stasis in darkness

lately i've been working on the last details of a small new moonstone line (take a peek at the new Hecate ring here) that incorporates many of my classic designs with my beloved moonstone thanks in part to the immensely positive response i had to this very first piece in the collection. i am also working on releasing more collaborative pieces with artist Paul Romano, including a new planchette design.

 last year i made a big move in many ways in my life, literally rupturing what was "normal", to move into a loft on my own ( with diego of course. ) this transition became a kind of metamorphosis, i offered myself a second chance at living a new life and i took it without looking back. this sort of rupture marked me in many ways, one of them being a period of stasis here on this blog as well as a kind of slow churning of new ideas for new jewels. i am teeming with them, always, but it has only been over the last couple of months working on the moonstone line that i have been drawn out of this deep sleep. 

something about the dark anxiety of these photos by artist michaela knizova feels like this season in my life. i have found myself to be more brave in the sharing of my life (evidenced through my IG feed) but also a bit more quiet, as there is more joy, more freedom in my day to day life. despite all of this, i am still coming to terms with my melancholy personality, there is gloominess here but there is also so much light. there is a daily struggle that i believe shows through in my jewel work, a push and pull of this darkness/lightness.

i am feeling both grateful and anxious & look forward to sharing my (& our) new pieces with you here soon. 

moonstone my love.

moonstone has been a favorite stone for some time now, i was given my first piece of it as a gift to soothe my tendency to absorb other people's emotional landscapes, empath symptoms i still exhibit. moonstone as a talisman and as a healing stone has many more properties than this however, it is considered to be used as a divination tool & has been used and worn in jewelry since ancient times for both its outstanding otherworld beauty ( these are natural, amazing earth made stones !) as well as for its deeply magical qualities. in some cultures it is thought to be the tears of the moon made solid.

it took me a long time to find the size and quality i was searching for to fit the 'belonging to the darkness' ring series. this ring is particularly special, it is a tribute to persephone, the goddess who was captured by the king of the underworld to be his bride. i imagine that while being "captured" isn't really a romantic prospect (unless you are north of that wall that is ;) ) that over time persephone fell in love with her dark lover and thusly possesses both the ability to move between light & dark. 

moonstone is also thought to protect its wearer while traveling in dark nights, or dark times, as well as being thought to strengthen the bonds of love & passion between to lovers when one gifts it to the other, all ideas which fit in as perfect illustrations to my intent with this ring, that it can be a statement of belonging or commitment between lovers, friends, or even a statement that you belong to yourself. with the inclusion of the moonstone, it becomes a potent talisman that can protect your love, heal your grief or give you clarity. 

take a peek at more details & images of it here.

(& many thanks to all of you who have chosen to be engaged with this ring !)

these days . . .

these days on instagram.....

what i've been working on:

 'the messenger' ring in rose gold vermeil

sterling rattlesnake fangs

coming soon:
 the crystal tomb ring in miniature with rattlesnake fangs prongs.

sacred secret locket necklace and the messenger ring.

coming soon:

'belonging to the darkness' antique engagement ring setting with sparrow claws & cast crystal. this will also be available in rose gold plate with an inverted black cz.

sparrow claw ritual necklace in sterling silver & bar link chain

the oracle necklace with & without

'one of us' conjoined skull cuff

elsewhere:

a peek at my studio

from 'the hundred headless woman' by max ernst

from kris kuksi's 'triumph'

current bedfellows

i know i post her a lot, but i especially love joan in the spring.

i rarely post images of myself, but this is me in zana. i'm always a bit shy sharing what i look like, but last month i had my portrait taken by artists stacey ransom & jason mitchell as part of an artist series they are working on for an exhibition at varnish gallery in the fall. (also take a peek at stacey's incredible blog too) the experience was amazing and we look forward to sharing the results soon.

secretkeepin

sacred heart relic lockets in rose gold plate & gloomy gray.

coming soon.

xo

halloween bleed.

mini planchette oracle ring & necklace (half the size of the original pieces). i've been swooning over these since they came out of cast. though they are "small" to me since i'm used to the original sized planchette pieces, they are still quite big.

'what we will be' runic divination cuff.

mini planchette ring in action. (coming soon will be earrings & a cuff)

'forget me not' snake rib earrings.

the crystal tomb. part iii. a duel of starling claws and quartz pyramid.

halloween is a special day/night for me. not only is it the only time of year that the veil between the living and the dead becomes its thinnest, it is also my wedding anniversary. this year marks three years i've been married to my true love. we'll be headed out to SF to attend the 'spirit board' exhibition, a group show i curated for articulated gallery within loved to death's boutique. & also, its only a couple of weeks until my lookbook comes out.  christina brown, the photographer of the lookbook and i have been offered a show at philly's 309 gallery. i'll be showing my personal collection of pieces alongside her large prints of some of the shots from the lookbook. (there's nearly 40 total!) we are thinking of printing a  few copies of the book as there is also little snips of text accompanying the potent images. here's another little sneak:

stay tuned for give a way details later in the day.

xo

additions to the lunar series. . . .

a ring, a rosary and two necklaces illuminating my love and obsession for the moon, especially in her sharpened crescent shape. a fresh bleed in the shoppe.

more to come.

xo

formula 86.

the witches. mouse bone & triangular silver "crystal" ring.

an homage to my childhood hero  roald dahl.

xo.

fare thee well

i'm going on a little sabbatical, to breathe salt air, sketch new ideas, give my wrist bones a much needed break, and above all, to witness my brother in law marry his true love near the sea with. when i return, there will be a bit of a blood flood, the promised posts of my favorite novels and non fiction tomes, & a give-a-way, as bloodmilk turns three. . .. .

in the meantime:

i'll be posting in absentia on hi-fructose. 

visit my tumblr archives to see the mood boards i've been creating for my new pieces.

or, visit the lovely blogs in my link list. >

see you soon.

xo

ps. for those of you waiting on a jewel or two, don't fear, i've been working hard to start things & will work twice as hard to finish things when i return so nothing will be late. . . .

bones dipped in roses.

for weeks now i've been feeling quite ill with rarely a rational lucid moment, but finally it seems i've been adjusting to both quitting soda and the devil high-fructose corn syrup as well as reeling in my animal product consumption. these are choices due in part to health issues as well as becoming more educated on the treatment of animals, which i suppose we all know instinctually, but is quite another thing to see it or read about it in detail all-together. however, i've always been one against preaching or judging people for their lifestyles, likes, dislikes and what have you, so please don't misunderstand my sharing of this new development in my life as either of these. (this comes from developing an aversion to authority due to years at a christian boarding school) it was comforting to hear so many of you struggling with similar issues in your comments on my passion post.

anyway, i just added some new rose gold pieces to my line as it seems that while my writing skills drop tremendously during times of illness, i'm still able to conjure new jewels. go figure.

 so i offer a baby owl skull  and a crow claw, both re-imagined in lovely rose gold plate for your delight in the shoppe, with still more new things to come in anticipation of persephone returning with spring. 

xo

fresh blood sneak peek:

hand carved elder runes, rose gold plated crow claws & daggers coming soon.

xoxo

love & violence.

sterling version of a thousand sorrows.

xo.