age to the clip, highlights the textures and brings out a vast array of rich coppery tones that ‘new’ copper simply doesn’t have. The lightest of polishes with fine wire wool and several protective coatings of Renaissance Wax then completes the clip.

There’s no substitute for actual ageing though. Because of this, I find that the older and more used that a money clip is, the better it looks. This is one of the many things I love about copper in general.

Create Your Own Bespoke Money Clip

So, buy any of our money clips as listed, or add your own personalised touches to our existing designs. Since no machine processes are involved, no two money clips will ever be exactly the same. However, if you’re feeling inspired to create a truly one-off gift for yourself or someone else, why not get in touch now and we’ll help you create a stunning bespoke design that’s perfectly suited.

Finally, if you’re completely stuck for ideas we can always offer a full custom design for you. Tell us as much as possible about the recipient and we’ll take care of the rest!

All our money clip designs are also available from our Etsy Store

Star Wars Themed Coasters

We’re loving how these first few Star Wars themed coasters have turned out. After our beautiful sugar skull design coasters were so well received we kicked off the Star Wars theme with a Day of the Dead inspired Storm Trooper. With a the new movie Rogue One on the way, we though why not etch a few classic Star Wars related images and make a set of coasters?

We think they’re looking pretty awesome!

Currently, we’ve only etched two classics, the Death Star and the Millennium Falcon. We’ll be adding a Tie Fighter and X-Wing any day now! When completed, this set of four classic ships will look amazing. We’ll be adding new photos as soon as we can, so keep checking!

Like all our other coaster designs, these are etched in solid copper and backed with cork. Not only beautiful to look at, but practical too! At 10 cm square they’re large enough to handle just about any cup or mug.

They will be available very soon, both here and in our Etsy store. If you wish to pre-order or commission a particular design, please get in touch via the ‘Contact’ link.

Sugar Skull – Day of the Dead – Día de los Muertos

The Day of the Dead is a holiday for remembering those who have passed. A festive time of celebration. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Mexico, but other countries celebrate versions of Day of the Dead for honouring their dead too. Celebrated in Central and South America, Europe and Asia, the holiday is observed according to their own local customs and incorporating their own sugar skull designs.

Day of the Dead is also particularly popular in California, Texas, Arizona and other parts of the United States.

Many people around the world, even if they are not directly connected to Mexican culture, are drawn to the concept and imagery of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. This holiday gains popularity as more people learn about it. It’s not surprising as so many of the beautiful designs associated with the celebrations feature such amazing artwork.

Since we made our first sugar skull key ring I’ve been wanting to make more similar designs. We followed the keyrings up with a beautiful bookmark design, but our latest set of coasters are simply amazing!

Four handmade etched copper coasters, featuring stunning sugar skulls make up this amazing Day of the Dead themed set. Each drink mat features a different sugar skull design meaning everyone can have ‘their’ coaster! We’ll be adding more Day of the Dead pieces in the very near future. This will include some amazing animal sugar skull designs and other themed sets. As with all our designs, you can add your own personal touch with the inclusion of a name or message.

We love custom orders, so please contact us to discuss the perfect bespoke gift. There’s no extra charge for most personal touches unless it is particularly time consuming, so why not make a unique gift just for you?

7th Wedding Anniversary Traditional Gifts

Copper has long had a traditional meaning of prosperity, good luck, and good fortune. Couples honouring their seventh wedding anniversary are celebrating their good fortune in finding one another.

Our love of all things copper means we’re ideally suited to make a special one-off piece for your 7th Wedding Anniversary.

A simple copper keyring or wallet card/insert with a personal message makes the perfect keepsake that can be carried always. Our personalised copper plaques make a beautiful reminder of a special occasion or celebration. A pair of coasters to are ideally suited for a copper wedding anniversary gift and our beautiful copper bookmarks are a gift that can be loved and used for all time.

You can personalise any of our existing pieces or create your own bespoke design for that special, one-off gift. Let us make the ideal traditional copper anniversary gift for your seventh wedding anniversary.

Use our contact form or email: chris@harrison-bond.com

I still get so excited about our personalised coasters. Every time I make a new one to add to our range of custom gift ideas, I just love them even more!

Personalised, handcrafted copper coasters. Fully customised to your requirements with an image, and/or text. Measuring approximate 10 cms (4″) square as standard, it can accommodate the chunkiest mugs, (can also be sized to suit).

Each coaster is individually handmade in solid copper and backed with cork for insulation and to prevent table damage. These unique pieces look and feel amazing and of course can be fully customised to make the perfect gift for absolutely anyone. Great commemorative gift – birthdays, anniversaries, wedding gifts, christenings, retirement, exam results, holiday mementos……. everyone needs somewhere to rest their mug!

We already have existing orders to complete, so look out for more example images very soon, or just go ahead and commission your own custom coaster set now.

Further details and pricing…