I went from sparkly little girl necklaces to a beach-combing, sustainable piece this week.
It uses nettle string through drilled bone, small turquoise beads and beach finds to make an environmentally friendly necklace.
The finds include a piece of a whistle, and a tube lid. It also has a piece of pau shell, a mother of pearl offcut and a disc from an old necklace. The copper clasp is bound to the nettle string using old electrical copper wire.
julia cowie
This silver frame-ring, Sea-drift necklace has a blue, lapis lazuli drop, a solid silver heart and a witch stone. The belcher chain and the ring and bar fastening are also silver. The reverse of the frame ring is textured using a beach stone and the necklace can be worn either way.
julia cowie
This penultimate necklace in the sea-drift ring series (for now at least) has a brass, domed, corroded washer from the beach in Cellardyke, a hollow silver bead and silver charm. It has a silver belcher chain, silver frame-ring which is textured using a stone from the beach and my ring and bar fastening.
julia cowie
This silver necklace has a lapis drop, the Forth dolphin and a silver heart all handing from a silver-frame ring. The chain is a silver belcher chain and the clasp is my own bar and ring fastening so it is easy to wear.
The sea didn’t bring me the witch stone direct, it’s from a beach in New Zealand; the glass bead is from Czech Republic and the dolphin charm is obviously a Firth of Forth dolphin. Just putting together some individual pieces for ENOS 2019 which are sort-of sustainable as I’m not buying new stuff.
I finished this piece on Sunday. It is part of a bone counter with a little tab from an old necklace and a hammered silver ring.
I also took a photo of the rising moon as I probably wouldn’t wake up for the eclipse.
This year I’m making jewellery for Open Studios and Pittenweem Arts Festival using what I think I’ll call ‘sea-drift’. The seaweed on which the design is based was storm-cast on the beach. These ‘mermaid’ necklaces are saw pierced silver, hammered and formed. Two have moonstone drops and are oxidised, I have sent these to VAS ALIGHT 2019 in Edinburgh.
This one has lots of hearts, a dolphin, a lucky stone with a hole and a moonstone (so it’s super suited for Valentines). Solid silver throughout and several unique charms. Pieces can be added or taken away too….
This is a silver charm bracelet that I finished for Christmas. It’s a commission for a friend with a piece from the Thames foreshore, from the beach in Fife, a witch stone from New Zealand for luck, a silver threepence and a part of an old earring. So it’s quite special, includes lucky amulets and each piece has a story. I plan to do more for Valentine’s Day.
juliacowie 