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Author
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Comment
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Kerrie
Registered User
(4/24/02 5:05:41 pm)
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Fairy tale inspired accessories...
Ok, this may be an odd post, but I just thought I'd see what others thought.
If you could design an accessory, piece of jewelry that was inspired by a fairy tale, folklore, or mythology, how would you describe it?
The reason I ask, is that I often find myself drawn to tokens that remind me of stories. I have a pin of a fox framed with a grapevine border (Fox and the Grapes), a sparkly shoe (Cinderella), a vine bracelet (Sleeping Beauty), a few teal and seafoam green and ivory bracelets which remind me of the ocean (Little Mermaid), a necklace I designed similar to the one Princess Lily wears in the film Legend, earrings which are similar to those worn by Sarah in Labyrinth- the list just goes on! Today I bought a little pendant at Claire's which has three clear crystals/rhinestones in a row and another near the top on a kind of stick. I think I remember seeing one with red crystals, which reminds me of The Goose Girl.
Here's an example of a necklace that could relate to Sleeping Beauty or Beauty and the Beast:
www.parrishrelics.com/catalog/v15.html
I guess it comes in part from being a jeweler's daughter. Any other
design ideas?
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
Edited by: Kerrie at: 5/1/02 5:55:14 am
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erzebet
Registered User
(4/24/02 8:13:03 pm)
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jewelry
Hi Kerrie,
I think I would design a bracelet made of mother of pearl and silver to simulate the moon ribbon in Jane Yolen's tale of the same name. That tale and imagery has stuck with me ever since I read it long ago.
Erzebet
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Jane Yolen
Unregistered User
(4/25/02 3:03:40 am)
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Necklace
After my first fairy tale collection came out--THE GIRL WHO CRIED FLOWERS--I commissioned a silversmith friend to make me a pendant for it. He succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, making a silver neck torque with a hanging crop that was tear shaped with a rose emerging from the drop.
Jane
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Helen
Registered User
(4/27/02 10:32:26 am)
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Great topic!
Dear Kerrie;
Et tu? My dad is a gem dealer, and it's definitely the kind of occupation that ends up sucking the next generation in. I've done a lot of beadwork, and I've been a silversmith for ... good lord, almost a decade now. A lot of my work is inspired by the central focus of my life - the fantastic. I have a set of pendants made to represent the Apollonian and the Dionysiac (citrine with yellow gold and amethyst with green gold). In _Stardust_, Neil Gaiman briefly mentions the Nut of Wisdom (with a gorgeous illustration by Charles Vess). I couldn't help myself; I actually made a Nut of Wisdom. It's a little copper acorn with an inlaid silver crescent. I also ended up making a version of the amulet from _Stardust_. That particular tale is a wonderful resource in large part because of the beautiful illustrations. They provide a jumping off-point. Generally speaking, it can be a trifle difficult to make pieces that relate closely to actual fairy tales. Though other accessories are described in detail - glass slippers, dresses of gold, of silver, and of stars, crimson cloaks and seven-league boots - the jewelry is normally mentioned only briefly. After all, does anyone *really* know what a Ring of Invisibility looks like?
Best,
Helen
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Laura
Registered User
(4/30/02 8:29:27 pm)
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treasures
Wow! This fairy tale jewelry topic really got me thinking. As an aside before I dive in, I’m _terribly_ jealous of some of you! Custom-designed jewelry, especially that you made yourself … I can’t even imagine.
As others have said, specific fairy tale pieces are tough to come up with. However, in looking at what I have, I noticed a few themes. To me, pearl and moonstone have a “magic” feel – though it may be because I got my first strand of real pearls for my graduation, and I’m still starry-eyed.
I’ve got a charm bracelet that I’ve had for years – turtle, key, fairy, unicorn, whale, anchor, ship – and in fact, it inspired my longest work of young fiction. :-) I picked Lohengrin’s name out of the dictionary and used it for a wandering knight whose adventures involve the aforementioned objects. It’s … dreadful. However, made me think about something I think we’ve talked about on here before: the influence of our daily lives and objects on our writing, and that inspiration can come from the smallest places.
The other thing I thought about was the idea of talismans, items with totemic significance. I had a few I could think of: the Celtic harp necklace I brought back from Britain, reminding me of one of the most fabulous times of my life, and of my Irish heritage. I wear it almost every day. I put a yin-yang symbol on the side of my high school ring to remind me of the search for balance – still wear that too, but because it’s the only real gem I have. I’ve got an Aladdin’s lamp pendant, for both folklore and the light of knowledge. Most of all, I have a gold stick-pin of a cursive L, given to me by my beloved great grandmother who passed away a couple of months ago. Her nickname was Lottie, but her real name was Leocadia. I love it! I’d like to name a daughter Leocadia and call her Leo – no one else seems to think it’s a good idea. :-)
Last thing, I promise. I have a little leather pouch, modeled after Native American medicine bags, that I keep significant little things in. I like to think of it as a mojo bag, the sort of bag a heroine keeps her magical items in. I wear it when I _really_ need a boost – like to the SATs or the GRE, hoping that taking the items out and going over them will work just as well as casting the comb, mirror, etc, in my wake. I keep a small silver cross in the bag – has a blue center with a profile of Mary in it. My grandmother got it at Lourdes and gave it to my mother when she was about 3 or 4, and Mom passed it to me when I was in middle school. Gramma had had 2 sons, and she made a novena promising the Blessed Mother that she would name a daughter after her – hence mom was dubbed Margaret Mary, and Gramma made the pilgrimage partially in thanks (the Air Force stationed them in France a few years after mom was born). Let’s see, what else … a garish piece of fabric from the costume shop where I worked tech theatre during a high school summer-study program. A worn friendship-anklet in the German flag colors that I made that same summer. A polished lava worry stone. Tiny gemstones that I think are pretty. A stone from a beach in Ireland. The funniest piece is probably the purple plastic ring with an 8-pointed star: “My Magic Genie Wishing Ring.” It came with a little purple-haired genie doll my mom bought me the day we found out for sure that I didn’t have a brain tumor. I’ve always had a special attachment to that ring, and I’m still kicking around various stories about a girl with such a ring.
Laura S.
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