I made a little companion for myself, as I navigate the deep waters of my truth.
Companion Pendant.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
Compass
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.
Lovable
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.
Prayer
“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.
Encounter
“Your life is a journey of learning to love yourself first and then extending that love to others in every encounter.”
Encounter Necklace.
Handmade with fluorite and recycled sterling silver.
Spider
Maria commissioned a spider pendant based on a drawing I shared recently. She wanted the legs to be separate from the main body, which turned out to be a technical feat, as one would un-solder as soon as I soldered the other. In the end, I was glad for the challenge, as I think she turned out beautifully.
Spiders symbolize artistry, manifestation, patience, feminine power, ancient wisdom, balance, and interconnection; all qualities I appreciate, and am sure my dear friend Maria already has (which is why I think this design appealed to her).
Maria’s Spider Necklace.
Handmade with moonstone and recycled sterling silver.
Clouds
“I came to a point where I needed solitude and just stop the machine of ‘thinking’ and ‘enjoying’ what they call ‘living’, I just wanted to lie in the grass and look at the clouds.”
Cloud Necklace.
Handmade with recycled sterling silver.
Amalgam
I have been adding life to the lifeless corners of my home. Plants, pillows and art bring warmth to what seemed uninhabited. I do the same with the parts within me that I’d disowned growing up, I welcome them with tenderness so that my inner being becomes a richer home.
Amalgam Necklace.
Handmade with labradorite moonstone and recycled sterling silver.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
Imagination Necklace.
Handmade with chrysoprase and recycled sterling silver.