Teenagers Eva Wishart and Emily Smith launch project to breed and release 250 of the tiny animals by September

Listen to the latest episodes of Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics on BBC Sounds.

I'm in the midst of a commission to incorporate some cremation ashes into a ring. I'd hoped to share the actual completed ring in a regular post, but I'm waiting on my gem supplier to send me a specific stone that has meaning for my customer; so I'm showing what I made with the clay dust that's left over from the original ring piece, which can be classed as reuse of waste.

The Afternoon Off I love Kat's writing. She's a massive fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld* and this is absolutely perfect. I may have something in my eye *I didn't discover him til my late 20s and recently reread them all. I'm particularly fond of his footnotes and subtle jibes A figure with long, reddish hair made its way across the grass of the Downs, sat heavily on a wooden bench, and stared out over the deep, V-shaped valley that a sign a little way back had declared to be the Devil’s Dyke. The figure’s appearance wavered in the late spring sunshine. They might have […] The Afternoon Off

Janet has a fab blog. A real mix of stuff, some of which (well much, tbh) is roll on the floor laugh out loud stuff. Here's today's. #cheeryuppy.

In which I make a wedding ring wearable again As we age, our joints and sizes change. This often means that items such as rings no longer fit, or get jammed onto a finger, necessitating drastic removal in the event of an emergency*. In March I was contacted by someone who was looking to do something with her father's wedding ring.

Butterfly Conservation poll is open until 7 June with choice of 60 species from small tortoiseshells to purple emperors

Here is a large room, in a large building. A nicely furnished space, with a long table made of exquisitely carved and polished wood and chairs that are comfortable enough to be obviously expensive,…

In which I repurpose an earring Jewellery is all about sentiment, isn't it?! I never wear gold. In fact, I've only ever worn gold reluctantly, and when someone's given it to me. And that means I've half a dozen pairs of studs that I've not worn since I was a teenager, almost 40 years ago. Of course, I've not been able to scrap them, because I remember who gave them to me, and what it meant, so like Smaug, I hoard them in my emergency gold pot, in case something needs a repair and I can reuse the metal there.

This year has been a rollercoaster for small jewellers already (and it's still only mid February! Bullion prices peaked at a ridiculously high price at the end of January, and have now levelled out to merely triple the price I was paying for my wire and sheet at the end of 2025.For a couple of weeks I was wondering if I should simply abandon the idea of making my more substantial pieces, but I gave myself a good talking to, had a splendid reflexology treatment (thanks…