Skip to main content

Jewellery Holds Our Memories

Jewellery is often with us during special moments, experiences, and milestones. Sometimes it is given to us by a special person, or in a special way, or at a special time. Our jewellery pieces carry these memories for us, even when we didn't mean them to.

Sometimes, there are experiences so personal, and so common, that we keep them in our own special way, and only share them with certain people, when we feel the time is right. It might be through a song, a poem, sculpture, or painting, and this is often the way that artists touch us in the deepest way - by channeling, sharing and expressing our stories. As a goldsmith, my poetry and sculpture is precious and portable. I am acutely aware that I am always creating vessels that may carry memories and emotions which haven't happened yet, but sometimes, I also get to design pieces that can carry an emotions someone has been holding alone. This is a special connection we artists have, and always have had, to the human experience.


I've designed a flower pendant with an empty petal, pictured here, for those who would like a subtle, sweet expression of a personal memory or loss. As the warm weather arrives, and new life is on display, we can enjoy it all, and quietly remember.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

It's Good to be in Knots

 Through the pandemic, much cleaning was done.  Many boxes discovered, and their treasures revealed.  Treasures like old rings (too small), brooches (too outdated), and necklaces (too broken).  You may, like me, have wondered why treasure chests in the old movies always seemed to have loose gems in them.  There could be a terrible, historical reason for that I can cover in a another post, or it was just theatrical drama, but I think many people these days have similar stashes because they simply do not know what to do with them.   Over the last few decades, there have been literally tons of silverware and ornate jewellery deemed gaudy and melted down for money.  Diamonds get reset into new engagement rings.  But what about pearls?  How do you know if they are real, if they are worth anything, do they need to be treated in a special way, and what can you do with them? 1. Real pearls have a subtle, grainy texture.  Experts will look f...

August is for Space Aliens

I could end it right there.  There is enough going on, why not space aliens?  But let me explain... August is the month of heat, and last hurrah's, lions, dried grass, earlier evenings, and the stone that sums it all up - peridot.  I say "pear-ih-doh", but some people say "pear-ih-dot", and google translate agrees with them.   There are only 2 green birthstones.  One is Emerald, which is famous, and has ties to other stones in its Beryl family, like Aquamarine.  The other is peridot, sometimes called "the evening emerald" because it keeps its glowy green essence in low lighting, like an... alien?  No, not yet.  Stay with me.   Peridot gets its green from its iron content, which is unique in stones.  It comes in many shades, but no other colour, and is linked to no other gems.  It is a loner, a maverick, an outsider.  The world used to get its peridot from the Red Sea, but now peridot is mined from Pakistan to Arizona....

In The Middle Of A Fall

Fall colours are beautiful for their differences. I once flew east over Canada at this time of the year.  The steady red sea of fiery maples was breathtaking, but for the most part, I enjoy how the yellows, greens, reds and oranges vibrate together along autumn country roads. The stones of October have similar traits - modest hues, variety, and gorgeous, breathtaking beauty. Traditionally, Opal has been the October stone.  Its silica and 10 percentage of water brings out lovely colours the way a good rain before a sunny day brings out a rainbow over a Fall feast of foliage.  We know White Opal, but there are also the deep greens and blues of Black Opal, and NOTHING does red or orange like Fire Opal. In modern times, we also consider Tourmaline an October stone.  Most birthstone displays will show a pale pink sparkler, but Tourmaline can show an array of pinks, browns, greens, yellows, blues, and even combinations within a stone. Which of these gorgeous gems says...