Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Good Dirt FaceBook Fan Page
I finally found some time to get my Good Dirt Jewelry Fan Page set up on FaceBook. I find FB to be very frustrating to use, so I'm not sure what good it will be other than providing additional search engine optimization :)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Back and Forth!
It's nice to have several online selling venues. I'm doing a little house cleaning and am in the process of moving some pieces back to my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop. Several of my international customers have been inquiring about buying some of the Celtic, Norse and Druid jewelry that had been listed in my 1000markets.com shop and since Amazon is the only payment system allowed there (and not available to international buyers) I thought I would move them back to Etsy. Wow, that was one long sentence! LOL All apologies to my past English instructors :)
You can now find my Druid's Eggs and Celtic Oghams in my Etsy shop, with more pieces to come in the future :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Spotlight on ArtsyBeat Blog!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
A Belated Birthday Present to Me!
If you'd like to learn more about how cork fabric is made, click here to visit her blog!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Norse Eihwaz Protection and Enlightenment Ceramic Pendant
I was recently contacted by one of my international customers asking if I would be putting any more Norse rune jewelry on Etsy. I had moved all of my Norse jewelry over to my 1000markets.com shop, but since they only use Amazon payments, my international customers weren't able to shop there. Hopefully one day 1000markets.com will allow international buyers, but until then, all of my Norse Rune jewelry will be found in my Etsy shop :)
I created this Eihwaz rune ceramic pendant from earthenware clay. It has been glazed with a rich blue glaze. No two pieces come out of the kiln the same! This 1" diameter pendant hangs from an 18 inch ball chain, which can be easily removed if you have a favorite chain you prefer to use. A gift box is included with your purchase.
The Eihwaz rune symbolizes protection, strength, reliability and enlightenment. Whether you are a practicing Druid, or just love the art of ancient traditions, this pendant would be a unique addition to your collection.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Ceramic "Round Wood" Faux Bois Pendant
I created this "Round Wood" faux bois (fake wood) piece from earthenware clay. It has been glazed with a malachite green glaze. Measuring about 1 1/4" in diameter, this pendant hangs from an 18" ball and chain necklace which you can easily remove if you have a favorite chain you prefer to use.
You can find this pendant in my Good Dirt Jewelry shop on 1000markets.com.
Monday, March 16, 2009
MyShoppingConnection.com Feature!
"One Old Bird" Aztec Ceramic Pendant
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Eihwaz "Enlightenment" Norse Rune Ceramic Pendant
I created this Eihwaz rune from earthenware clay. It has been glazed with a rich blue glaze. No two pieces come out of the kiln the same! If you would like to view more photos of this item, please visit the listing for this item in my Good Dirt Jewelry shop on 1000markets.com.
The Eihwaz rune symbolizes protection, strength, reliability and enlightenment.
Whether you are a practicing Druid, or just love the art of ancient traditions, this pendant would be a unique addition to your collection.
~What are Runes?~
According to Wikipedia, the runes were introduced to the Germanic peoples in the 1st or 2nd century AD. (The oldest known runic inscription dates to around 150 AD and is found on a comb discovered in the bog of Vimose, Funen,Denmark.[1] The inscription reads harja; a disputed candidate for a 1st century inscription is on the Meldorf fibula in southern Jutland). This period may correspond to the late Proto-Germanic or Common Germanic stage linguistically, with a continuum of dialects not yet clearly separated into the three branches of later centuries; North Germanic, West Germanic, and East Germanic.
~The Runes in Mythology~
In Norse mythology, the runic alphabet is attested to a divine origin (Old Norse: reginkunnr). This is attested as early as on the Noleby Runestone from around 600 CE that reads Runo fahi raginakundo toj[e'k]a...,meaning "I prepare the suitable divine rune..."[2] and in an attestation from the 9th century on the Sparlösa Runestone which reads Ok rað runaR þaR rægi[n]kundu,meaning "And interpret the runes of divine origin".
~History of Runes~
The runes developed centuries after the Mediterranean alphabets from which they are potentially descended. There are some similarities to alphabets of Phoenician origin (Latin, Greek, Italic) that cannot possibly all be due to chance; an Old Italic alphabet, more particularly the Raetic alphabet of Bolzano, is often advanced as a candidate for the origin of the runes, with only five Elder Futhark runes ( e, ï, j, ?, p) having no counterpart in the Bolzano alphabet(Mees 2000). This hypothesis is often denied by Scandinavian scholars, who usually favour a Latin origin for most or all of the runic letters (Odenstedt 1990; Williams 1996).[7] An Old Italic or "North Etruscan" thesis is supported by the inscription on the Negau helmet dating to the 2nd century BC (Markey 2001). This is in a northern Etruscan alphabet, but features a Germanic name, Harigast. New archaeological evidence came from Monte Calvario (Auronzo di Cadore).
~Runic Divination~
The earliest runic inscriptions found on artifacts give the name of either the craftsman or the proprietor, or, sometimes, remain a linguistic mystery. Due to this, it is possible that the early runes were not so much used as a simple writing system, but rather as magical signs to be used for charms.
Although some say the runes were used for divination, there is no direct evidence to suggest they were ever used in this way. The name rune itself, taken to mean "secret, something hidden", seems to indicate that knowledge of the runes was originally considered esoteric, or restricted to an elite.
Oregon Pictograph Ceramic Pendant
Ancient cultures and their symbols is a favorite subject of mine to study. Oregon is rich in archeological art and this earthenware pendant shows an example of a pictograph found in Harney County.
I have glazed this pendant to have the appearance of an old weathered rock, with the pictograph created with a glaze close to the color that may have been used to create the original image. More photos of this unique pendant can be found in my Good Dirt Jewelry shop on 1000markets.com.
*What is the difference between a pictograph and a petroglyph?*
A pictograph, which is usually found on the surface of a light colored rock, is an image that was created by painting with a variety of pigments made up of soot and/or local minerals that had been made into a powdered form. Red could have been made from hematite or iron oxide, and orange could have been made by adding limonite. Malachite provided the green, azurite the blue, and turquoise probably came from ground up turquoise. Other sources of pigment included white clay, silica, gypsum, chalk, calcium carbonate, and charcoal. Pastels were created from clay mixed with other minerals. Thanks to the arid climate found in central and eastern Oregon, many examples can be found today of this early artwork.
A petroglyph is an image that has been chipped, chiseled or pecked into the surface of a rock. These are typically found on exposed rock surfaces. They depict hunting scenes, religious or magical symbols, ancient astrological symbols and other surreal symbols whose meaning is only known to the ancient cultures that created them.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Chic and Green Blog Feature!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Fossil Ivory and Fine Silver Pendant
"Long Time Round" Ceramic Pendant
I created this 1 1/4" diameter pendant from earthenware clay. This piece has been glazed with an earthy moss green. A carved horn bead and an upcycled watch stem were used in the design. This pendant hangs from an 18" ball chain which you can easily remove if you have a favorite chain you prefer to use.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sacred Celtic Salmon Ceramic Pendant
Friday, March 6, 2009
Pale Blue Ceramic Fleur-de-lis Adjustable Ring
Ceramic Fleur-de-lis Adjustable Ring
An antique button with the fleur-de-lis was used to make the mold that created this delicate looking ceramic ring. The ceramic portion has been glazed a pale blue color and was mounted on an adjustable ring base.
The fleur-de-lis, translated from French as "lily flower", is a stylized design of either an iris or a lily that is now used purely decoratively as well as symbolically, or it may be at one and the same time political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic and symbolic, especially in heraldry.
More photos of this ring may be seen in my Good Dirt Jewelry 1000markets.com shop.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Full Moon Loon Ceramic Magnet
Saturday, February 28, 2009
A Regal Ring
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sweet, Sweet Spring....in Blue!
The cheery blue glaze of this earthenware ceramic pendant and earrings set makes me think of the spring sky in Oregon!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Ceramic Spiral Post Earrings
The unique spiral pattern found on these earrings comes from an antique button that I used to create my mold. The delicate spiral reminds me of plant tendrils. The 1/2 inch diameter sterling silver post earrings have been glazed in a rich, earthy blue glaze. If you'd like to view more photos of these earrings, please click here to visit my 1000markets.com shop.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sweet, Sweet Spring Ceramic Pendant and Earring Set
The bright light Kiwi green glaze of this earthenware ceramic pendant and earrings set makes me think of spring!
The pendant and earrings were created from a mold made from some beautiful antique buttons I recently acquired. While I used two different buttons, I thought they made a perfect set :)
The 3/4 inch pendant hangs from an 18 inch ball chain. The sweet little sterling silver post earrings measure nearly a half an inch in diameter and come with two sets of backs as shown in the photo.
This set is available in my 1000markets.com shop!