Shop Update: Recent Work

I've just added my recent work to my online shop.
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Elevate

What is strength? I heard this question in a podcast this morning, and for me, my strength comes from believing that beauty matters. Regardless of what is happening in the world, I must find this quality, otherwise the sadness and tragedy of the human condition overwhelm me.

In difficult moments, beauty gives me peace and comfort; it allows me to take in the full experience of existence and feel its splendor.

Elevated Pendant.
Handmade with transparent quartz and recycled sterling silver.


Aligned

We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as wild. Earth was beautiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery.
— Luther Standing Bear

Aligned Ring.
Handmade with Tibetan turquoise and recycled sterling silver.


Bittersweet

The melancholic direction, which I call the “bittersweet” (is) a tendency to states of longing, poignancy, and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy at the beauty of the world.

The bittersweet is also about the recognition that light and dark, birth and death—bitter and sweet—are forever paired. “Days of honey, days of onion,” as an Arabic proverb puts it.
— Susan Cain

Bittersweet Pendant.
Handmade with tourmaline quartz, labradorite moonstone and recycled sterling silver.


Texture

What matters in modern music is not the part you can write down, the words and the tune, but the rest - the texture, the atmosphere, the references and associations.
— Brian Eno

Bar Necklace.
Handmade with Recycled sterling silver.


Stardust

If you knew how important you are, you would fragment into a billion pieces and just be light.
— Byron Katie

Stardust Necklace.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.


Wonder

I cherish the sense of wonder I get when I make something with my hands. It can be as simple as drawing a circle or a line on paper, or sawing dancing stars from a thick sheet of silver. This fascination, is the gift I receive for giving my full attention to my craft.

Wonder Necklace.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.


North Star

Explorers depend on the North Star when there are no other landmarks in sight. The same relationship exists between you and your right life, the ultimate realization of your potential for happiness. I believe that a knowledge of that perfect life sits inside you just as the North Star sits in its unaltering spot.
— Martha Beck

North Star Ring.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.

Treasure

When I was little, I found a rhinestone-covered button in my mother's sewing box. I removed the crystals with a knife, covered them in mud, and ran to my parents saying: I found diamonds in the river! They were surprised, but I was elated. In my mind, the fantasy had become true the instant I shared it.

Treasured Pendant.
Handmade with amethyst and recycled sterling silver.


Bolo Tie

I am very proud of my first bolo tie. It was a challenge to make, but thanks to a great Youtube tutorial, I knew how to start. Thank you, Robert, for the creative nudge!

Bolo Tie #1.
Handmade with blue cobra jasper and recycled sterling silver.


Gathering

In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.
— Wangari Maathai

Gathering Necklace.
Handmade with Chrysocolla and recycled sterling silver.


Majestic

A friend sent me a link to an amazing documentary: A Murder of Crows (as in a group of them, not a killing), which opened my eyes to one of the planet’s most intelligent creatures. In it, researchers follow a group of crows throughout their lives to discover that they are wiser than we knew.

Among other traits, crows can recognize faces and warn each other of predators; they gather around their dead, possibly for mourning, but also to observe (and share) the cause of death and so avoid it in the future. They use tools to get food from hard to reach places, and sometimes even use tools to reach other tools which will access food. In cities, they steal wire clothes hangers from peoples balconies and use them to build intricate nests in trees or on electric posts (sometimes derailing trains and causing neighborhood blackouts).

This pendant is my ode to the wisdom and awesomeness of these magnificent birds.

Majestic Pendant.
Handmade with amethyst and recycled sterling silver.


Soar

Angela asked me to make her a pendant that depicted birds that particularly spoke to her (but not in a creepy dark way): ravens, crows and turkey vultures. Since she is an artist and a poet, she wrote: turkey vultures are actually the most magnificent birds to see flying high in the sky. They personify joy. They are not anything to write home about and they are not God’s gift to beauty, but their gift is a wide wing span and beautiful flight. And I suppose in our own way that is true for all of us.

She chose a golden green labradorite, which reminds me of the Kansas landscape where she lives, and I chose the stars, to connect her bird to the sky. We both agreed that her talisman resulted in a powerful symbol of flight, womanhood, and mysticism; all perfect for these times.

Angela’s Soaring Pendant.
Handmade with labradorite and recycled sterling silver.


Tiny

I was commissioned to make a tiny pendant with a blue gemstone.

Scarab Necklace.
Handmade with kyanite and recycled sterling silver.


Gift

It has taken me decades to appreciate myself and my gifts. I tried to be like others, to find my worth in their eyes, to be seen. Now I take the time to encourage myself in challenging situations, to celebrate my achievements, to rest when I am tired, and be gentle when I am afraid.

I’ve also tried to change careers every year, feeling that art was selfish and not helpful enough in this changing world. Now I see that making art has given me purpose, direction and immense joy. It is the place where my love for life finds expression.

Gift Necklace.
Handmade with green agate and recycled sterling silver.


Imagination

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.
— Carl Sagan

Imagination Necklace.
Handmade with chrysoprase and recycled sterling silver.


Companion

It comforts me to know that no matter what happens in my life: changes, cycles, lessons, gifts; I will be with me. I am my ally, my friend, my gentle companion.

Companion Necklace.
Handmade with lemon quartz and recycled sterling silver.


Origin

Endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.
— Charles Darwin

Origin Necklace.
Handmade with silver obsidian and recycled sterling silver.


Rising Sun

In every person there is a sun. Just let them shine.
— Socrates

Rising Sun Necklace.
Handmade with amber and recycled sterling silver.


Maria's Tree Leaf and Moth