And finally something new- my first attempt at making Celtic knotwork pendant :) This is a triquetra, which was known in Celtic as well as Germanic traditions and later- like many other pagan symbols- has been adapted into Christianity. Triquetra has many meanings, both religious (depends on beliefs- the Blessed Trinity, the three stages of the Triple Goddess- Maiden, Mother, and Crone, and many others) and non-religious ones. As a knot without beginning or end, it represents infinity, eternity and interconnectedness of all things. Triquetra can also be seen as a promise of love, honour and protection, and therefore it is commonly engraved on the engagement or wedding rings in Ireland.

My pendant is not perfectly symmetrical, but still I think this is technically the best piece of jewellery I made so far- the knot wasn't cracking while I was working on it and the leaves are more detailed and look much better than in my previous projects. I oxidized and polished it to better expose the symbol. And I can already see tons of possibilities of using knotwork designs in the future- so exciting! :)

Filonek Bezogonek is a Polish name for Pelle Svanslös (Peter-No-Tail). This cat was actually my second project, but he lost his tail during polishing and had to wait few months for recovering. I made this pendant when I was pretty sure I have no limitations with the materials I use and when I was no aware of how fragile fine silver is. Well, I quickly learnt this lesson ;)

Hand carved fine silver, oxidized (with a little difficulty- the moon covered with oxide immediately, but the cat didn't want to turn black at all ;)) and then partially polished to let the moon shine :)

Here are two of my old, quite simple in form projects. The flowery pendant is far from perfect- it's a bit crooked and irregular, but I know how I can improve next time. :)

Welcome! I've just decided to write a blog about my newest passion- jewellery-making. Although I've always loved to express myself in, let's say, "artistic" ways such as photography or dance, I never really though seriously about metalworking. It all began as a result of few coincidences: firstly, I found Laurelindorenan made by Anna Mazon one of the most beautiful, inspiring and "mine" pendants I've ever seen. I also read a bit about techniques Anna work with (and, of course, I admired other pieces made by her. Such a wonderful artist!). Secondly, my friend, Emilka Romanowska, after years of making beaded jewellery started her own business- Inesse. Thoughts like "oh, maybe I could try to make something myself? Maybe- I know, it's incredibly optimistic thought, but hey, just maybe, after some time I could create all these things I always wanted to?" began to pop up in my mind. Finally, the exam session came, and this is always the best time to start learning something totally new... ;)

So this was my first work- unfinished and totally not my style. I just wanted to do something simple for the beginning. Fortunately, the next ones turned out slightly better ;)




I appreciate little things in life and I find my inspiration in them. Nature, music, literature, other people, ancient and present cultures fill my head with plenty of ideas, some of which my hands can't keep up with yet ;) I work mainly with Art Clay Silver (combined sometimes with more traditional metalworking techniques) and natural stones. In the future- near or far- I would love to use also other metals and materials such as gold, bronze, copper, wood, enamel, UV resin, polymer clay and others. So many things to try! :)

Melonarium is supposed to be a little place to share my ups and downs at learning jewelry-making skills. By documenting my work, I hope to see some progress with time. I decided to write in English, so this blog will be also kind of language lesson for me. Unfortunately I still don't feel confident with my language skills, so please feel free to correct my blunders ;)

Once again, welcome to Melonarium!