New Irish jewelry in Irish marble and sea pottery

Busy with work and part-time study, it's a rare pleasure for me these days to make some new pieces for my Etsy shop, Handmade by Amo'r.  Last night I gave in to the creative call and made a few pairs of earrings and some pendants to refill the virtual shelves with modern Irish jewelry.

Connemara marble and silver Celtic heart earrings

Made with Connemara marble and Celtic heart beads, 'Forever' earrings are unmistakeably Irish. This green marble is found only in the West of Ireland and comes in a wide variety of greens. These specimens are a rare shade of gooseberry with lime highlights. 

Read more about this indigenous Irish stone HERE.

This rustic, Connemara marble pendant with Celtic spirals has yet to be named and listed. Equally neat on both sides, with different types of spirals, it is fully reversible. The slab of stone is truly unique and gorgeous. 

You may keep one eye on the Connemara marble jewelry section of my store to find out when it becomes available.

sea pottery pendant from Dublin

Also waiting to be named and listed is this sea pottery pendant. I found this cute piece on a Dublin beach. It has been well buffed and leached by the ocean so it must have been rolling in the waves for decades. There is something nautical about it: the hint of blue looks like the sea in the distance with the sandy beach at the fore. The wire wrapping is secure and neat. I had the sails of a yacht in mind, but it somehow turned out like the letter A. Perhaps I secretly want to claim it for myself!  

You can learn a little about sea pottery HERE.

Cork red marble pendant (heart)

Here is a sneak preview of a Cork red marble heart I made yesterday. This stone is even rarer to find in jewelry pieces than Connemara marble is. You are more likely to see it in churches and cathedrals. This particular specimen is of the paler pink variety and is the last of this type of pendant I am likely to stock in 2015.

You can read a little about Cork red marble HERE. 

Beach Combing in Jersey, Channel Islands

Late August, I spent a week in Jersey, one of the UK Channel Islands, off the North coast of France and a place I've always wanted to visit. It's a popular destination for walking holidays with stunning cliff paths in the North, easier coastal walks along the entire perimeter and green, country lanes in the interior. Its many beaches also throw up a  fair share of sea glass and sea pottery to delight collectors of beach treasures like me.

beach treasure found in Jersey, UK

Although I had insider information that I was staying near an excellent strand for beach combing, Green Island Beach in the South, I'm afraid I didn't find all that much. Then again I was too busy sightseeing to spend enough time actually searching. The photo above shows the best of the crop. The photo isn't great, but the triangle of glass in the middle is a beautiful shade of baby blue, one of the rarer shades. 

This brown scenic shard of sea pottery was a cool find, despite the extra wear and tear at the edge. I wonder if anyone recognises the pattern?

Some day I will  have to go back and search for more treasure.....

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You might like:

How to Clean Sea Glass
How to Care for Sea Glass Jewellery
Sea glass items from my Etsy Store

Tuesday Treasuries get Nautical

Treasuries are showcase lists of Etsy goodies from various shops. They are artfully put together by members of the Etsy community. As always, I am grateful to be included in a beautiful list this week.

We seem to have a nautical theme going on here this week....

Firstly, I put together an ocean-themed treasury myself.  'Sail Away Summer' features shops from the Top Treasury Team. of which, I am a member.

Then it is thanks to Jo of DigitalFolkArt for this special treasury titled 'Beach Pottery.' It delivers exactly what it promises - a fabulous selection of beach pottery from around the world. This is a beach comber's dream come true. I'm delighted to see my brown sea pottery pendant from Ireland in the mix. There it is, on the bottom left.

If you would like to learn more about sea pottery, please click the link to my previous post HERE 

Tuesday Treasuries, Simmering Summer

Treasuries are showcase lists of Etsy goodies from various shops. They are artfully put together by members of the Etsy community. As always, I am delighted to be included in some beautiful lists this week. Thank you!

June always brings with it, some beach pastels to get you in the mood for that annual vacation. This pretty  treasury, titled 'I'd like to be beside the seaside' by Mary Johanna of Johanna Crafts   is full of enticing jewellery and other goodies from Ireland. Delighted to see my sea pottery pendant in the mix.

Perhaps you are holidaying in Ireland this year? This list of Irish  crafts should get you in the mood. Thanks go to Sharon of Fabric Girl Designs for including my Connemara marble pendant (or ornament) in 'Everything Irish.'

Inspirations January 2014

Like many artists, I garner inspiration from nature and what I see around me as well as things that stir my soul, such as the refreshing sea, culture and Irish heritage. Though I very much do my own thing, I am almost obliged to be inspired by current trends. Not least of these are the season's hues influenced by Pantone Colour Report.

Spring 2014 is sweeping in with a refreshing display of gentle pastels teamed with bold bursts of dazzling blue, freesia yellow, celosia orange and radiant orchid purple. I'm particularly loving the combination of deep blue with intense yellow in geometric and floral patterns already hitting the shops.

Many of these uplifting colours are making it into my Etsy store, Handmade by Amo'r.  It usually takes a combination of factors to move me to create something beautiful. Here are some of the influences behind my latest jewellery.

            

Irish sea pottery pendant on dazzling blue cotton chain

I found this naturally weathered shard of sea pottery on a Dublin beach last summer and wire wrapped it in silver plate. I wasn't quite happy with the ribbon necklace I originally made for it. I was looking for something that evoked the sea itself in some way. Then I spied the gorgeous cotton crochet chain in dazzling blue by HuggleKnits and knew It was a match made in heaven. The bright marine blue instantly lifted the white and blue porcelain for a look that is on the mark for Spring and Summer 2014.

 

  

I posted earlier this month that I'd been overdosing on old episodes of Downton Abbey. I'm currently obsessed with early 20th century styles and trends from the Edwardian era through to the 20s.  Though the mourning jewellery of the first series of the British drama steered me to the colour black, Lady Edith's fiery necklace above is on the mark for this season's Pantone celosia orange. It may not be, but it looks suspiciously like carnelian to me.

I'm pretty sure I have some amethyst teardrops in the radient orchid lurking in my purple stash box....

A 'Cuppa' of Cool Sea Pottery Finds

It's been a while since I've had a chance to go beach combing for some cool sea pottery and sea glass so it was refreshing to have a poke around on a tiny Dublin cove last week. Fancy a cuppa?....

I'll just have a small one thanks ;-) Only beach combers/sea pottery collector-nerds like me will appreciate this but I really love these pieces. I wont be using the concave base of the cup for anything other than display but I might try to wire wrap the handle (turning it upside down) and incorporate it into something...there's a seed of an idea going round my head.

Time to put the kettle on!

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HOW TO CLEAN SEA POTTERY AND SEA GLASS

A LITTLE ABOUT SEA POTTERY

SEA POTTERY JEWELRY

Inspirations. Dollymount Strand

Lately I've been very lacking in creative inspiration and I put it down to the fact that I've been unable to walk much on my foot since plantar fasciitis struck last Autumn. However, I've slowly been able to get back into my walking boots with a combination of physio and other means.

So I decided to brave it and go for a decent walk with my Etsy friend, Mo of Huggleknits, and combine it with a catch up about Etsy business.  We chose to revisit a Dublin city beach I hadn't been to in almost a decade, Dollymount Strand, just North of the city centre. It is much closer than I'd ever realised and it is easily accessible by bus.

Catch the bus on Lower Abbey Street. (Dublin, Google Maps)

Take the 130 bus from Lwr Abbey St. The fare is currently €2.40 and in bad, Saturday afternoon traffic it took about 30 mins. Coming back around 7pm took just 2o mins. Once past Fairview, the Clontarf road affords beautiful views of Dublin Bay and Harbour. There is a coastal promenade in Clontarf which is popular with walkers all year round. It stretches from Fairview Park to the Bull wall at Dollymount so alternatively, you could get off at any point and follow this paved walkway.

Dollymount bridge, May 2013, Amo'r

However, the busstop for Dollymount strand is immediately after the landmark wooden bridge. The bridge takes you to North Bull island and its sandy beach. Cars use the bridge to access the car park, but there is a wide pedestrian section on both sides so it is perfectly safe for walkers. 

 

The island is a relatively new land formation that grew from a small sand bank over the past 200 years. The South Wall and the Bull Wall were built to stop silting in the Liffey and as a result, tidal currents deposited layer upon layer of sand creating this unusual sanctuary so close to the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

Dollymount strand  Looking Northwards to Howth, May 2013, Amo'r

The flat, sandy beach stretches about 5km (over 3 miles) long and affords a comfortable, scenic walk at any time of year, with breathtaking, expansive views of Dublin bay.  You can see ships entering and leaving Dublin Docks just to the South. Beyond the curve of coastline, the Wicklow mountains are clearly visible on the horizon. To the North you can see the Sutton side of the Howth peninsula.

When I was a kid we used to go to Dollymount strand for walks in Winter and Spring. We never swam in the sea as, if my memory serves me well, it was not the cleanest of beaches then. Today it is super clean and known for its ecological uniqueness.  The island is a UNESCO biosphere reserve boasting a bird and wild life sanctuary at the Northern end.  There is plenty of space to walk, run, fly a kite or just chill.

The fresh air did the trick and I've got a number of design ideas floating in my head (if you'll excuse the unintended pun please.)


For more inspiring walks around or close to Dublin, click HERE
To catch a glimpse of a curious bathing area at Dollymount click HERE

Some sea pottery, sea glass and sea themed items from my Etsy store:

   

 

 

Spring Greens. Work in Progress

After the Christmas break, I've mainly been working on custom pieces for people I know. Yesterday evening I finally got down to a crafty session to replenish diminished stock in my Etsy shop. I realised I was almost out of Connemara marble pendants so knuckled down to make a couple of pieces with St Patrick's Day in mind. Naturally, green has got to be the colour of the moment!

 My Celtic heart pendants are always popular. This is a beautiful piece of Connemara marble. 

This stunning specimen of Connemara marble is a once-off piece. I was inspired to make this Celtic Pub Ornament by one of my best and (am I allowed to say?) favourite customers. ;-) You know who you are...

 I will shortly be listing this zesty pendant made from sea pottery that I found on a Dublin beach. It is a fresh, lime colour that will look fabulous with a white T-shirt, or a summer dress. It will also stand out against that LBD, making a simple, chic statement.

And just to prove there really are 40 shades of green, this OOAK Connemara marble pendant falls at the other end of the verdant spectrum. It is a very cool shade with typical, grayish marbling. The dark, February weather here in Dublin makes it a challenge to photograph, but I've done my best to capture it.  I hope to list this special Sterling silver Claddagh and Connemara marble pendant this week. This is very much, one of a kind and will not be repeated. The stone was cut specially for me by a Galway mason. The solid silver charm is vintage from the 80s and the only one I have.

You might like.....
(from this blog:)
A little about Connemara Marble
A little about Sea Pottery
Shades of Green Seaglass

(from my Etsy shop:)
Connemara marble jewellery section
Sea pottery jewellery

A Little About Sea Pottery

Sea pottery is broken pottery, porcelain, tile and stoneware shards that have been tumbling and smoothing naturally in the sea for decades before washing up on the shore. It is also known as beach pottery, sea porcelain or sea china. It is very collectible and good quality specimens are popular for jewellery making. Smaller pieces look wonderful in mosaics and other artistic projects.  

This naturally recycled material can start out as table and kitchen ware,  ornamental porcelain, terracotta or ceramic tile, building materials etc. Often it was thrown away as rubbish or somehow just ended up in the water.

The acidity and tumbling action of the ocean smooths the edges, deglazes and leeches elements from the porcelain giving it a 'chalkier' texture. This happens very slowly over decades.

Often, the top layer of colour or pattern can have been buffed away by silt and sand. Some pieces will have patterns of leaves, flowers etc and are enjoyed simply for their aesthetics.

Even if, like me, you only start out looking for beautiful pieces to use, it can be hard not to get excited by a shard that holds a clue to its origins.

Storm in a Teacup pendant

Though it may have been manufactured abroad, as with sea glass, the source of the shard is usually local - ie it most likely fell into or was thrown into the sea on the same stretch of coast where it is found, or not a million miles away.

 Much of the sea pottery found in Ireland and the UK dates back to the 19th and even 18th centuries. Of course, let's not forget that a piece that was made 200 years ago, might not have gotten into the sea until much, much later.  It does however, take time to leech and exfoliate sea pottery to a very smooth condition. A well worn piece that landed in the sea say 50 years ago, could logically be a lot younger than a less weathered, but vintage, piece of pottery that has only been surfing for a few decades. In other words, the extent of evident weathering can give us an idea of how long a piece has been tumbling in rough seas, not how old it actually is.  There are ways that experts can date a piece by looking at materials, shapes, firing methods etc. However, it's nowhere near an exact science when it comes to sea pottery.

    

 Specimens may have recognisable patterns, such as the famous, Willow pattern, for example, adding to their appeal. The pendant on the left (now sold) is from the edge of  a Willow pattern piece  and the shard on the right shows well known elements from the design.

If you are lucky you may find a piece that has a real clue as to its origins. To start with, this piece clearly comes from England. Clementson Brothers turned out to be easy to trace online. The company was in operation in Hanly from c1865-1916. This sea pottery shard deserves a blog post all of its own!

One thing is sure, if you start collecting sea pottery and or sea glass for whatever reason, I guarantee you'll never be able to go to a beach again without peering down. I best warn you of the possible side effects: crick in the neck, sore back, aching joints, filthy hands, tired eyes, holes in your pockets oh, and watch out for euphoria when you find something truly amazing. That will be your complete undoing!

Useful links I came across:

International marks and back stamps on pottery

Pottery Encyclopaedia:

Previous posts of similar interest:
The Willow Pattern
How to Clean Seaglass and Beach Pottery
Inspirations from Terracotta

Inspirations from Terra Cotta

                        

Terracotta, plain tile and other uni-coloured sea pottery can seem a little mundane in comparison to a perfectly frosted piece of seaglass or a specimen of beach-worn Willow, for example. Yet somewhere in the recess of my imagination I've always known that the simpler and more ordinary pieces of slate and pottery have exciting potential. 

brown sea pottery pendant

The prettier sea treasures are usually a challenge to wire wrap. You have to use as little wire as possible, especially on the front, in order to show off their beauty to its best. Yet, you still have to cage the piece securely so it wont fall out. And of course, it's important to keep your wire work aesthetically appealing at the same time. The secrets to this type of wire wrapping are not so easy to unlock.

I tend to go for the more exciting and sell-able baubles first, leaving the plainer pieces aside. Yet deep down I've always known that the simple sea pottery shards can turn out to be far more fun to wrap. They are blank canvases -  a backdrop for the wire itself. Often, the challenge is to get the pottery and the wire to share the limelight in just the right balance so that they enhance each other. 

 

I had some vague design ideas running around my head but hadn't felt very motivated to bring them to life until a trip to the National Botanic Gardens, of all places. Here in a glass house I came across some inspiring artwork made from terracotta pots.

terracotta pot sculpture by unknown artist

Celtic spirals feature heavily in my jewellery and ornament designs. So naturally, I was drawn to this clever Celtic artwork. I'm afraid I didn't catch the name of the creator of this simple but very effective garden sculpture. If anyone can provide the name, please do post it in comments below.

Initially, I thought to take inspiration from the sculpture a bit too literally. I considered creating a triple spiral using both solid copper and silver plate wire and wrapping it onto a plain piece of terracotta sea pottery. I've done something similar in the past with gemstone slabs. 

Copper-wrapped Sea Pottery pendant

 However, rummaging through my stash, I was drawn to this biscuit and white tile shard but felt it would be swamped by such a design. It called for a simpler look that would balance the proportions right and bring out the understated beauty of the shard.

 

I'm pleased with the result. The warm copper comes into its own against the soft beige and creamy white background. There is no need to contrast with cold silver. With time the metal will naturally oxidise and darken, developing into a new phase of beauty. 

 

My Etsy friend Mo of HuggleKnits had accompanied me to the Botanic Gardens that day. It so happens that she was handing over some cotton crochet chains I'd commissioned her to make. This russet brown one complements the pendant to perfection.