Boyd Takes Flight
Boyd Takes Flight
Just moments ago Boyd the bird – a swift – took flight and left us. We both feel he’s left something of a hole in our lives.
10th Anniversary Gift
For our 10th anniversary ~ 10 years since we moved to live in France ~ it’s time to celebrate!
Windsurfing Paradise
Watersports. Embracing the Elements and Exhilaration.
The Sea
I love the sea. I feel so free when I’m near it.
Open, Closed or Discovered?
Ancient door in Lagrasse, France.
Open Doors
Yesterday, I saw these photographs of French doors; a small window onto my friend Jennifer’s amazing collection.
Being in the Moment and All That Jazz
Silver Compass Pendant: Choosing a New Direction …
I can’t wait!
I want to take my puppy to the beach. I can’t wait for his first walk; to see him enjoying everything new. I look forward to taking him on little trips out, for him to be included as my companion.
Oh, how my mind races ahead to things that haven’t happened yet!
Being in the Moment
Anticipation can be a tremendous part of the journey to wherever it is you’re going. Knowing that you’re on your way to getting a new job, moving to a new country or getting fitter is a large part of the experience.
But there’s still today. The here and now. This very moment.
In truth, there are days when I find posts about “being in the moment” more than a little irritating. They can seem pesky, smug even; as if I’m doing something wrong if I’m not being in the moment.
But, today was different. Being in the moment happens often when I’m in the workshop, but in everyday life too much of me wants to speed ahead to the next idea, the next … thing.
The Journey
Life’s a journey and there’s a right time for everyone to feel in the moment.
Yes, there are ideas that we can talk about that make sense in some dimension – but without any particular connection to the idea, without a meeting of minds on the concept.
And that’s OK. It’s just not the right time for us. There are times when I come back to an experience and re-experience it in a whole new way. And I feel myself doing it, I become aware of the change. I smile inside.
When it comes to choosing, changing or re-discovering our direction I reckon we sometimes just need to give ourselves a bit more slack. Don’t you?
The Truth about Speaking Jewellery
Pink Tourmaline with powers of attraction…
The idea that jewellery speaks to you is what it’s all about. Something happens between you and the creation; an inexplicable attraction.
Understanding the Carat
Yellow and White Gold Compass Pendant (photo: Kiff Backhouse)
Carat
Since antiquity, the Carat (ct) has been a unit of measurement for precious stones. The term is derived from the kernel of the carob bean (from Greek keration). As such, the Carat – and therefore the price – of the stone being sold depended on the size of bean the vendor was using as his counterbalance!
These days, the Carat has gone metric and is now equivalent to 0.2g.
Beware, however, the folks boasting a large Carat gemstone; some stones may weigh a fair bit but have a lot of bulk just to boost the Carat. For example, a dark gemstone with steep sides may have an impressive Carat, but only the polished surface can be appreciated once it’s set into jewellery.
Karat
Karat is a term used by the goldsmith as a measure of quality.
It has no relation to the actual weight of the gold. Instead, it refers to the proportion of pure gold in the piece of jewellery. For example, 18 Karat gold is 75% pure gold and 9 Karat gold is 37.5% pure gold.
My jewellery creations are tested for purity at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London so you can always be assured of the quality of the metals used.
Carrot
And now to the Carrot. This is a crunchy, orange vegetable that can evoke ghastly memories of school dinners and coleslaw.
Personally, I find it makes excellent soup!
Three Things I’ve Learned About Change
Jasper in the Garden. Explorer, Adventurer and Puppy. (Age: 9 weeks)
Change Happens
Jasper, my puppy, is already a companion in the workshop. Yesterday he heard me using the jeweller’s saw and didn’t much like the sound. The steel saw blade rasping against silver; a harsh, grating sound. A new experience.
I spoke to him, reassuringly. He settled down. I continued.
It’s all about learning. Learning what’s OK and what’s not.
He’s also growing – a type of change that just happens. He’s learning that he can reach further and leap higher. He’s learning that he can no longer fit underneath the unit that he could last week! He’s learning his place in the pack with our other dogs.
Belief Precedes Change
He also appears to believe that he’s invincible!
There are three small steps down into our garden. After only a moment’s hesitation, Jasper leapt from the top step – an excited, confident leap that would take him to another world.
He tumbled, rolled, picked himself up and had a shake. Sorted.
“Right, now what’s here for me to explore…?”
Next time, the steps were easier. He’d believed he could do it, tried it out, tumbled a little – but learned a lot.
We Grow with Change
In my experience, committing to change sometimes needs a leap of faith.
Acting on the decision to become a Goldsmith, to live in France, to do the things I’m doing – all this meant leaving various chunks of the future to chance. I didn’t feel completely ready, but have ended up discovering so much more than I’d ever imagined. I’ve dealt with some situations better than others, don’t we all?! I’ve felt more alive than ever before. I’ve grown.
Life is an adventure. For Jasper and for me!
What Everyone Should Know about Petrified Wood
From my Gemstone Collection: The Colourful Contours of Petrified Wood
The Truth about Petrified Wood
The truth about Petrified Wood is that, well, it’s not wood. Not wood at all.
I know, it’s a little disappointing isn’t it?
But not to worry, I think the real story of how Petrified Wood occurs is pretty neat.
The Life of the Tree
A tree takes root, grows, lives and dies. Trees that have died often wear away to nothing through erosion and weathering. They are reduced to dust, carried away on the wind.
Then there are other trees. Trees from as long as 200 million years ago, that were washed to their resting places by raging torrents of water, then covered by sediment.
Those trees, buried under 100s of metres of rock, then underwent a fantastic transformation.
Here comes the neat part. Are you ready?
How Petrified Wood Occurs
Those entombed trees decomposed. Their organic matter was slowly washed away by circulating waters, way down deep. Little by little, those same waters also carried minerals into the cavities they left behind.
This took a while. Over a period of around 100 years, minerals such as silicate, quartz or agate replaced the form and contours of the original trees. Layer by layer, their intricacies were replaced by minerals such that they were, quite literally, reincarnated in stone; petrified.
I do so like the story of a gemstone. Fascinating.
Looking at the timescales also kind of helps me to keep things in perspective.
Momentum
An Ocean Jasper amidst a Sea of Gemstones. Tempting & Triangular!
Start
Some of today was spent spreading out gemstones, sketching jewellery designs and deciding on what I’ll be creating over the coming months. It’s been fabulous.
It’s a sort of beginning, so made me think about starting new things. About energy. About projects, tasks and challenges that are sometimes looking us squarely in the face saying,
“come on, get started!”
It made me think about keeping up momentum.
Ready, Set, Go
Starting out on a new project often requires a fair bit of effort. Especially if you’re standing still right now and planning to get up some speed in one direction or another.
Before you know it, though, things start to feel easier. You’ve got a bit of speed up, some momentum helping to drive you forward. Hey, sometimes there are are even downhill stretches where you can stop pedalling and start free-wheeling!
But watch out …
A friend once recounted how she’d hopped off her bike one day to push it; the hill she was cycling up was too steep. Soon, the road ahead flattened out and she could easily have begun pedalling again, but she just kept walking. It was effortless.
Then the road started to slope downhill and still she walked alongside her bike.
I’m so glad she snapped out of her trance-like state, cycled back and told me the story.
It made me think. About starting. About momentum.
Compass Necklace
…and a compass set into the back!
…a unique design all around
…and small enough to wear everyday
View this Compass
