Blog

Here we provide insight into our inspirations, share our jewellery making processes and our love of beautiful things.

2022 PIKE Collection Pendant

By Nicholas Pike | November 27, 2022

Hello there, it’s been quite a while since I have written to you all – in fact it was a year ago. I can’t believe that my last blog and…

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Recent commissions

By Nicholas Pike | November 7, 2021

I would like to share some of our latest commissions – they have given us and our clients so much pleasure. Ruby and diamond ring The first commission which comes…

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2021 Christmas Collection

By Nicholas Pike | November 7, 2021

In so many ways 2021 has been a year like no other and one we won’t forget easily. I’m sure this heightened awareness of so many concerns is reinforced by…

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From the bench: solitaire princess cut engagement ring

By Matthew Pike | April 7, 2021

Making a classic PIKE style 4 claw solitaire ring with princess cut diamond. Starting with a square section of 18 ct white gold, a piece is cut off to the…

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Designing engagement and wedding rings

By Nicholas Pike | April 7, 2021

Hello! The beginning of 2021 at PIKE Jewellers has been very busy, in particular in designing and manufacturing solitaire diamond rings and matching wedding rings, and I would like to…

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Happy festive season

By Nicholas Pike | December 17, 2020

Hi everyone This is my last blog for 2020, and I am still amazed at the vast changes we have all experienced this year. This has been a year like…

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Opals

By Nicholas Pike | November 3, 2020

Hello, I hope you are well and are coping through these most testing times. Very fortunately, jewellery making at PIKE’s has been very busy with many commissions involving setting customer’s…

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The 2020 PIKE Collection

By Nicholas Pike | November 3, 2020

This year I wanted to create a continuous fluid form as a pendant capturing an elongated tapering shape about 6cm long. The highly polished finish and the classic shape gives…

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What to do with your old jewellery

By Nicholas Pike | August 2, 2020

Hello there During the last few months of very worrying events, a lot of people have been at home and the conversations we’ve had with customers often relate to finding…

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Pearls, pearls, pearls

By Lou Pike Pyman | May 13, 2020

We have made so many beautiful pieces that feature the stunning gemstone pearl. There are so many different types of pearls including South Sea and Tahitian, freshwater that are available…

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Photographing pearls

By Nicholas Pike | May 13, 2020

Hello from one of the few jewellers in Adelaide who has been able to remain open during this very anxious time. As a jeweller, designer and an artist I have…

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Remodelling while retaining original beauty

By Nicholas Pike | February 28, 2020

For many years I have been asked to pull apart beautiful and intrinsic pieces of old jewellery that are beautifully made and wonderfully realised due to their gemstone content and…

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Pink and white diamond ring

By Nicholas Pike | October 24, 2019

This blog post was written in collaboration with Nicholas and the clients. The commission began with Pike Jewellers being recommended to our clients through a friend and diamond setter Stephen…

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Celebrations, Olga and peridot

By Nicholas Pike | August 28, 2019

Hello to you all. This month we are celebrating many things – the commencement of our sixth year at Highgate, completion of two very complex and lengthy commissions that were…

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Designing the 2019 PIKE Collection pendant – let us know what you think!

By Nicholas Pike | July 15, 2019

The beginning of another collection for PIKE The weather may be dreary and cold but I find it an energizing time for designing. Sitting in a warm room with a…

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Tourmaline at PIKE

By Lou Pike Pyman | June 13, 2019

We have always loved tourmaline at PIKE because of the amazing variety of colours they offer. Here are some of the colours:   If you have fallen in love with…

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My favourite gemstones

By Heidi Ioannou | June 13, 2019

I am constantly impressed by the beauty of sapphires. Long gone are my days of thinking of sapphire as just ‘blue’; after working at Pike for almost 3 years I’ve been exposed to…

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The beauty of Tourmaline

By Nicholas Pike | June 13, 2019

Tourmaline –  and my alternative birthstone for October. It is really hard to believe that it’s nearly the middle of the year; I have had an amazing beginning to this…

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PIKE in Croatia

By Nicholas Pike | May 30, 2019

We love to hear from our clients about how much they enjoy their PIKE jewellery, and we have just received a fantastic email from one of clients who is travelling…

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Textured gold

By Nicholas Pike | May 16, 2019

Hi everyone! At last, some decent rain, hasn’t it been wonderful! Recently, we flew to Sydney to celebrate the wedding of two very special friends, and I had an opportunity…

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Diamond remodelling

By Lou Pike Pyman | April 9, 2019

Here are some of our recent diamond remodelling commissions. Please enjoy and click on each image to read the story behind the commissions: To see more of our stunning remodelling…

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Remodelling diamonds

By Nicholas Pike | April 9, 2019

As you are aware from my previous blogs, something I love to do is remodel existing jewellery, to re-imagine a group of often forgotten pieces and give them a new…

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The joy of making an engagement ring

By Matthew Pike | March 19, 2019

Hello again Thank you for all of the positive comments about my first blog, I hope you enjoy this one as much. I have known the customer who commissioned this…

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aquamarine and diamonds

The history of engagement rings

By Nicholas Pike | March 5, 2019

Firstly congratulations Matthew on your great blog last month, it was exciting to share and enjoy your first story and I’m looking forward to many more. Your perspective and ability…

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An amazing ring for an amazing customer

By Matthew Pike | February 6, 2019

Hello, my name is Matthew Pike, and I am the manufacturing jeweller at PIKE. This is my first blog post, so go easy! I recently had the pleasure of making…

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A contemporary remodelling commission

By Nicholas Pike | February 6, 2019

I wanted to share a recent commission I did for a client who first visited me at our Fullarton Road store in 1978 and has remained a long-standing client and friend.   She asked about having…

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An exciting pink diamond commission

By Nicholas Pike | January 10, 2019

Happy New Year everyone and I wish you good health, happiness and prosperity over the year ahead. I want to share a beautiful story with you, with the blessing of…

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A ‘branch’ of diamonds

By Nicholas Pike | December 10, 2018

Hi everyone, December is here and what a year 2018 has been for us. We have completed some of the most rewarding contemporary, classic, simple and complicated pieces, all of…

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Personalising the 2018 PIKE Collection

By Nicholas Pike | November 13, 2018

Hi everyone I hope you’ve had time to visit our great new website and discover all the amazing content we have showcased. We worked hard as a team to make…

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Birthstones explained

By Nicholas Pike | October 12, 2018

The process of understanding the range of gems representing both calendar months and zodiac dates began for me years ago. Recently, I was commissioned to design a bangle that was…

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ring design adelaide

Personalising in a subtle way

By Lou Pike Pyman | July 11, 2018

Some of the ways we personalise our handmade jewellery at PIKE are very subtle, while some are more obvious – but they are always designed for the pleasure of the…

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diamond ring design with initials

Another layer of personalisation

By Nicholas Pike | July 11, 2018

So, we’re past the winter solstice and although we need lots more rain, I really love this time of the year. It’s conducive for my design work because I’m invigorated…

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cuff links design

Using hand engraving to add depth to design

By Lou Pike Pyman | June 12, 2018

We use hand engraving at PIKE to add depth to our designs. We are very lucky to have an amazing hand engraver in Adelaide who helps Nicholas’ designs come to…

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engraved mens signet ring adelaide

The art of hand engraving

By Nicholas Pike | June 12, 2018

It’s June –  shorter days and quite cold, so I can think of nothing better than a hearty meal in warm surrounds with family and friends or maybe sitting in…

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nicholas and helen pike

Living my values

By Nicholas Pike | May 14, 2018

Hello everyone. I have been sitting at my computer for about an hour writing a list of interesting things that I enjoy and have noticed a strong consistent thread in…

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aquamarine and diamond rings

Aquamarines, aquamarines, aquamarines

By Lou Pike Pyman | May 14, 2018

We have had some requests recently to share some of our beautiful designs using Aquamarine; this beautiful blue gemstone has always been one of our favourite gemstones to work with,…

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best jewellery design adelaide

The beauty of diamonds

By Lou Pike Pyman | April 17, 2018

We love using diamonds at PIKE, and wanted to share some of our latest commissions that feature these beautiful gemstones with you:

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rough diamond adelaide

Diamonds

By Nicholas Pike | April 17, 2018

Hi everyone I love this time of year because the weather seems more constant and the public holidays have given us more time to spend with family and friends. And…

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amethyst rose gold earrings and pendant

Some of our favourites from the last 12 months: Part 2.

By Lou Pike Pyman | March 14, 2018

We love looking back at the beautiful pieces we have the privilege of making at PIKE. Here are some of the gorgeous pieces we have made in the last twelve…

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monochrome design adelaide

The beauty of Marimekko

By Nicholas Pike | March 14, 2018

Well, it’s Mad March in Adelaide and there is so much happening. The weather has been glorious and it must be gratifying for all the organisers of particularly the outside…

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coloured stone necklace adelaide

A family necklace

By Nicholas Pike | March 14, 2018

In a recent blog, I mentioned a necklace we have been commissioned to make which has been a real milestone for us. It is now completed. It is a very…

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three colour ring design

The jewellery ‘makeover’.

By Nicholas Pike | February 14, 2018

I hope your New Year has begun well and if you had the chance to take a Xmas break, I hope you are refreshed and willing to take on whatever…

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modern citrine diamond ring

Some of our favourites from the last twelve months: Part 1.

By Lou Pike Pyman | February 14, 2018

We always enjoy looking back at the beautiful pieces that we have made, and we wanted to share some of our favourites from 2017 with you. Here are half of…

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happy new year adelaide

Happy New Year!

By Nicholas Pike | January 14, 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you had a very happy festive season and got to spend time with your loved ones doing fun things. When starting a new year, I…

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adelaide christmas tree

Reflecting on a wonderful 2017

By Nicholas Pike | December 11, 2017

Can you believe it’s nearly Xmas! December each year seems to be a time that I reflect back and celebrate the amazing pieces that have been commissioned. It is no…

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sapphire claw set diamonds

Classic three stone ring

By Lou Pike Pyman | December 8, 2017

One of our most popular requests for design and making stories from our customers is the three stone ring: a classic favourite. While we specialise in remodelling commissions at PIKE,…

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adelaide three stone diamond ring

Remodelling magic: two tone diamond ring

By Lou Pike Pyman | November 15, 2017

  This beautiful two-tone diamond ring started as a pair of stud earrings and two rings: The three larger diamonds were all of similar size, so Nicholas had to get…

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fish brooch

Fascination with fish

By Nicholas Pike | November 13, 2017

Fascination with Fish I have been on a voyage of discovery this month and it’s all about fish. My research into the historical meaning of fish has been intriguing. The…

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drop earring design adelaide

PIKE Christmas Collections: past and present

By Lou Pike Pyman | October 10, 2017

The PIKE Jewellers Christmas Collection began in 2014. It began as a commitment to creating a collection of beautiful quality, affordable jewellery and introducing a new, interesting and collectable design…

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nature jewellery design

The inspiration for the PIKE Christmas Collection 2017.

By Nicholas Pike | October 10, 2017

Hi everyone It is October already, and I am excited to tell you we have just launched this year’s Christmas Collection! You may remember that since opening at Highgate we…

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leaf jewellery design adelaide

The making of the Christmas Collection 2017

By Lou Pike Pyman | October 6, 2017

The PIKE Jewellers Christmas Collection 2017 is inspired by nature. Nicholas drew this beautiful cluster of leaf pendants one evening, and couldn’t wait to bring them in to reality. And…

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pearl and silver necklace

Pearls reborn

By Nicholas Pike | September 13, 2017

The warm weather is on its way and the dormant things in our garden are beginning to show new growth. It seems to have been colder this year, and it…

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pearl and coloured stone necklace

Modern pearls

By Lou Pike Pyman | September 13, 2017

Remodelling is one of the things we love to do most at PIKE. And remodelling pearls is always a fun and creative process! See how Nicholas has breathed new, modern…

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adelaide diamond and pearl ring

Pearl engagement ring

By Lou Pike Pyman | September 13, 2017

Pearls are not the most obvious choice for the main stone in an engagement ring. This beautiful pearl and diamond ring is just that – a stunning engagement ring. And…

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shiny metal and red design

International windows

By Lou Pike Pyman | August 16, 2017

Nicholas has always believed in the power of a beautifully thought out and crafted window display, to complement his recognisable jewellery designs. While at Burnside Village, he created many striking,…

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ring modern design

Clean Lines

By Lou Pike Pyman | August 16, 2017

  There are some customers who come to PIKE with a very clear inspiration for the jewellery they would like us to make them. In the case of this beautiful…

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adelaide jewellery window

Windows of the soul

By Nicholas Pike | August 15, 2017

Hello, and I want to thank everyone who has sent me sentiments of sympathy after the death of my mother Kitty in early July. She was a lovely mum, and…

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Kit Pike

A tribute to my lovely mother

By Nicholas Pike | July 11, 2017

My dearest mother Kit I will miss you terribly, but I want at this time to truly celebrate your life. I celebrate your many achievements over your ninety one years:…

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sapphire and rose gold ring

Sapphire and diamonds reinvented

By Lou Pike Pyman | July 9, 2017

We love remodelling at PIKE. This remodelling commission involved Nicholas reinventing an oval blue sapphire and some diamonds of varying sizes: Nicholas considered all of the stones and designed a…

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starfish jewellery design

Water inspiration

By Lou Pike Pyman | July 8, 2017

Nicholas has always been inspired by water, in particular the ocean. This beautiful element of nature has influenced his watercolour painting (read more about that here), as well as his…

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water colour beach

Water: how it inspires me

By Nicholas Pike | July 8, 2017

Hello everyone It’s July already, and we have just celebrated our third birthday at Highgate. Can you believe that we established this new business three years ago? I’d like to…

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full circle diamond ring adelaide

Diamonds reinvented

By Lou Pike Pyman | June 6, 2017

The commission of the remodelling of this ring involved turning three rings into one. There were 5 larger sized diamonds from one ring, and them a number of smaller stones…

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hand cut ring design

Gardens and Floral Inspiration

By Nicholas Pike | June 5, 2017

Hello everyone Thank you to the readers who have taken the time to contact me about my blogs. I am happy that so many of you write and comment, and…

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yellow diamond ring adelaide

Inspired by flora

By Lou Pike Pyman | June 5, 2017

Nature has been a source of inspiration for artists including painters, sculptors and jewellers for hundreds of years. Flowers, in particular, have been a strong theme for jewellery. Here are…

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four diamond ring

Four stone beauty

By Lou Pike Pyman | May 6, 2017

How did Nicholas and Matthew turn the four diamonds from these old rings and earrings into this beautiful ring? Follow their process here: Matthew starts every piece by melting gold,…

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silver work

Wendts, Bell & Brunt, and Julius Schomburgk

By Nicholas Pike | May 6, 2017

Hi everyone Easter is over, and the cold weather is suddenly upon us. I hope you all enjoyed the break – we were commenting at work only recently that although…

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pike wedding clare valley

Weddings and anniversaries

By Nicholas Pike | April 11, 2017

The month of April has always been special to me and my family. Helen’s birthday is in April, as is our wedding anniversary and this month always heralds beautiful Autumn…

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emerald cut diamonds and white gold

Diamonds, diamonds, diamonds

By Lou Pike Pyman | April 11, 2017

 

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white and yellow gold earrings adelaide

From studs to stunning drops

By Lou Pike Pyman | April 11, 2017

From simple diamond studs to a pair of stunning drop earrings: These beautiful earrings were created by Matthew using over 20 individual processes of hand making. Here, we share some…

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ring designs

The magic behind remodelling at PIKE

By Nicholas Pike | March 15, 2017

Mad March in Adelaide!  We are so lucky to live in such an amazing city. It’s a wonderful and vibrant place to live particularly at Festival time when there is…

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adelaide aquamarine ring

Aquamarines, aquamarines, aquamarines

By Lou Pike Pyman | March 15, 2017

It’s the month of March, which means it’s beautiful Aquamarine time. Aquamarine has always been one of our favourite gemstones to work with, and is also one of most requested…

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famous cuff

Maria Felix and Cartier

By Lou Pike Pyman | February 14, 2017

There have been some famous collaborations between creative artists and famous jewellery houses over the years, and one that has resulted in some very unique jewellery is that between Mexican…

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nicholas pike jewellery 1980

Working as a creative has its challenges

By Nicholas Pike | February 14, 2017

Hello to you all, I hope you are getting through the extreme hot weather. It’s February and birthday time for two members of my family. I wish them both a…

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jewellery design diamond

Dream designs

By Nicholas Pike | February 14, 2017

As we start 2017, I wanted to share some of my dream designs. I have always loved designing artistic, out-of-the-box jewellery pieces, which I was reminded of when I was…

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jewellery remodel design

A three stone diamond ring with a difference

By Lou Pike Pyman | February 13, 2017

This month, we’re sharing a very different diamond ring. It features three larger round diamonds, as well as some tapered baguette diamonds, which can be challenging to design with. Here,…

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Helen pike

Happy New Year

By Nicholas Pike | January 11, 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here we go – 2017. Recently so many of our television channels showed events representing 2016 and focused on so many awful and heart wrenching stories. I…

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bezel set diamond ring

New beginnings

By Lou Pike Pyman | January 10, 2017

  Welcome to our first remodelling story of 2017. This commission started when our customer came to Nicholas with some rings that she wasn’t wearing anymore: And the brief was…

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window display

From Burnside Village to Highgate

By Nicholas Pike | December 12, 2016

Can you believe it’s December again? PIKE Jewellers is celebrating its third Christmas in the new location at Highgate. Wow the time has flown! It seems like it was only…

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fish jewellery design pike

Personalising the 2016 PIKE Christmas Collection

By Lou Pike Pyman | November 20, 2016

Nicholas has had lots of enquiries about the 2016 PIKE Christmas Collection and how it can be personalised, so we’re sharing some of his suggestions of how it can be…

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jewellery model

Live window displays and the Million Dollar Hat

By Nicholas Pike | November 20, 2016

I cannot believe it is only five weeks to Christmas, it seems only a few months ago that I was writing my blog leading to the festive season of 2015.…

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Nicholas Pike christmas design

How did Nicholas design and make the 2016 Christmas Collection?

By Lou Pike Pyman | October 12, 2016

This year, he tried something a bit different. He was interested in getting some input from some of a range of PIKE customers, and invited them to a series of…

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wax casting

Lost wax technique: Nicholas explains how it works.

By Nicholas Pike | October 12, 2016

Working in Wax For centuries a method of producing jewellery called lost wax has been used. It is a process that begins with a model made from wax and ends…

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Nicholas Pike 1990

‘Evening Brilliants’ and the Burnside Village era

By Nicholas Pike | October 11, 2016

Hello to you all. It’s Saturday and I have just come inside after sitting in our back garden having a most relaxing brunch. After the last few weeks of extremely…

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jewellery remodel adelaide

Sapphire and diamonds

By Lou Pike Pyman | September 13, 2016

This month we are sharing how we made a ring that started with an original sapphire and diamond three stone that Nicholas made many years ago (below): Our customer was…

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complex necklace design

When Nicholas’ imagination runs wild

By Lou Pike Pyman | September 13, 2016

We have had a request to show some of Nicholas’ designs, and have decided to share what happens when he lets his imagination run wild… All of these are available…

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Jewellery display 1980s

PIKE in the city: the beginning of the famous PIKE windows

By Nicholas Pike | September 8, 2016

Hi everyone I hope you are all well and avoiding the change of season colds and flu and now surprisingly Spring hayfever! Thank you for your favourable comments over the…

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amethyst

How gemstones are shaped, faceted and polished

By Nicholas Pike | August 10, 2016

Have you ever wondered how gemstones are cut into the beautiful shapes you buy them in? At a reader’s request, we’re sharing the process with you this month: People who…

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original Oakbank beer

Why the fish?

By Nicholas Pike | August 10, 2016

Hello to all my readers and I hope you found it interesting reading about my early years as I began my journey into adulthood and into the world of creating…

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remodelled jewellery

A family stone

By Lou Pike Pyman | August 9, 2016

How many people can say they wear a gemstone that was hand cut by a family member? This month we’re showing you how Nicholas and Matthew designed and hand made…

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champagne diamond ring

The art of a halo cluster

By Lou Pike Pyman | July 11, 2016

Have you ever wondered how the very popular halo cluster engagement rings are hand made? This month, we share one of our champagne diamond engagement rings, carefully designed by Nicholas…

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nicholas pike jewellery 1980

The history of Nicholas…

By Nicholas Pike | July 5, 2016

Firstly, thank you to all the participants of our first 2016 Design Workshops, which we held in May and June in our studio at Highgate. The format for the evenings…

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modern jewellery adelaide

A striking commitment ring

By Lou Pike Pyman | June 8, 2016

This beautiful ladies commitment ring is the perfect complement to the gents ring we featured last month (read about how we made the gents ring here). Nicholas’ brief was to…

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Paspaley and gold adelaide

PIKE and Paspaley

By Nicholas Pike | June 7, 2016

Hello everyone I hope you are all well and avoiding the change of season illnesses. From what we have experienced personally and from the news our clients bring, there have…

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modern jewellery adelaide

Pushing the boundaries

By Lou Pike Pyman | May 11, 2016

At PIKE, we are committed to designing and hand making rings that are beautiful, unique and push the boundaries of both design and manufacture, while still remaining wearable and timeless.…

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fish jewellery

European travels

By Nicholas Pike | May 11, 2016

Welcome to my May blog. I hope you are all enjoying this change in the weather, and although it is beautiful I know there are many people wanting lots and…

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Yellow diamond white gold ring

A stunning transformation

By Lou Pike Pyman | April 12, 2016

How did Nicholas and Matthew turn these broken rings into this stunning new one? The re-modelling that we do at PIKE doesn’t always happen by choice. In this case, the…

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diamond ring adelaide

Diamonds, love and weddings

By Nicholas Pike | April 11, 2016

Well it’s already April, and I really struggled with what topic I would cover this month as I find some months the words don’t always flow easily. But then it…

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mens ring brushed

Men’s Rings at PIKE

By Lou Pike Pyman | March 9, 2016

We make fantastic men’s rings at PIKE. From classic, plain 6mm wide comfortable wedding rings to intricate and complex, modern designs, we love making them. There was a request from…

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jewellery engraving adelaide

Nicholas’ Blog: Leap years and hand engraving

By Nicholas Pike | March 8, 2016

Hello and I hope you are all enjoying this amazing weather and the beginning of Mad March. As we all know, 2016 is a leap year and I hadn’t realised…

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