As the days move toward Christmas and the year begins to exhale, I find myself instinctively slowing down. Not because there's less to do, but because something within asks for reflection, a moment to notice what the year has quietly given.

This December, I've been drawn to the idea of noticing.

So much of life passes unobserved, yet the smallest moments often end up shaping us most.

The softness of morning light on my workbench. The first spark of a design taking form. A customer sharing the story behind a gift. The quiet satisfaction of finishing a piece late at night, when the house is finally still.

These moments don't make headlines. But they make a year.

And gratitude grows from noticing them.

Gratitude is not a grand feeling - it is simply a way of seeing.

Through gratitude, I realise that nothing good that happened this year was accidental. Inspiration arrived as a gift. Support came through people. Challenges taught me resilience. Beauty revealed itself in small, ordinary corners of daily life.

As I look back on the pieces I designed this year, I see more than craft. I see stories. Moments that shaped the colours I chose. Conversations that sparked new ideas. Unexpected requests that pushed me creatively. And days when discipline carried me more than inspiration.

Jewellery making, like life, is always a blend of intuition and intention.

As 2026 approaches, I find myself asking gentle questions:

What do I want to carry into the new year? What needs more space? What can I release? What do I hope to grow into?

Perhaps you're asking similar questions. May be your intention is rest. Or courage. Or clarity. Or simply a deeper awareness of the small things.

A piece of jewellery worn daily can become a quiet reminder of that intention - a companion to the journey ahead.

Looking toward 2026, I'm allowing ideas to unfold slowly: new gemstones, more colour, a return to certain classics, perhaps designs I haven't yet imagined.

No rush.

Just a gentle openness to what comes next.

Gratitude for what has been.

Intention for what will be.

And the art of noticing - always - in between.