A Moment in My Heart

I made this necklace for the the Silver Accessories Contest 2006 held by Art Clay Silver in Japan. The theme of the contest was "Moment". The pendant represents a moment of my childhood that I treasure, deep in my heart. I have always loved picking up fallen leaves, and I used to press them in books and turned them into greeting cards, bookmarks and pictures etc. There's a photo that my father took of me as a little toddler, with unruly hair, picking up leaves in a park. It's a moment that has been forever captured in my heart. The pendant was made out of silver clay, with a howlite cabochon and a few cubic zirconium stones set in it. The blue background behind the leaves was achieved with enamel. The little girl represents me. The shape of the pendant, you may notice, is that of a heart - it's a section of my heart where I hold all these fond memories. The piece was a finalist in the contest.

Goddess pendant

I made this piece for one of the monthly "Clay Play" challenges on the Australian Beading Forum, the theme of which was "release the goddess in you". The participants were allowed to use clay of any sort, including polymer clay, ceramic and metal clay. I must admit I'm not usually a fan of goddess style jewelry, but decided that I would give it a try. The pendant was made with bronze clay with a few cubic zirconium stones set in it. I used a mould bought on ebay for the goddess face, and sculpted a leaf and bail and added them to the goddess. The dangles were made with amethyst and Swarovski crystal beads. Teamed the pendant with a simple strung necklace using more amethyst beads and crystals. I chose amethyst because it's my birthstone, hence linking the whole piece to the theme. (Please click on the picture if you would like a larger view.)

I really love bronze clay - the colours are warm, rich and beautiful. I have found it quite easy to work with, perhaps because of my experience with silver clay, although the firing can be long and a little cumbersome. I'm hoping to try copper clay next.