Whenever I finish a piece, I always ask: who are you? Because even if she was born from me, this is the first time we meet.
Here, I see an upright figure who stands on her own two feet, who occupies the space she needs, and is led by a big complex heart that is constantly evolving.
I also see a curious sheep and a bird… What do you see?
Unraveled Talisman.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.”
Truth Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
I set out to make a lion talisman to invoke the energy of an animal that lives at ease in its own body, who hunts when he’s hungry, and who is tender with his cubs. I also wanted his mane to feel warm like the sun.
What I got, was a lion who is sad, perhaps because his planet is changing, but also because sadness is an important part of life. Without it, our existence would not be this poignant or meaningful.
Sun Lion Pendant.
Handmade with brass and recycled sterling silver.
When I was a child, The Secret Garden, By Frances Hodgson Burnett, was one of my favorite books.
It is the story of a neglected orphaned girl who goes to live with a rich uncle who is never home. Restless and lonely, she wanders through the large estate, until she discovers a secret walled garden that belonged to his dead wife.
As she, her crippled cousin, and other endearing characters tend the garden back to life, they too regain their joy and blossom.
The message of this story seems to me as vital now as it was then, which is why I made this amulet to embody the healing power of nature, love and our chosen community.
Sanctuary Amulet.
Handmade with hessonite garnet and recycled sterling silver.
16 years ago I made my first piece of jewelry. It was a protective hand, or Hamsa, as it is known in the Middle East. I made it to bless and protect my creative path ahead.
I knew that the way of the artist is uncertain: you have to trust invisible ideas long enough to make them tangible.
There are no roadmaps: you must change course, or stay on the same path, in order to continue, and be guided only by intuition.
If you make a living from what you create, you have to create without thinking about selling (or you will stop free exploration), and then somehow sell what you’ve created.
It is a solitary path with few distractions from your inner world, which you must protect from distractions from the outer world.
Without knowing it then, I chose the perfect talisman. The one I made today, is in gratitude for all I’ve learnt along the way.
Fertile Talisman.
Handmade with prehnite and recycled sterling silver.
These are challenging times for those of us who feel life deeply. Social structures seem to be changing faster than ever, and safe places feel far and apart.
I made this protective eye a few weeks ago, as a talisman to ward off negative energy. But today, as I was feeling anxious about the future, it took on a deeper meaning: not to protect me from outer chaos, but to connect me to the vision that underneath every movement there is stillness, and under all the noise there is silence, and both offer a safe and constant space where we can exist.
Protective Eye Pendant.
Handmade to order with recycled sterling silver.
“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.”
Kitty III.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
Made to order.
“As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat.”
Kitty II.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
Made to order.
I am starting a collection of smaller, made-to-order pieces. This Kitty is the first.
“Solitude is the place of purification and transformation, the place of the great struggle and the great encounter.”
Merged Necklace.
Handmade with lapis lazuli and recycled sterling silver.
“Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.”
Concurrent Necklace.
Handmade with malachite and recycled sterling silver.
Find an online photograph of an alligator and look at it closely.
Now take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and consider this: you and this creature live on the same planet at this very moment in history.
Alligator Pendant.
Handmade with amethyst and recycled sterling silver.
“Everywhere across whatever sorrows of which our life is woven, some radiant joy will gaily flash past”
Radiant Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
“The cat does not offer services. The cat offers itself.”
Kiss Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
“Mothers, tell your children: be quick, you must be strong. Life is full of wonder, love is never wrong. Remember how they taught you, how much of it was fear. Refuse to hand it down - the legacy stops here.”
Wonder Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
I’m at a point in my life where I am finally discovering what my true nature is. This began when I finally gave myself permission to love what I truly love.
I love spending most of my time alone (by most, I mean 90% of it). I enjoy my home so much, that the longer I’m here, the more I flourish and become creative. When I do go out, I marvel that I get to walk alone, at my own pace, to explore all that interests me.
I cannot for the life of me hang out with more than two people at a time. When I do, it takes me days to recover.
I can’t stand dark chocolate, coffee or alcohol; but white chocolate, butter and bread make me swoon.
Wearing really short hair and “mens” clothing makes me feel free, and I will never ever ever wear tight jeans again.
My biggest joy is to be in bed by 9 pm, and wake up with the sun rise. I cherish silence and staring into space for long periods of time.
It turns out I am nothing like I thought I should be, but I’m everything I ever wanted.
Attuned Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
I made a little companion for myself, as I navigate the deep waters of my truth.
Companion Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
A few years ago, I started to get a skin rash all over my upper body. At first I was convinced it was sugar intolerance (diabetes runs in my family), but as I cleaned up my diet, the spots got worse.
After doing all kinds of tests to rule out food allergies, I’ve now realized that the rash appears every time I say yes to something I don’t want to do.
Saying no sounds easy, but it is terrifying when you believe your sense of safety and belonging depends on not dissapointing those around you.
Today I decided that the person I can no longer dissapoint is myself.
I’m already feeling stronger.
Compass Pendant.
Handmade with tourmaline quartz and recycled sterling silver.
It turns out that the things about myself that I was so ashamed of are becoming what I love the most.
Lovable Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
“Keep walking, though there’s no place to get to.
Don’t try to see through the distances.
That’s not for human beings.
Move within, but don’t move the way fear makes you move.
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty & frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. ”
Prayer Necklace.
Handmade with lapis lazuli and recycled sterling silver.
