The Warm Glow Of My Mothers Christmas Tree

 

Home For The Holidays, Studio Bliss & Website News

January 27, 2012

Website News - We will be adding a lot of new content and images to our website in the coming months and will be performing software updates as well. In order to do this we have had to lighten the load. We have eliminated our Sold Gallery to make space for fresh new things.

I love Christmas. We spent this Christmas with my family in Baltimore. Despite the late nights, too much wine and too many sugary treats I came out of the holidays refreshed and relaxed. My only complaint is that this was a snow-less Christmas. I love the icy crystal, sparkling snow and blue shadows of winter. However, the glowing Christmas tree, libations, confections and great company easily made up for that!

Now that the holiday hustle and bustle of filing orders and the gift wrapping frenzy has passed I can now indulge in doing the work I love ~ making jewelry. I have been spending long blissful hours in the studio. I make most of my own jewelry findings ( findings are the components that hold jewelry together such as ear wires, pendant bales, links etc. ). This process calls on me to take my time and puts me into a peaceful contemplative state of mind. Using techniques that have changed little since ancient times I shape and form thick pieces of silver wire into soulful and durable creations. It is such a pleasure to keep these age old traditions alive. On some days music fills the air throughout the house and on other days the studio doors are thrown open to the sound of birds and the breeze. This past week I focused on pendants.

Two of my favorite pendant styles to make and wear are the Sacred Sea and the Sea Dragon. In both styles counter spirals flow endlessly celebrating the motion of the cosmos. With some of my multicolored English sea glass I like to make one pendant with two personalities.

Those of you already familiar with English sea glass multis know that many of the pieces have a side that is more vibrant and a side that is more subtle and diffused. Taking the cue from these magical treasures I enjoy creating bale elements for some of this sea glass that echoes this vibe. In the pendants pictured below one side of the bale has a shiny silver finish and celebrates the more obvious side of the sea glass. Keeping in spirit of the diffused side of the sea glass I finished the bale with a matte texture that evokes a soft sea-mist. This design also celebrates the beach as some days are sunny and crystal clear while others are blanketed in mystery as the sea fog rolls in. I love either scenario.

 

Sea Dragon Pendant Style

 

Sea Dragon Pendant Style

 

Sacred Sea Pendant Style