The Story Behind the Minstrel Spinning Necklace
Some designs begin with an idea, others with a happy accident - and sometimes, they come back to you years later, asking to be made again.
From Water World to Minstrel
When I was finishing my silver diploma, my final project had to include five techniques. I created a large spinning pendant that I called Water World: a bead with cut-outs of fish, seaweed, and bubbles, soldered together, set with a Swiss blue topaz, and finished with a handmade chain from scratch. It was bold, ocean-inspired, and it still lives in my workshop today.
My original silver diploma project, “Water World” - a large spinning pendant with hand-cut fish, seaweed, and bubbles. This design planted the seed for what later became the Minstrel Spinning Necklace.
📸 Worn on a handmade chain, “Water World” was bold, ocean-inspired, and a reminder that my spinning jewellery has always carried a little piece of the sea with it.
Reimagining the design
Fast forward to now: while working on my signature spinning necklaces, I found myself looking at that old diploma piece and thinking, why not bring this back - but simpler, stronger, and more wearable? Instead of intricate cut-outs, I wanted to make a solid version in sterling silver. A piece that could feel unisex, timeless, and grounding.
That’s how the Minstrel Spinning Necklace was born.
A name from my daughter
The name? That came from my daughter. When I finished the piece and showed it to her, she slipped it around her neck, spun it between her fingers, and laughed: “Mummy, it looks like a big silver Minstrel!” (We’d had Minstrels the day before, and she wasn’t wrong about the size!) The name stuck instantly - playful, a little unexpected, but full of warmth and memory.
📸 Nela wearing the necklace - the moment the name “Minstrel” was born.
Jewellery you don’t just wear - you live with
The Minstrel is bigger and bolder than my original spinning pendant, but it holds the same soul. It’s made to calm your mind, to bring joy when your hands need something to do, to be whatever you need it to be. One of my friends even used her spinning necklace as a way to quit smoking - every time the urge came, she spun it instead. That’s the beauty of these pieces: they’re jewellery you don’t just wear, you live with.
Materials and details
This version is handcrafted in solid sterling silver, hallmarked, and set with two London blue topaz stones (though as always, gemstones can be customised). Blue topaz has become something of a signature for me - its shades echo the colours of the Atlantic Ocean, and I return to it again and again.
📸 The Minstrel Spinning Necklace, handcrafted in sterling silver and set with London blue topaz.
My spinning necklaces are usually made to order, but occasionally I’ll create one in advance. Keep an eye on my newsletter or Instagram if you’d like to catch one that’s ready to ship.
Part of a growing story
For me, the original spinning necklace will always feel closest to my heart. But my family love the Minstrel version best - maybe because it carries that memory of laughter, of play, of a moment of connection over something so simple.
And perhaps that’s the true heart of this design: it’s not just jewellery. It’s a piece of joy you can hold in your hands, breathe with, and spin whenever life feels too much.
📸 The original and the Minstrel together - two ways to hold a little piece of the ocean close.
