Glass and wire mesh brooch

A shard of glass from a broken lampshade, wrapped in copper foil to enable soldering, and silver wire added to form a wire mesh. First I attached a thick copper wire circle and then wove the thinner silver wire around and through it to form the mesh. A coat of black patina was added to give a vintage look.

Back of the brooch

By changing the angle at which you pin the brooch, you can get quite a few different looks

Back of the brooch

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Amber Stained glass jewellery box

A jewellery or trinket box hand-crafted from Amber Stained glass, with hinged lid. Ideal for keeping your jewellery or other knick-knacks close-by. Here I am using it to store some of the stained glass jewels I use in my jewellery.

Stained glass boxes are easy to make and can be used for storing a wide variety of items and can be used in any room of your house, even in the kitchen. I have one for storing tea bags.

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Goggo/Insect range - Hermit Crab

A Hermit Crab sporting his brand new shell he has just found!

This Keepsakes range consists of insects (for the insect-lover!) to display as ornaments but some of them can also be fashioned into brooches. Hand-crafted with silver, copper, pewter, glass jewels, silver wire and shells, each Goggo/insect can take 3 or more hours to make. Only materials of the highest quality is used and great attention is given to detail and these little animals are unique, one-of-a-kind designs not to be repeated.

Although the items should be treated with care, each item is strong and sturdy. Taking care and cleaning of your unique insect is as easy as scrubbing gently with a toothbrush and Sunlight Liquid and giving it a good rinse with cold water, drying gently with a soft cloth. A natural patina develops over time, adding charm to the item. Each insect comes with its own descriptive card, unfortunately no card available for this one.

Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract.

Hermit Crabs are very social animals and can live 10 years or more, changing shells, moulting several times throughout their lives and growing up to six inches in length. Did you know that Hermit crabs are sometimes kept as pets? Hermit Crabs are docile and are easy and economical to care for and their crabby antics, like climbing, digging and shell switching are as entertaining as they are educational!

 

 

The underside of the crab 

 

 

A lot of research goes into making these little creatures. I use photographs for reference, live study where possible and also Google the necessary information regarding their size, habits, lifestyle, etc. Hand-crafting these little animals has taught me so much about nature and given me a new respect for all Mother Nature's beauty.

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Rose Quartz

I have a large collection of Rose Quarts crystals and absolutely love the calming and reassuring energy this stone emanates. Rose Quartz, with its gentle pink essence, is a stone of the heart, a Crystal of Unconditional Love. It carries a soft feminine energy of compassion and peace, tenderness and healing, nourishment and comfort. It speaks directly to the Heart Chakra, dissolving emotional wounds, fears and resentments, and circulates a divine loving energy throughout the entire aura.

All areas of the home will benefit by putting rough rose quartz stones in each corner of the room. Even eating areas can benefit from this soft sweet energy - and it may also improve your digestion too!

Rose Quartz is also the modern birthstone of Taurus. Being a Taurus myself, I wear it always with pride and style, love and respect, and enjoy my personal Rose Quartz birthstone.

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz, several of which are semi-precious gemstones. Most rose quartz crystals come from Brazil, US and China, but South Africa also has large deposits, found primarily in granites in Limpopo Province, in the Soutpansberg district and near Gravelotte. It also occurs at some tin mines in the Bushveld complex.

Rose quartz is a type of quartz which exhibits a pale pink to rose red hue. The color is usually considered as due to trace amounts of titanium, iron, or manganese, in the massive material. Some rose quartz contains microscopic rutile needles which produces an asterism in transmitted light. Recent X-ray diffraction studies suggest that the color is due to thin microscopic fibers of possibly dumortierite within the massive quartz.

In crystal form (rarely found) it is called pink quartz and its colour is thought to be caused by trace amounts of phosphate or aluminium. The color in crystals is apparently photosensitive and subject to fading.

If you are wearing or keeping your crystals or stones on you all the time, remember to methodically cleanse them. If you have been using them to heal health issues or when you were in a negative frame of mind... they would probably have absorbed your negative energy. This is why it is a good idea to purify them on a regular basis. Cleansing quartz crystals is very simple, as they are some of the easiest crystals to cleanse... so do it regularly for best long term results.

There are various methods of cleaning your crystals - If you do not know much about crystals... avoid using water to clean them. Some crystals may be totally ruined by contact with water ... so use other methods of cleansing crystals unless you are absolutely sure.

Photo credit

Crystal Singing Bowls cleanse crystals with sound : 
A crystal singing bowl may be used to cleanse your crystals. There are two ways to do this. If the stones are small you may put them into the crystal singing bowl. For bigger items, place them close to the bowl,  then play the bowl for a few minutes. The lovely crystal bowl music is very powerful and the sounds emitted by the bowl will resonate throughout the room. As the strong vibration of the pure crystalline sound of your crystal singing bowl fills the crystals... it will drive out any negative energy. This will lift the vibration of any of your crystals that are close by.

 However, the method I prefer most is playing music to my crystals. I place a few crystals in front of my computer speakers, choose a song with heavy bass (bass vibrations enter the crystals easily) and enjoy the music while my crystals are being cleansed.

A full moon rising over my garden wall

Bury stones or use moonlight for cleaning crystals :
The moonlight has a powerful influence that will re-energize your crystals... and allow them to lift their vibrations naturally. A good time to for cleansing crystals is at the time of the full moon... when it is at its brightest. Place them somewhere in your home where they will be in the moonlight for as long as possible. Leave them there overnight if you are able to. By absorbing the energy of moonlight... you will allow their vibration to naturally lift. I put my crystals outside on a table during full moon and collect them early in the morning again.

You may also choose to bury your stone in the earth, but again make sure that you know if the stone is one that can take water, in case rain seeps through to where they are located. This is a perfect way to cleanse many stones, but do mark where you put them so that you can find them again! You can dig them up after a day or two.

"What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday... and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow. Our life is the creation of our mind."
 - Buddha

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Unpolished Amethyst Crystal

A raw unpolished Amethyst Cluster, mounted on a silver wire display stand inter-laced with small glass beads. Hand-crafted with Silver wire and silver solder. I just love the feel and look of rough crystals, polishing seems to distract from the beauty of the natural earthiness. In the back-ground is a large piece of raw Rose Quartz crystal.

This is part of my "Earth" collection in my jewellery range "Afrika Street Jewellery".

The Amethyst meaning is spiritual growth and protection. These beautiful healing crystals are also known for bringing clarity of the mind to the owner. By wearing or using Amethyst crystals, you can become more in tune with your own feelings and get to know your inner self on a much deeper level. It is a gemstone which can bring you calmness, inner peace and is thought to heighten your natural intuition.

It is a stone of spirituality and contentment. It brings one the energies of serenity and composure while inciting fairness in decisions and enhancement in the ability to manage any and all responsibilities. It provides the "sense" of common sense and encourages flexibility in decisions. It assists in the assimilation of new ideas.

Clusters – are most useful for cleansing and charging other gemstones or jewellery. They also assist to cleanse negative energy in large areas. These bring group energies together promoting peace and harmony in all relationships.

Amethyst healing properties can relieve pain and swelling throughout the body by calming the nervous system. Amethyst is well known for having a positive affect against insomnia and nightmares. By placing an amethyst crystal under your bed, you can dispel nightmares and encourage lucid dreaming. Amethyst is the birth stone for February. The Amethyst birthstone meaning is also of spiritual growth and protection. If you were born in February, the amethyst powers for healing will vibrate more strongly for you. This is especially true as you hold an amethyst in your hand or wear a piece of amethyst jewellery against your skin.

Amethyst properties
Spiritual awareness, dreaming, dispels nightmares, protection, known as the “sobriety stone”, helps break bad habits. Psychic / Meditation / Protects against anger, hate, envy and fear.

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Round Amber Glass Jewel and Copper pendant

Here I cut a flat round circle out of some copper sheeting and cut a hole the size of the glass jewel slightly off-centre (I use ordinary office scissors for this job). Once I had wrapped the copper foil (¼" width) around the glass jewel (it is the catalyst for soldering the glass to the copper as solder does not take on glass), I soldered it in place, allowing the light to shine through from the back. I covered the copper in silver solder and then soldered some pieces of wire onto the bottom half of the copper, giving it a coat of black patina and gently buffing it with fine kitchen steel wool to create an aged effect. After soldering on some rings, it was ready to suspend from a nice thick rope chain.

To work with copper sheeting is an absolute pleasure. It is pliable, easy to handle and can be cut and shaped into any shape you please. It can be combined with many other materials like glass, wood, stone, steel, shells and even plastic or used on it's own to create one-of-a-kind copper jewellery.

I purchase mine in rolls, available from most craft shops, which is then easy to store and doesn't take up as much space as when you buy pre-cut flat sheets.

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Amber, warm and powerful. Necklace

Scouring some vintage shops like I normally do, I came upon these loose Amber beads in an old tin on a shelf and when I enquired whether it was for sale, the lady said yes and I was surprised at how affordable they were and snatched them up immediately!

They obviously came from a previous neclace, so I just threaded some tiger-tail wire through the holes, attached some clasps and earring hooks onto the two I used for earrings and voila! a warm and powerful necklace with matching earrings!

While often considered a gemstone, the glowing amber is not actually a stone, but fossilized resin from ancient evergreen trees. The oldest amber discovered on Earth is about 320 million years old. Imagine the incredibly powerful energy this amber contains!

Young amber stones are less than 100,000 years old; the most valued pieces of amber are much older than that. (It takes a long time for the tree resin to become true amber). Isn’t it mind boggling to know that the amber jewellery you just bought contains such old, wise energy?

The most obvious quality of amber is its old, old, (very old!) energy. With it comes the accumulated wisdom of the earth and its natural kingdom. You can often see little insects trapped in the amber while it started as a tree resin; this gives the amber stone quite powerful magical properties. It is believed that amber:

• Balances emotions
• Attracts good luck
• Eliminates fears
• Relieves headache
• Clears the mind
• Dissolves negative energy
• Helps develop patience and wisdom

Amber clarity ranges from transparent to opaque and it has a resinous lustre. Most amber specimens have pockets of air bubbles and various other inclusions.

Goggo/Insect Range - Dung Beetle

Dung Beetle brooch - rolling her dung ball
Black glass jewel for the body, back glass bead for the head and silver wire and silver solder for the legs. The dung ball is a black iridescent marble.
 

This Keepsakes range consists of insects (for the insect-lover!) to display as ornaments but some of them can also be fashioned into brooches. Hand-crafted with silver, copper, pewter, glass jewels and silver wire, *each Goggo/insect can take 3 or more hours to make.* Only materials of the highest quality is used and great attention is given to detail.

Although the items should be treated with care, each item is strong and sturdy. Taking care and cleaning of your unique insect is as easy as scrubbing gently with a toothbrush and Sunlight Liquid and giving it a good rinse with cold water, drying gently with a soft cloth. A natural patina develops over time, adding charm to the item. Each insect comes with its own descriptive card.

Dung Beetle
The larvae of some species are able to produce feint sounds. Some species are horned and all live on dung. The female, having laid an egg, encases it in a ball of fresh dung, which is then buries and serves as food for the larva.

 

 Under-side showing brooch pin

Dung Beetle brooch with matching dung ball earrings

Dung Beetle brooch with matching dung ball earrings

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Rose Quartz crystal pendants

Pieces of Rose Quarts encased in silver wire. This crystal looks equally good suspended from a chain or some leather thonging for a more natural look. When working with this crystal, it seems to emanate a low heat, making it feel warm to the touch. I can almost feel its comforting properties flowing through my hands as I wrap the wire around it.

Rose Quartz is a calming and reassuring crystal, excellent for use in trauma or crisis, including the emotional upheaval of mid-life crisis. It strengthens empathy, sensitivity, and aids in the acceptance of necessary change. It is also an excellent stone for comforting grief.

Rose quartz is often called the "Love Stone." Its energetic hallmark is that of unconditional love that opens the heart chakra. This makes rose quartz a stone for every type of love: self-love, family, platonic, romantic, and unconditional. As a variety of quartz, rose quartz has high energy, and this strong energy can enhance love in virtually any situation. A large piece of unpolished Rose Quartz in the home provides on-going protection against intrusion and gossip.

Rose Quartz, a silicon dioxide crystal, is one of the most common varieties of the Quartz family. Its name is derived from its soft rose colour, which ranges from very pale pink to deep reddish-pink. It usually occurs in massive form, though it sometimes grows in clusters of small prismatic crystals. It varies in clarity from opaque to translucent to a foggy transparency.

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Amber Aztec-style Pendant

A pendant with a slight Aztec feel. Large Amber glass jewel with a half-moon shaped metal disc attached. Hanging from a thick silver rope chain. Aged with black patina.

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Amethyst Crystal on a Silver wire stand

A large Amethyst Cluster (approx. 3" sq. - 7.5cm), which I have mounted on a silver wire display stand with a small piece of amethyst dangling from some silver wire. Hand-crafted with Silver wire and silver solder. This is part of my "Earth" collection in my jewellery range "Afrika Street Jewellery".

The Amethyst meaning is spiritual growth and protection. These beautiful healing crystals are also known for bringing clarity of the mind to the owner. By wearing or using Amethyst crystals, you can become more in tune with your own feelings and get to know your inner self on a much deeper level. It is a gemstone which can bring you calmness, inner peace and is thought to heighten your natural intuition.

It is a stone of spirituality and contentment. It brings one the energies of serenity and composure while inciting fairness in decisions and enhancement in the ability to manage any and all responsibilities. It provides the "sense" of common sense and encourages flexibility in decisions. It assists in the assimilation of new ideas.

Clusters – are most useful for cleansing and charging other gemstones or jewellery. They also assist to cleanse negative energy in large areas. These bring group energies together promoting peace and harmony in all relationships.

Amethyst healing properties can relieve pain and swelling throughout the body by calming the nervous system. Amethyst is well known for having a positive affect against insomnia and nightmares. By placing an amethyst crystal under your bed, you can dispel nightmares and encourage lucid dreaming. Amethyst is the birth stone for February. The Amethyst birthstone meaning is also of spiritual growth and protection. If you were born in February, the amethyst powers for healing will vibrate more strongly for you. This is especially true as you hold an amethyst in your hand or wear a piece of amethyst jewellery against your skin.

Amethyst properties
Spiritual awareness, dreaming, dispels nightmares, protection, known as the “sobriety stone”, helps break bad habits. Psychic / Meditation / Protects against anger, hate, envy and fear.


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Goggo/Insect range - Blue Emperor Dragonfly

This Keepsakes range consists of insects (for the insect-lover!) to display as ornaments but some of them can also be fashioned into brooches. Hand-crafted with silver, copper, pewter, glass jewels and silver wire, *each Goggo/insect can take 3 or more hours to make.* Only materials of the highest quality is used and great attention is given to detail. Although the items should be treated with care, each item is strong and sturdy. Taking care and cleaning of your unique insect is as easy as scrubbing gently with a toothbrush and Sunlight Liquid and giving it a good rinse with cold water, drying gently with a soft cloth. A natural patina develops over time, adding charm to the item. Each insect comes with its own descriptive card.

This Keepsakes range consists of insects (for the insect-lover!) to display as ornaments but some of them can also be fashioned into brooches. Hand-crafted with silver, copper, pewter, glass jewels and silver wire, each Goggo/insect can take 3 or more hours to make. Only materials of the highest quality is used and great attention is given to detail. Although the items should be treated with care, each item is strong and sturdy. Taking care and cleaning of your unique insect is as easy as scrubbing gently with a toothbrush and Sunlight Liquid and giving it a good rinse with cold water, drying gently with a soft cloth. A natural patina develops over time, adding charm to the item.


Blue Emperor Dragonfly (Anax Imperator) 
The Emperor Dragonfly or Blue Emperor, Anax imperator, is a large species of hawker dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, averaging 78 millimetres (3.1 in) in length. It is found mainly in Europe and nearby Africa and Asia. They frequently fly high up into the sky in search of prey, which includes butterflies, Four-spotted Chasers and tadpoles; small prey is eaten while flying. They breed in a variety of aquatic habitats from large ponds to dykes, but they require a plentiful supply of vegetation in the water. The females lay the eggs into plants such as pondweed, and always lay alone. The male is highly territorial, and difficult to approach.

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Out of difficulties grow miracles

Copper with clear glass jewel brooch and earrings

I chose this back-ground for the photograph "Out of difficulties grow miracles" because I had one heck of a time making this set! The clear glass jewels are set on top of copper and, as I was soldering the jewels to the copper, the flux kept on running under the glass, causing black spots. I tried over and over again until, eventually, I just gave up and soldered it, ignoring the black spots and hoped for the best. But once I had finished the pieces, added the black patina for an aged look and washed and cleaned them, there were no black spots to see! The few that remained just added to the charm of the earrings (top left in the picture).

For the brooch, I cut the copper to shape and size and crumpled it a bit with my flat-nose pliers for an interesting texture and soldered the brooch pin to the back.

These earrings have pins (with butterfly) but could also just as easily have been hook earrings 

Silver solder with clear glass jewels hook earrings  

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Goggo / Insect range - Baboon Spider

This Keepsakes range consists of insects (for the insect-lover!) to display as ornaments but some of them can also be fashioned into brooches. Hand-crafted with silver, copper, pewter, glass jewels and silver wire, each Goggo/insect can take 3 or more hours to make. Only materials of the highest quality is used and great attention is given to detail. Although the items should be treated with care, each item is strong and sturdy. Taking care and cleaning of your unique insect is as easy as scrubbing gently with a toothbrush and Sunlight Liquid and giving it a good rinse with cold water, drying gently with a soft cloth. A natural patina develops over time, adding charm to the item.

Each insect comes with a descriptive card :

Baboon Spider
Ground-dwelling, these hairy spiders are among the world's largest, ranging from 2-6cm (body length). Various species exist in South Africa, all of them living in burrows. They have large fangs which can inflict an unpleasant bite but without serious envenomation.

From my "Earth Range" and inspired by Nature.

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Bound Chaos Pendant and bracelet

Silver and black plastic-coated wire gently bound and wound into orderly chaos. Pendant hangs from a silver chain and has a dangling iridescent glass bead. The bracelet has two silver beads.

From my Earth Range, I've named them "Bound Chaos". Just like in our daily lives, these pieces are gently woven together, trying to make sense of uncertainty and chaos, giving meaning to experience.

'Bound Chaos' bracelet

"Gebonde Chaos" nekhangertjie en bypassende armband

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