Copper Threads & Quartz Crystal ~ Nature’s Jewels ~ 2011

Silver Viking Knit Weave Necklace w Quartz Crystal & Copper Threads Pendant 2011

Quartz Crystal which has Copper Threads running through is quite unique with beautiful clarity.   The ‘rope’ necklace is my Woven Silver Viking Knit Weave using Single Weave method which when drawn through the wooden plate extends longer and thinner than the Double Weave which I use often for Bracelets.  See other posts for Viking Knit Bracelets.

'BACK DROP DETAIL' Detachable (5 inch) ~ a 1920's feminine touch as desired

Back view ~ Detachable 'Back Drop' Detail & Earrings

Necklace Back Closure Detail

Pendant of Quartz Crystal w Rutile Copper Threads ~ Close Up Detail

The formation of Quartz Crystal with different minerals within is a magical piece of Nature’s Art.                                                                                   A link for more information on Rutile Quartz Crystal.

My inspiration for the Detachable ‘Back Bead Drop’ Detail comes from the 1920′s, feminine fashion and Art Deco lines.  Design is more interesting when the whole is considered in balance, a focus in the ‘front’  with the ‘back’  treated with casual functionality only is an opportunity lost.  The textural feeling of having beads dangle, swing and sway down my back reminds me of my femininity and a strong  spine ~ pride in my beauty.

Live Your Beauty! ~  a Lucy-ism.

A Great Artist & Friend ~ Roy Mackey a Vancouverite with Bite!

ROY MACKEY ~ A Steel Artist with a Fantastic Imagination, amazingly creative with a difficult medium and bonus ….. he’s intelligent & totally Hilarious too!  So…… I’ve been busy in life and haven’t had a chance to blog or do much of my own creativity, and since I had just been in touch with Roy and gotten his exciting news on his Art….. well, here are some links to be inspired by.  A known fact, being an Artist takes a lot of commitment, courage and just plain crazy ‘gotta just do this!’ kind of attitude ….. so where we find things that uplift, entertain and inspire are always worth their weight in ….. well, steel….. silver …… gems ….. gold bars!!    Hope you find some of this in Roy’s web site and his latest news being on vandm ~ New York Bill’s web site for his latest wild Hammer creations….. even the New York Timespiece….. Wow!  Go Roy & keep on just Being You (kind of like the Anthony Boudain ‘No Reservations’ Chef guy …. only of Steel!     P.S. check out his two personal  ‘best selling books’.   Cheers Roy!

Star Window ~ Roy Mackey

Roy Mackey's Steel Star Bed Frame

Roy Mackey's~ Steel Star Bed Frame

Roy Mackey's~ Steel Star Bed Frame

As a side note, I happen to be lucky enough to have some of Roy’s original art pieces and love them more each year.  One such piece is a ‘Star Bed Frame’ which is wanting a new home, hard to imagine parting with this but space is a premium now.  I’ll include some shots so you can get a sense of his genius, a 1997 creation of Roy’s.

Here are some links to find Roy Mackey & his Art at:

Roy Mackey’s Web Site:   http://www.flamingsteel.com

Bill at vandam:   http://vandm.com/HammerSeries

Unique Vintage Furniture, Antiques, Jewellery  and more check out:   http://vandm.com

Spring has Sprung & Viking Knit Jewellery grows!

As Spring has come and it’s been some time since I last entered a new Post….. Since the last post we have moved to a new nest so the packing unpacking & feathering of our home has been all consuming.  What a joy to have beautiful spaces to soak up inspirations and be cradled in peace, great for creativity.  Surrounded by cedars, oaks and some fruit trees we love our terraced garden which is a popular bird ‘restaurant’ & we are continually entertained by their antics…. hummingbirds, sparrows and small look alikes, ravins, fat robins, big blue jays and woodpeckers singing here and there.   I will be so thrilled to be creating my jewellery in my ‘wee studio’ when we finish the project, wow my own studio! WooHoo!

Amidst all our exciting adventures I have been possessed by the intrigue of creating Viking Knit Bracelets in copper and silver and include a set I offered as a contest giveaway in More Living Magazine….. so enter and win!  It’s a great local Nanaimo magazine and fun to be a part of this issue.  My husband Ralph continues to teach Vipasana Meditation and can be found on our website:  www.steppingstonesworkshops.com

While in San Francisco with our family I managed to get some photos of “Stella’s Lapis Lazuli Necklace & Earring Set” and the Blues of the Lapis match Stella’s beautiful blue eyes, Beautiful Blues for a Lovely Friend!

I also had the joy of spending hours with Susan at the Beading Frenzy (see Bead Resources for info) and now have more Murano Glass feature pieces and a lot of Swarovski Crystals, fantastic colors… sparkles …. and simply beautiful…. can’t wait to create!

Lapis Lazuli is a semi-precious stone with intriguing qualities and history, I’ll pop that in below here.  My Lapis Lazuli is from Afghanistan.

Lapis Lazuli is a relatively rare semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color. Lapis lazuli has been mined from mines in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan for over 6,000 years and there are sources that are found as far east as in the region around Lake Baikal in Siberia. Trade in the stone is ancient enough for lapis jewelry to have been found at Predynastic Egyptian sites, and as lapis beads at neolithic burials in Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and even as far from Afghanistan as Mauritania.

Copper & Turqoise Viking Knit Bracelet Set - Contest Giveaway - More Living Magazine

Tibetan Turqoise & Silver - Earrings for a Goddess - March 2011

Lovely Stella wearing her Lapis Lazuli Necklace & Earrings Set

Lapis Lazuli & Savorski Crystal Earrings – Stella’s “Garden Blues”

                     Stella’s Lapiz Lazuli & Silver Necklace –                        Lotus Flower Hand-Carved Feature Piece

Well, Onward and Upward in my day.  I am pleased to have updated my blog but apologize for not yet getting my website off the ground, wow does that take time and doing…… but good things are worth waiting for right?!!  

…..You can still contact me via email for any Custom Orders.   

Happy Spring &  Vaya con Dios ~ Lucy

VIKING KNIT BRACELET ~ Silver & Ruby Quartz ~ with JILL ROCKWELL

Lucy's Silver Viking Knit with Ruby Quartz Beads Bracelet

VIKING KNIT ….. finally …. October 16th, 2010  I took a jewellery course from Jill Rockwell in Victoria, B.C. (Metal & Beads Art) An incredible jewellery artist and amazingly an incredible teacher of techniques as well…. an uncommon combination.  She is highly skilled, patient and loads of fun too!  What a great experience for me to find someone on Vancouver Island who I can learn exciting new skills and also who inspires me!  Anyone nearby … or far for that matter … would be very lucky to take some training with Jill.    You can check out Jill and her Metal & Beads Arts at her Blog:   www.jrockwearableart.blogspot.com She also has a spot on the Etsy art focused website:    http://www.etsy.com

I first saw some examples of VIKING KNIT last year in San Francisco and visiting Beading Frenzy in San Mateo and was fascinated by the intricate design and the ancient textural appearance.  My mother’s heritage is Icelandic Viking so this is especially close to my heart.  They were giving a course when I was there but it was cancelled…. I’ve been on the hunt to learn this technique since.  I even went onto the ‘web’ and read the instructions on some sites….. wow, not a way I can learn.  I’m best with a hands on visual learning approach….. so finally I met Jill Rockwell at the Filberg Music Festival & Art show.  Her both display was both impeccably designed and her jewellery art spectacular, I was blown away.  Jill’s spectrum of the type of techniques she uses for her work is very wide and impressive.

I am thrilled and tickled pink (even though pink is my least favorite color) with my own  Silver Viking Knit Bracelet with Ruby Quartz beads.   Heather and I had Jill’s undivided attention & Heather created a gorgeous Copper Viking Knit Bracelet with Turquoise Beads.  The course took three hours from start to finish…… and I left with my very own hand crafted Viking Knit Bracelet, tons of sources that Jill generously shared on sources and  where to buy supplies …. and a big smile and a belly full of fun!  Ralph was so impressed with my creation and I do love to make my honey smile!        Can’t wait to get all my supplies and make a million Viking Knit pieces of Jewellery!

The sources I have contacted are:

IMPERIAL SMELING in Markham Ontario – has many types of supplies, wires etc.   Web Site:  http://www.imperialproducts.com I phoned my order in.  Wire I purchased = Silver 20 and 24 gauge -round- Annealed and spooled.   The 24 gauge used for the Viking Knit weave and the 20 gauge used for running through the center to string the beads onto at the end.    Delivery is the next day, literally, wow!

ROCK  HOUND  SHOP in Victoria, B.C.  has a vast selection of supplies and stones.  I ordered Liver Sulphur Gel from them and are great folks.    http://www.rockhoundshop.com

THE BEADWORLD in Victoria, B.C.  has been referred to me by many people and they are so willing to help and good prices.    http://victoriabeadworld.ca I bought the Craft Wire from them which is used to start the Viking Knit weave so when you finish and pull the completed length through your wood Draw Plate in decreasing sizes, you don’t waste the Silver or Copper wire when you pull with pliers.

Heather's Copper & Tuqoise Beads Viking Knit Bracelet

Lucy ~ Jill Rockwell ~ Heather showing off Viking Knit

Some Viking Metalwork History for cultural interest:

Mail or chain mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh.

The word chainmail is of relatively recent coinage, having been in use only since the 18th century; prior to this it was referred to simply as mail.

The word itself refers to the armour material, not the garment made from it. A shirt made from mail is a hauberk if knee-length, haubergeon if mid-thigh length, and byrnie if waist-length. Mail leggings are called chausses, mail hoods coif and mail mittens mitons. A mail collar hanging from a helmet is camail or aventail. A mail collar worn strapped around the neck was called a pixane or standard.

Mail was a highly successful type of armor and was used by nearly every metalworking culture in North Africa, Europe, and Asia. Its use spans from around 300 BC to the dawn of the 20th century and beyond, a period of over 2500 years. Today it remains in limited use in stab vests and a number of other applications. It is also used in reenactments, decorative uses and jewelry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_(armour) = above source for Viking Chain Mail

LAPIS LAZULI & The Sky & Stella’s Eyes! Lapis Lazuli Jewellery ~ Features Hand Carved Lotus Flower

BEAUTY  OF  NATURE !

Tibetan Turquoise Earrings Length: 2-3/4 inches

LAPIS LAZULI Feature Piece w Hand Carved Lotus Flower

The natural beauty and wonders which are gifts from Mother Earth, endless …. & offering awe filled inspirations to create!

Songs and romantic poetry dedicated to Eyes as Blue as The Sky….. abound…. and for good reasons.  Beauty!

Stella's Lapis Lazuli 20" Necklace Features Hand Carved Lotus Flower & Earrings

Stella's 20" Lapiz Lazule Necklace Set with 3 Pairs of Earrings

Colors have magical qualities and Blue in varying shades are relaxing, soothing, calming and is abundance in nature…. the sky and the ocean, flowers and tropical birds.   Blue is associated with tranquility & peace and as a natural stone can offer qualities of increasing intuition & heighten psychic power….believed to increase mental clarity, virility & calm. Lapis Lazuli focuses energy for teachers, lecturers and speakers.  Enhances creative self-expression.  It is believed to be useful in relieving depression and promoting spirituality & a support during meditation.
Inspiring  Blues of the summer gardens …..

Stella's 'Garden Blues' Earrings (Length 2-1/2 inches)

Lapis Lazuli with it’s deep azure blue color was treasured by ancient Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations and often worn by royalty.  Egyptians used Lapis Lazuli to represent heaven, protection to ward off evil. Also believed  to be a sacred stone and buried with the dead to protect and guide them in the afterlife….was widely used  for cosmetics and painting.

Ground with motar & pestle Lapis Lazuli creates the color Ultramarine Blue for painting, used by ancient artists such as Rembrandt…. before ‘Art Supply Stores’ existed cultures ground stones and various natural elements to create all colors to paint with.  One of the semipecious stones used in Florentine mosaics ‘ Commesso’  ~ a technique of creating pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly semiprecious stones, developed in Florence in the late 16th century.  Commesso pictures, used mainly for tabletops and small wall panels, images range from emblematic & floral subjects to landscapes…..Symbolically associated with the Throat Chakra in the Hindu tradition ….Lapis Lazuli is found in the Afghanistan, Egypt, Canada, Chile, the US, and South America…..Lapis lazuli is not a mineral but a rock colored by lazurite, in addition to the sodalite minerals in lapis lazuli, small amounts of white calcite and of golden pyrite crystals are usually present.   The Lapis Lazuli used in these jewellery pieces originates in Afghanistan, which I purchased from an Afghanistan family owning an Afghanistan Gem Shop in ChaingMai, Thailand.

Dreams of Constellations and Astrology ~ The infinity of the Sky….Imagine…..

Stella's 'Stellar Sky' Earrings (Length 2-3/4 inches)

As we  surround ourselves with Beauty….. our Spirits and lifted and our Hearts are filled with the goodness of Nature!  …. and on that note,  let’s take time to Breath in our own  ‘True Inner Goodness’!

Island Bridges Magic and Tibetan Turquoise Earrings!

Once a year for the past 23 years a core group of people ‘committee’ and organize a very special retreat for healing and transformation.  Previous years have been on Meares Island off of Tofino (Coastal British Columbia) which was spectacular….. this is the first year we have had a new beginning in Port Alberni for various reasons.  The time slids into ‘no-time’ and magic happens.  It seems that each person who comes has a special magic touch them…. choosing from rejuvenation and relaxation in many forms.  Massage,  Acupuncture,  Meditation,  ‘Sparkling Marjorey’ offered Toning and The Five Rites,  Medical QiGong, Chair Massage,  Dance Celebration of Earth Wind Fire and Water, Reiki,  Crystal Bowls and Chanting, Tarot readings,  forest walk to Stamp Waterfalls … just hanging out chatting or reading…. and the center of the Retreat is always the cleansing and transformative Sweat Lodges lead by our Esteemed Elder and Pipe Carrier J.C. Lucas  as well as by Munroe Mabey – who also offered his magic  evening  with his  Crystal Bowls and Chanting!  All of this blended together with Ceremony and exquisite and delicious food created with love by Melanie and Yari ….. do I need to say more??!!    From Friday to Sunday seemed more like a week as time became endless and overflowing with all the abundance and friendship!  Deep Gratitude to Kaa’kamin and the Nuuchalnuth people for inviting us onto their land and allowing us to stay…. our friends and family for 23 years!

Marjorey Sparkling in Tibetan Turquoise Earrings - Island Bridges Retreat2010

Marjorey Sparkling in Tibetan Turquoise Earrings - Island Bridges Retreat2010

The Island Bridges 2011 excitement and magic is already percolating in many hearts!

Meditating on Enlightenment …… and jewellery inspirations!

I M S - Insight Meditation Society - Barre, Massachusetts

I know it’s been a while since my last entry…… but whew, researching web site information and it’s just the beginning, sigh…. we have just returned from  Boston to a Meditation Retreat at the I M S (I nsight Meditation Society) in Barre, Massachusetts.  It was just what we needed and the teachings and personal experiences are worth their weight in gold.  Ralph and I both are committed to the practice of meditation, Therevada Insight Meditation, and it has helped us navigate the waves in the ocean of life.  This was a nine day silent Monastic Retreat and our Teachers were skilled and gifted Monks (Aj. Amaro, Aj. Punnadhamo, Tan Caganando along with Taraniya) trained in the Thai Forest approach originating with Aj. Chah from the North East of Thailand.  This retreat out of everyday demands restored our spirits and our practice, with a lot of humor thrown in too! Seeing more clearly with more space in my head for beauty to reside, I look forward to creating soon.  Deep gratitude to the Teachers and the I M S for this amazing opportunity.

Buddha statue in Garden - I M S

Wisteria in bloom at I M S

After the retreat and staying at the I M S (pristine natural beauty, stillness and fabulous food too), we ventured forth into the ‘real’ world….. rented a car and drove from one end of Cape Cod to the other.  We stayed in Hyannis as it was central and we didn’t have a lot of ambition for busyness and enjoyed five days of togetherness and sharings of our meditation experiences (we hadn’t talked for nine days!) over delicious coffee, beaches and just general exploring.  It is the home of the Kennedys and I found two great shops for bead inspiration which are in the Beading Resources.    We even took a cheese making course one afternoon with a lovely woman we met at the retreat, fascinating and fun.  So…. having soaked up the beauty of nature and with a renewed meditative mind, I begin each day with a focus to be happy with what I achieve today and being fully present in the experience of the here and now.  On that note, when the next post happens or the web site progresses, I am simply happy with who I am right now…. knowing there really is no point in future hopping we only miss the true beauty of now.            Slow down and enjoy the beauty around you, and be inspired!

P.S.  If you are interested in reading about Meditation, my husband Ralph writes a blog on his ‘real’ daily experiences at:  www.vancouverislandmeditation.wordpress.com

Buddha in Meditation Hall - Forest Retreat -IMS

Bee in the Cherry Blossoms - IMS May 2010