In the end, I think that we are all here to crack each others hearts wide open.
Key pendant.
Handmade with amethyst and recycled sterling silver.
This Monday in my online shop.
Eureka
Lemons. Sea breeze on bare shoulders. My father, cousin Alex, Vanessa and I, rollerskating down California streets at night. The scent of flowers, hot pavement, a star filled sky. Summers that live in my mind.
Our small family, usually cold and bundled up in our house in the forest, now bare and free. A rare chance to enjoy dad on vacation. Later, macaroni and cheese for dinner, black licorice for dessert.
Eureka ring.
Handmade with lemon quartz and recycled sterling silver.
This week in my online shop.
Submerged
The simple things are not the easiest. To allow what is. To let go of what is not. It takes skill to be at ease with each moment.
Submerged ring.
Handmade with fluorite and recycled sterling silver.
This week in my online shop.
Sovereign
I was born into a life of beauty. I lived in homes designed by my father, colored by my mother's yarns, surrounded by lush forest and jungle. Animals, insects and blue sky; rounded corners, orange tiles and wooden walls soaked my heart with beauty.
Now the city surrounds me, and it is the beauty of art, music and poetry that connects me with the awe of existence.
Sovereign ring.
Handmade with fluorite and recycled sterling silver.
Next week in my online shop.
Origin
15 years ago, I tattooed a symbol on my left arm to remind myself to live with an open heart; to not allow the experiences of life toughen me, but instead make me gentle with myself and others. This is a big challenge, since I grew up feeling that it was painful to depend on others, to love and let them love me.
Today, I am one of the toughest people I know, which always made me proud, like I’d succeeded as a human being. But now I wonder if maybe I didn’t succeed at all, I just survived. Perhaps the essence of me is still a seed that wants to become a flower, and what it needs is love, light and tenderness.
Origin ring.
Handmade with lapis lazuli and recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.
Complex
For most of my life, I have feared certain aspects of my personality. I thought that if I kept them hidden from myself, they would not take over, because deep down I believed these traits were who I really was.
Lately, as I am more at ease with myself, I’ve discovered that:
1. These traits do not make me a terrible person, they make me part of human kind.
2. I am happier and more humble now I know that I am no better or worse than anyone else.
3. There is no single aspect that defines me. I am a mix of contradictory emotions that come and go.
4. Life is so much richer when I understand how complex and undefinable I am.
Complex Ring.
Handmade with labradorite moonstone and recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.
Balance
I perceive two contrary forces within me: the most evident, are the stories I tell myself and others about who I am and why I do the things I do.
The other (more hidden), is my internal struggle with power, and how I manage to satisfy my needs. To be at ease with myself and feel complete, I need to accept that both are part of who I am.
Balance ring.
Handmade with lapis lazuli and recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.
Opening
I love how time has slowed down. It has given me the pause I need to savor life. As my mind quiets down, my body joins the rhythm of nature and my existence feels richer.
I can now appreciate art and friendship more fully. I can digest and integrate my experience of the past. I am open to feel the gift of love, cry the tears I’d held back, and release accumulated tension in my body.
The truth of who I am is revealed by this perspective of time and space.
Opening Pendant.
Handmade with ametrine and recycled sterling silver.
Omen
I am fascinated by how others read my work. A single piece evokes different interpretations, which makes me think that symbols are containers for the meaning we give them. In other words, because we see what we need to see, a symbol’s greatest power lies in teaching us who we are and what we want.
Omen Ring.
Handmade with carnelian and recycled sterling silver.
Impromptu
Lately, I’ve been taking all the time I need to make a piece. I usually begin with a sketch, but I mostly improvise as I work. Sometimes this leads to dead ends, others to interesting results. Not knowing where the process will take me has made my work much more exciting!
Impromptu Ring.
Handmade with fluorite and recycled sterling silver.
Magical
Today I received a wonderful message from Maria, in Massachusetts:
“You are a true magician, Jennifer, your work is powerful, spiritual and superbly crafted. Every time I know I'll have a difficult day, I wear something yours, and it makes me feel so much stronger, calmer, just better... I am so grateful that you are out there creating and making the world more beautiful.”
Thank you for continuing to enjoy my work! We create this magic together.
Magical Necklace.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
Next Tuesday in my online shop.
Expansive
I have a feeling that everything that has happened to me was orchestrated by me. Not with my full approval, but with the force of an expanding energy that just wants to be. An energy that cares nothing for social constructs, safety or reputation. A relentless desire for adventure and creation.
I am learning to trust this internal current, even when it feels self-destructive, because self-destruction can be positive. Especially when I break false ideas I have about myself, beliefs like I'm worthless or nobody cares. I am a force of nature, and I prefer to align with it than suffer its expansive and scary ways.
Expansion necklace.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.
Revelation
Today I am excited! I’m remembering how I used to feel when I began making jewelry ages ago. The possibilities! The potential! The mystery and adventure! Anything can happen. I can create a world. I can participate. I have something to say, and as I say it, I create it.
This is what I came to do. I came to create my world. I came to give birth to myself. My potential unfolds as I express who I am. Through writing, drawing, forging. It feels good to not avoid me. I am excited to be back on a great adventure with myself.
This is what it means to be a creator: to take what I was given, the good and bad and mold it into a story, into meaning into beauty. Beauty now being all of it, the whole of me. The depth lies in all of it, and how I’ve longed for it! I am the guide I always sought. The hidden wise crone.
On the other side of fear lies adventure. What a revelation for someone who was terrified of taking a step in any direction: on the other side of everything is something else. The next step appears after the one I take now.
Revelation necklace.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.
Integrate
“Integrating the mind is the essence of life. Decide you will always say and do only what you feel is right. Then, you will come to tremendous clarity and conviction in the inner and outer worlds.”
Integrate necklace.
Handmade with transparent quartz and recycled sterling silver.
Next week in my online shop.
Shadow
“To confront a person with their own shadow is to show them their own light.”
Stretch
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”
Nest
“Each has to enter the nest made by the other imperfect bird.”
Wild
“Tame birds sing of freedom. Wild birds fly.”
Wild necklace.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver and transparent quartz.
Soon in my online shop.
Flow
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
Flow necklace.
Handmade with transparent quartz and recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.
Nurture
“Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will.”
Nurture Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver and transparent quartz.
Soon in my online shop.