Venetian Devil
12/12/2014
Venetian Devil
Ministry of Magic Classification: XXX (Competent wizard should cope)
Venetian devils are mysterious, magical creatures characterized by slender body build, silky black fur, twisted horns and eyes in the colour of raspberries. They are commonly believed to fulfull wishes, however Magizoologists who studied those beasts (including Newt Scamander, famous author of "fantastic beasts and where to find them") did not find any evidence of such qualities. All of the "miraculous cases" ascribed to devils can be explained scientifically by their strong, instinctive ability to read feelings and emotions. Legends are still alive, though - and who knows, maybe there is a truth behind them...
Venetian devil is a fictional character in "The Ravenclaw Skylark" - "Harry Potter" fanfiction series written by Bastet and available on Polish literature forum "Mirriel": Skowronek Ravenclawu, Severusowi, w dniu urodzin, Robin, Woland i inne nieszczęścia Ravenclawu (where the devil is introduced), Rory. I based Woland's appearance on Bastet's descriptions and sketches :)
The pendant is made from fine and sterling silver - it is hand carved, oxidized and polished, hung on a strand of tiny garnets. I had so much fun bringing this little creature to life!
Watcher in the Water
7/16/2014
The deep colour of this lapis lazuli stone reminded me of a dark, still pool near the Westgate of Moria in Middle-Earth and of its inhabitant - the Watcher. Watcher in the Water is a terrifying, squid-like beast that attacked the Fellowship by the Doors of Durin. It's a mysterious creature - J.R.R. Tolkien never explicitly stated what it is or where it came from.
The pendant is made from fine and sterling silver. The tentacles were sculped by hand and measure only 1-2mm in diameter.
You can see some work in progress pictures here and below:
Ravenclaw pendant. Wayland's feather
3/27/2014
Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.
Rowena Ravenclaw
Handmade silver pendant inspired by Ravenclaw - one of the four houses of Hogwarts from J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter". The shape and texture of the feather refers both to the eagle- symbol of the house, and to the raven- patronus of its founder. The pendant is adorned with a small blue sapphire and hand formed Celtic triskel symbol.
Triskelion, through the position of its three spiral branches, imitate the constant forward motion and symbolizes the progress, process of learning and self-improvement. In the context of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the three spirals can be seen as symbolical representations of intelligence, wisdom and creativity - main traits valued by Rowena Ravenclaw and prized in her house.
In the future, I'm going to make a similar pendant in bronze, to reflect Ravenclaw's official colours - bronze and blue - more appropriately. However, silver colour of the feather is also meaningful. My main inspiration for this exact pendant was "The Ravenclaw's Skylark" fanfiction series written by Bastet- one of the very first fanfic I have ever read and - thanks to the unique, truly magical atmosphere and wonderful character creations - the only one that permanently influenced my personal vision of Hogwarts. I can't imagine Aurora Sinistra any other way ;) I love Bastet's conception of Ravenclaw common room's windows scattered with painted ravens. One of them is white... and in fact, he is more than just a painting. His feather refers to one of my favourite chapters in the story, which tells about the secrets of magical pictures, portraits and above all - one special gobelin.
In omnia paratus...
As far as I know, Bastet's fanfiction is not translated and is available only in Polish:
The little flame
3/27/2014
Very small and delicate pendant inspired by fire element. Handmade out of fine silver, sterling silver and red zirconia.
Gates of Doriath
3/27/2014
Necklace made by hand out of fine silver, sterling silver and labradorites, inspired by the forests of Doriath from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Silmarillion" and "The Children of Hurin". Doriath was the realm of Sindar - Grey Elves - ruled by Elu Thingol and Melian the Maia.
The necklace is adorned with two trees, which branches and roots are interlacing into Celtic triquetra knots. At some angles, the dark green stone you can see in the center flashes light, warm shades of green. Thanks to its unusual inclusion, sometimes you can see also a line of light blue colour on its left side. Is this Luthien dancing...?
Mallorn leaves earrings
3/27/2014
Small earrings handmade out of fine and sterling silver, inspired by Lothlorien forest from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".
Dandelions
3/26/2014
Very delicate silver pendant inspired by blossoming dandelions. Made by hand of fine silver, sterling silver and citrine. Oxidized and polished.
Total length, including the bail, is 3cm. The biggest flower measures 3mm :)
Halls of Thranduil
3/16/2014
Inspiration for this necklace came from J.R.R. Tolkien's prose. The beautiful, green stone you can see in the center reminded me of Eryn Galen - Greenwood the Great - known later as Mirkwood or Taur-nu-Fuin. The pendant is adorned with two pleached trees - a common motif in elven architecture. Maybe these are the columns in one of the halls of Lord Thranduil's palace, maybe they form the gate to Silvan Elves' kingdom, or perhaps these are just the trees, growing freely in the mighty ancient forest.
This piece was totally hand formed out of fine silver, labradorite and lots of little moss agates and peridots. Oxidized and partially polished.
Sculpting practice: tentacles
3/11/2014
As I gather
tons of new jewellery ideas, I am seeing that I need some drawing and sculpting
practice to eventually make them real. Some time ago I started to search for sculpting
inspirations and tutorials and I finally found a motivation to try something different
than anything I made so far. Tentacles!
These two tiny tentacles on the right are unfinished, but I really learnt a lot thanks to them. They allowed me to experiment with different techniques and to find out which suit me best while working on something so small. Soon I am going to make similar ones - this time in silver, as a part of “the Watcher in the Water” project with lapis lazuli :)
Daily Deviation
2/21/2014
I have just found out that I got a Daily Deviation on A dab of spring pendant on DeviantArt! It’s a daily feature on the largest online community for artists and one
of the biggest online social networks in general. I feel so surprised and honoured!
Silent observation
2/16/2014
I finally made my first ring! I am really proud that I managed to make it in a proper size, but this is rather a matter of beginner's luck, not a trained eye ;) I decided to give it a try after Kornelia Sus shared her first attempts at making rings on her blog. Thought that I am not the only one person who was so afraid of making rings was really encouraging- thank you! :)
Shades of roses
1/23/2014
Some time ago my grandma gave me few stones she found in her drawer- this coral was one of them. I'll finally be able to give it back to her in a wearable form ;)
Roses on the little "cap" were formed by hand of fine silver by Drakonaria's instructions. It was oxidized and polished.
Ground frost
1/15/2014
The weather in Poland is currently changing from autumn to more wintery one ;) This small, simple pendant is inspired by the frosted leaves lying on the ground. It is made of fine and sterling silver,
oxidized and polished to a high shine.
A dab of spring
1/03/2014
In the middle of winter, I just had to make something in green ;) This little pendant is made of fine silver, sterling silver, tiny olivines and peridots. Each branch and leaf was shaped by hand. Total length, including the bail and stones, is 4,8 cm.
Moonlight Dance
1/03/2014
Set of earrings and necklace made of silver and moonstones, inspired by dreamy and a bit magical atmosphere of warm summer nights. It was a Christmas gift for my sister, who's creativity, passionate personality and determination in following dreams I deeply admire. It's hard to express how much I love you, you beautiful, caring, inspiring being, the best sister anyone could dream of :)
