I don’t usually follow this map a great deal, in fact it is not very prominent on the site. If you have followed my updates for the last few days, you know I am doing some updates on the site. I was DELIGHTED to see I have reached more than 13,000 visitors in the last 1000 days.
Thanks to EVERYONE for stopping by!
Ah… love breaking my website! Seems my jeweler’s hammer have smashed some pages up… everything is still functional, well except maybe for my hammer… which now resides in my backyard… somewhere…
I don’t often enter design contests or challenges, but when Art Jewelry Magazine put a call out for submissions to their January design challenge, I had an epiphany concept immediately.
The theme for the challenge was “Rebirth”. The challenge was to translate this concept, into a piece of jewelry. I did a quick sketch of this idea and then (as per my usual process), slept on it. Here is my first sketch and concept:
First Sketch and Concept
The REBIRTH and chain is based on an intellectual composition of metaphysical symbols, using the triangle, circle, and triskelion.
The triangle, representing the number three, presents the past, present and future. This is the foundation for “rebirth”.
The circle, presents the element of spirit and is superior to the physical elements of fire, air, water and earth. The spirit is protective, and allows growth.
The triskelion (triple spiral) presents the sun, afterlife, and reincarnation. Originating from the Neolithic “tomb” at Newgrange, this symbol explodes from the Mother Goddess and gives new birth to earth, water, and sky.
Scattered garnets provides balance between the physical and spiritual.
The copper metal composition hangs from a silver viking chain, the thread of life, necessary for all rebirth.
Construction and Second Sketch
I love sketching my ideas and translating them into actual jewelry pieces. The challenge with this approach is construction. Often, an idea that looks good on paper, may not adhere to the constraints of wire jewelry construction. My second sketch was an attempt to refine my idea, and at the same time, work out the construction and build. The illustration below is a copy of my PDF file, where I work this process. Note, the reference links to check my knowledge of the symbols.
Several ideas changed in the final construction of this design. The original idea was to use the bail symbolically but proved to be too unwieldy to execute. In addition, the construction would be too bulky, and added weight to the . I really liked the bail concept and tried for an entire day to make it work, but in the end I scrapped it.
The other major component that changed was the triskelion. Originally, these were to be 3 separate spirals, each “tail’ was to wrap around the circle and triangle component, and poke a balled end through the circle weaves. After experimenting with this construction, I did not like that the triskelion would require many attachment wires to keep it stable. My solution was to ditch the balled end idea, and wedge the end wires between the circles and triangle. This created greater stability and required less wrapping wire.
Finally, after studying the original triskelion drawing from the Neolithic “tomb” at Newgrange, I decided that a focal gemstone in the center of the design would not add to the symbol in any significant manner. In fact, I felt it would detract from the symbol. Yet, I still wanted some sparkle to this design and tried adding copper Swarvorski crystals. These were too “harsh”, too refined, too mechanical. However, adding garnet nuggets to the component, fit in metaphysically with the “Rebirth” concept. I liked how subtle and understated they looked.
The Evolution in Photos
I document all my jewelry pieces for future reference, and self-evaluation. I use my smart phone to take quick snap shots, rather than deal with staging photos, lighting, etc. Below are some of my snaps chosen from some 60 plus photos I took during the construction process.
The Submitted “Rebirth” Pendent Challenge
I was happy with the final design. Below is one of the photos submitted to the challenge.
This is a WordPress site, using 3rd party plugins. I use NextGen Gallery to display the albums of my jewelry. Recently, the authors decided to remove Flash from this application. Long story short, some of my pages now are displaying errors. I apologize for this visual annoyance, however the pages are still functional.
I am working on resolving the errors. Thanks for understanding!