Alkimi

Jormungandr slithering bracelet

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:12:20 -0700

In Norse mythology, a sea serpent, and the middle child of the giantess Angrboða and the trickster god Loki is called Jormungandr. According to the Prose Edda, Odin tossed Jörmungandr into the great ocean that encircles Midgard (middle earth) and he grew so large that he was able to surround the Earth and grasp his own tail. The Norse believed that when he let go, the world would be plunged into a war called Ragnorak that would lead to the end of the world.

My version of this great serpent is bright red for the war he will start and all the blood that would be spilled in an attempt to stop the inevitable ending. His face is not specifically terrifying because even in the end, the world will be reborn. He is chewing on a tale of red stone chips, his body combines peyote and square stiches and the clasp is a simple beaded loop closure.

length: 8 1/2 inches

materials: bright red seed beads, red stone chips

$30.00

Aphodite woven bronzite earrings

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:01:09 -0700

Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty inspired these woven earrings. According to Greek poet Hesiod, she was born when Cronus castrated his father Ouranos and threw the severed genitals into the sea. From the aphros, or sea foam, arose Aphrodite. Because of her extraordinary beauty, the other gods feared that jealousy would interrupt their peace and lead to war so Zeus married her to Hephaestus, who was not viewed as a threat.

Since love is not always as it is in fairytales, the bronzite hearts were left with their slight flaws showing and bands of black and red seed beads encircling it in a peyote stitch. Those are framed with large, root beer colored seed beads and the whole is topped with Argentium (non-tarnish) sterling earwires. The entire effect is meant to be moody, elegant and just a bit disturbing.

length: just under 3 inches

materials: bronzite, glass, sterling

$30.00

Helios necklace with jasper and golden jade

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:26:44 -0700

Helios was the handsome god crowned with the shining aureole of the sun who drove his chariot across the sky each day to earth-circling Oceanus. At night, he would guide his solar steeds (Pyrios, Aeos, Aethon, and Phlegon) through the world-ocean to return to the east. Though he was later associated strongly with Apollo, I wanted to focus on the sun and the crown as well as a story about his son Phaeton whose ill mastery of his father's chariot resulted in his death and the blackening of his peoples--the Ethiopians.

In both their honor, this necklace is adorned with a large yellow and white jasper flat that is surrounded by golden jade and small black seedbeads. The meandering lines in the center are meant to represent the crown atop Helios' head. It ends in a hook and eye clasp of Argentium (non-tarnish) sterling silver.

length: 22 inches

pendant: 1 by 1 inch

materials: jasper, golden jade, Argentium sterling silver

$60.00

Twisted metal collar

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 23:26:36 -0700

This lovely statement necklace, boasting random loops and bends enough to make thrillseekers dizzy and a loosly woven band, celebrates my love of sculptural expression beautifully. It is formed of 20 gauge brass that has been hammered and hardened so that it can be stiff enough to not resist bending as you move. It encircles the neck in a comfortable embrace and ends in links of Figaro chain and a handmade brass hook and eye clasp.

around: 19 inches

width (center): 1 inch

materials: brass

$35.00

Dramatic flower bracelet

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 23:17:21 -0700

This lovely statement bracelet, boasting elongated petals and a braided stem that serves as a band, celebrates my love of sculptural expression beautifully. It is formed of 20 gauge brass that has been hammered and hardened so that it can be stiff enough to not resist bending as you move. The stem/band is more in the shape of a hook so that it can be slipped over and sized wrist to create an unforgetable statement.

width of flower: 3 1/2 inches

height of flower: 1 1/2 inches

band: 5 inches

$25.00

Athena herringbone earrings

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:31:44 -0700

The Greek Goddess Athena is usually associated with the strategy of war, wisdom, reason and heroic endeavors. I wanted to focus a little on her status as the mistress of the heavens as well as one who was just as obsessed with beauty as the rest of the Godesses.

Born fully grown, and fully armored, from her father's head after he swallowed her mother, Athena is sometimes shown wielding his thunderbolt and controlling the winds making her the mistress of the heavens. As mistress, she was shown to be just as vain and petty as other goddesses. In one story, she faught with Aphodite and Hera over an apple marked 'for the fairest' that resulted in a rigged beauty contest that would eventually explode into the Trojan war.

This necklace was meant to mix the conflicting natures of the Greek Goddess Athena. By mixing very soft, light blue and steely gray labouradite with a herringbone wrap of non-tarnish Argentium sterling silver I believe I have achieved that. The earwires are also sterling.

length: 1 1/2 inches

materials: labouradite, sterling silver

$25.00

Athena textured necklace

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:25:09 -0700

This necklace was meant to mix the conflicting natures of the Greek Goddess Athena. By mixing very soft black, braided velvet ribbon with labouradite wrapped in non-tarnish Argentium sterling silver in a herringbone weave the natures were meant to come out. The contrast of the black of the ribbon with the light blue and steely gray of the labouradite make for an interesting texture that looks wonderful to the eye and even better to the touch.

length: 22 inches

materials: labouradite, sterling silver, velvet ribbon

$62.00

Aurora (Dawn) necklace

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:46:25 -0700

In ancient Roman mythology Aurora, goddess of the dawn, would renew herself every morning in order to fly across the sky and announce the arrival of the sun. In Ovid, she was portrayed as Pallantis, the daughter of Pallas, or the daughter of Hyperion. She always had two siblings, a brother Sol, the sun and a sister Luna, the moon. Her four children were the Anemoi, or Winds.

She appears most often in Latin poetry with one of her mortal lovers and a myth borrowed from her Greek counterpart, Eos, is most telling. Apparently, one of her lovers was the prince of Troy, Tithonus, and she wanted him to be with her forever. She asked Zeus to grant immortality to Tithonus and though he granted her wish, her Prince ended up aging eternally. She then turned her beloved into a grasshopper.

The necklace I offer you in honor of her is one that contains many twists and turns as well as sparkling gems that may be dangerous to look at directly. It contains a wirewrapped oval of steel and Argentium (non-tarnish) sterling silver and steel with citrine rondelles in the center, hessonite garnet in the next oval and bright orange carnerlian on the outside. The chain is of steel, swirling vines and sterling s's and it ends in a steel hook that can be attached anywhere on the two inch extender chain.

length: 15 to 18 inches

pendant: 2 1/4 in wide, 1 1/2 in high

materials: citrine, hessonite garnet, carnelian, sterling silver, steel

$62.00

Kali bone bracelet

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:13:23 -0700

Kali, also known as Kalika, is a Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. Her name literally means black in both Sanskrit and Bengali, but has come to symbolize the force of time known as kala. She is represented as dark and violent with a necklace of sculls encircling her throat because her earliest incarnation was as a figure of annihilation.

Although there are Tantric beliefs that extend her role to be the ultimate reality (Brahman), and she is also revered as the redeemer of the Universe (Bhavatarini) as well as a benevolent mother goddess, I thought I'd make a necklace devoted to her that reflected the first images I saw of her. They depicted her standing on one leg atop the body of her conosort Shiva, her multiple arms extended, teeth barred dripping with blood and a necklace of sculls encircling her throat.

The bracelet I offer you is a beaded construction of handmade polymer clay beads meant to look like bone, mountain jade (a trade name for dyed marble) and red stone chips. The loops are surrounded with bone colored seed beads and finished with a handmade, steel chain and hook and eye clasp.

length: 9 inches

materials: polymer clay, mountain jade, red stone, glass seed beads, steel

$25.00

Kali bone earrings

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:11:03 -0700

The earrings I offer you are a beaded construction of handmade polymer clay beads meant to look like bone, mountain jade (a trade name for dyed marble) and red stone chips. The loops are surrounded with bone colored seed beads and finished with a handmade, steel chain and hook and eye clasp.

length: four inches

materials: polymer clay, mountain jade, red stone, glass seed beads, steel and sterling silver earwires

$20.00

Kali bone necklace

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:07:21 -0700

The necklace I offer you is a beaded construction of handmade polymer clay beads meant to look like bone, mountain jade (a trade name for dyed marble) and red stone chips. The chips are surrounded with bone colored seed beads and finished with a handmade, steel chain and hook and eye clasp.

length: 21 inches

materials: polymer clay, mountain jade, red stone, glass seed beads, steel

$40.00

Abstract seaweed hoop earrings

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:32:57 -0700

Thi mixed media bracelet is dedicated to the Goddess Amphitrite who is the daugter of Nereus and Doris and mother of the God Triton by her husband Pesiedon. She was a goddess before she was tied to him, but when he carried her off after seeing her dancing with the Nereids on the island of Naxos she became a queen. She had no worship of her own seperate from her son and husband, but I figured this ancient queen whose chariot was drawn by dolphins and whose crown contained the claws of crabs could use her own piece anyway.

Teal 100 o/o Dupioni silk that changes shades from teal to midnight blue as it is moved is wrapped and secured around steel connectors and is then looped with sterling silver (of an alloy called Argentium that will not tarnish). That is to mimic the net that Amphitrite wore behind her crown and the shinning cranberry stones that sparkle inside the loops of the abstract, hammered hoops are watermelon tourmaline. The earwires are also of the same alloy of sterling.

length: 2 inches

materials: teal 100 o/o Dupioni silk, sterling silver, watermelon tourmaline, steel

$20.00

Making waves bracelet

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:18:53 -0700

I gave this piece cranberry colored pearls for the heart as well as the crabs' claws in her crown and speckled labradorite for the sand and salt mixing with the water. There is also blue quartz for the pure water and pearls that change from dark blue to grayish to purple for the mutable, femine energies that abount in the element of water. The sterling silver is of an alloy called Argentium that will not tarnish and the fabric is teal 100 o/o Dupioni silk that changes shades from teal to midnight blue as it is moved. The two materials are looped and swirled for the net that she wore in her hair behind her crown and the steel band is the crown itself.

around: 7 1/2 inches

materials: cranberry and peacock pearls, labradorite, blue quartz, sterling silver, teal 100 o/o Dupioni silk, steel

$35.00

Queen Amphitrite of the sea necklace

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:07:19 -0700

Amphitrite is the daugter of Nereus and Doris and mother of the God Triton by her husband Pesiedon. She was a goddess before she was tied to him, but when he carried her off after seeing her dancing with the Nereids on the island of Naxos she became a queen. She had no worship of her own seperate from her son and husband, but I figured this ancient queen whose chariot was drawn by dolphins and whose crown contained the claws of crabs could use her own piece anyway.

I gave her necklace cranberry colored pearls for the heart as well as the crabs' claws in her crown and speckled labradorite for the sand and salt mixing with the water. There is also blue quartz for the pure water and pearls that change from dark blue to grayish to purple for the mutable, femine energies that abount in the element of water. The sterling silver is of an alloy called Argentium that will not tarnish and it is looped and swirled for the net that she wore in her hair behind her crown. The necklace has a bit of steel chain and ends in a sterling hook that can be attached to any one of the links.

length: 23 inches

materials: cranberry and peacock pearls, labradorite, blue quartz, sterling silver

$90.00

Blooming cuff bracelet

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:24:56 -0700

I've been stuck on flowers of late and this one is just the most recent in my rendition of the natural marvels in copper. I constructed the leaves that form the band out of flat bronze and the flower out of twisted copper and then wrapped them both in copper to make them more sturdy. I tied them together by using more pieces of copper and then bent everything to its current shape by bending it by hand. As it is, the leaves elegantly wrap around your wrist and the large flower shows itself off quite nicely.

around: 9 inches

width of flower: 3 by 2 1/2 inches

width of petals: 2 inches

metals: copper, bronze

$30.00

Blooming flower earrings

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:32:30 -0700

These lovely earrings are meant to resemble true flowers, their irregular angles and all. Their petals are wrapped copper and they dangle nicely in the wind.

hang time: 2 inches

flower: 1 by 1 inch

materials: copper, brass (earwires)

*the earwires can be changed out for titanium, steel or argentinium sterling silver upon request*

$18.00

Copper leaf earrings

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:27:18 -0700

These wrapped copper earings are as simple as I make them. They are small, all one color and the irregular angles are meant to mimic true leaves.

length: 2 inches

materials: copper, brass (earwires)

*the earwires can be changed out for titanium, steel or argentinum sterling silver upon request*

$18.00

Wildflower barrette

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:22:30 -0700

This barette happened as a dare to myself while I was working on a necklace that I liked so much I wanted to make one for the hair.

It closes with a hook on the back, but I made sure there are no sharp bits to scratch the head and no parts where the banding might get caught in the hair.

from petal to the tip of leaf: 2 1/2 inches

from petal to petal: 2 inches

$10.00

Blooming copper necklace

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:11:06 -0700

This rather large, bold flower contains layers of copper and bronze whose intent is to mimic the several blooming layers of a flower. The chain that suspends it is all bronze.

length: 26 inches

petal to leaf: 5 inches

petal to petal: 3 inches

$25.00

The nature of Artemis necklace

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:04:39 -0700

This is a creation of wirewrapped Figaro chain, swirls, wire wrapped mountain jade and brass leaves.

It reminds me of the ivory that used to grow on the sides of our apartment building when we lived across town because of the climbing leaves. I still miss that apartment though it was far more dangerous than where we are now...

This necklace is dedicated to the virginal Goddess of the hunt, Artemis, who women could pray to as they fled the men they did not want to marry and the families that wanted to force them. They would dedicate themselves to her and she would turn them into trees or flowers so they could live their lives in peace only moving with the whims of the winds. I wonder if that fate was really better than being married to a man you did not choose.

length: 22 inches

pendant: 3 inches

materials: jade, brass, craft wire (on the leaves)

$45.00