Two New Druid's Egg Pendants

New Druid's Eggs on Zibbet!

I'm giving a new online selling venue a try! Zibbet.com

Dave carved the original egg for me, then made a mold that I use with earthenware clay. These two Druid's Eggs have been glazed with earthy green glazes--one is a paler color and the other a very organic mixture of greens and browns. These pendants will arrive in a gift box and shipping is FREE, and did I mention they are only $19!

*What Are Druid's Eggs?*

The Druid's Egg (also “glain,” “serpent's egg,” or “snake stone”) was a talismanic object sacred to the Druids. Tales about it resemble those of the Philosopher's Stone sought by the alchemists. Its myths may also be related to those of the Omphalos, a meteoritic stone which was kept at Delphi and was thought to be the egg of the serpent-monster Python. In legends, the Druid’s Egg is credited with endowing its possessor with the ability to obtain almost all he might desire. The Druid's Egg was also believed to create a favorable outcome in courts of law, so much that the Romans outlawed carrying one into any courtroom. If you'd like to learn more about the legend behind the Druid's Egg, please visit the listing for these items on Zibbet.

New Celtic Druid's Eggs

New Celtic Druid's Egg Pendants

I have had several inquiries about my Celtic Druid's Egg ceramic pendants, and here are a couple fresh out of the kiln! The two eggs featured above were created using white earthenware clay. A rich pale purple glaze and an earthy moss green glaze are two new colors for these pieces. I have also used a few more new glazes, so be on the look out for those in coming days! (I'm waiting on some more Aanraku bails).

These two newest eggs can be found in the "Ceramic Celtic Jewelry" section of my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop. Don't forget, a gift box is included with every order and shipping is FREE!

*What Are Druid's Eggs?*

The Druid's Egg (also “glain,” “serpent's egg,” or “snake stone”) was a talismanic object sacred to the Druids. Tales about it resemble those of the Philosopher's Stone sought by the alchemists. Its myths may also be related to those of the Omphalos, a meteoritic stone which was kept at Delphi and was thought to be the egg of the serpent-monster Python. In legends, the Druid’s Egg is credited with endowing its possessor with the ability to obtain almost all he might desire. The Druid's Egg was also believed to create a favorable outcome in courts of law, so much that the Romans outlawed carrying one into any courtroom. In truth, the Druid’s Egg was an egg-shaped talisman made of stone. This consecrated object served as a tool for meditation and magickal focus, and symbolized the promise of renewal and rebirth. They could be made from any stone, and were generally small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand (about the size of a chicken's egg). In lore, the Druid's Egg was a magickal egg produced by serpents. It could be obtained only on St. Johns Eve, when snakes were supposed to gather in a ball and form an egg from their spittle. As the snakes twisted and writhed, the egg emerged from the mass of vipers and would then float upward into the air. Many species of snake do form such a ball in the cold months, but the few species of snake native to Britain are not egg-layers. A snake which does lay eggs is the python, not found in Britain, but which was kept in the goddess temples of the Aegean; this may be taken as further evidence of an association between the Druids (or their predecessors) and the Delphic cult which kept the sacred Omphalos stone. In legends, the Druid who caught the Druid’s Egg after its creation was advised to take instant measures to prevent being robbed of it: as soon as the egg had been obtained he was to throw himself upon a horse that was kept waiting for him, as he would be pursued by the snakes; he was further instructed not to halt until he had gotten to the other side of the first running water to which his flight brought him, across which the serpents would be unable to follow. The Druid’s Egg appears to have been an object of interest to the ancients, some of whom describe having actually seen and handled it. Among those who have specially described it is the Roman historian Pliny, who claimed he was shown one of these by a Druid from Gaul and called it an "anguinum." "There is also another kind of egg, of much renown in the Gallic provinces, but ignored by the Greeks. In the summer, numberless snakes entwine themselves into a ball, held together by a secretion from their bodies and by their spittle. this is called anguinum. The Druids say that hissing serpents throw this up into the air, and that it must be caught in a cloak, and not allowed to touch the ground; and that one must instantly take flight on horse-back, as the serpents will pursue until some stream cuts them out. It may be tested, they say, by seeing if it floats against the current of a river, even though it be set in gold. But as it is the way of magicians to cast a cunning veil about their frauds, they pretend that these eggs can only be taken on a certain day of the moon, as though it rested with mankind to make the moon and the serpents accord as to the moment of the operation. I myself, however, have seen one of these eggs; it was round, and about as large as a smallish apple; the shell was cartalaginous, and pocked like the arms of a polypus." Of all the historic sources who have testified to seeing this legendary egg, none claim to have witnessed its creation. While the Druid's Egg is not a widespread tool in modern Druidism, it is used by some as a ritual implement for grounding and to protect its owner from manipulative magick or other harmful intents by acting as a magickal “shell,” absorbing and transforming any destructive energy. In Wales, there is still some belief in the objects; they call them mân macal ("snare stones") and glain y nidir ("the snake's jewel").

New Handmade Ceramic Cameo Pendants!

Handmade Earthenware Cameo Pendants

I have recently added some new handmade by me earthenware cameo pendants to my Grizzly Mountain Cache supply shop on Etsy! So far, I have added three of the floral cameos seen above in the photo and will try to get the rest of them uploaded tomorrow :) All of my handmade cameos have Aanraku bails, and can be used as you see fit in your fabulous jewelry creations!

If you would like to view more photos of these new pieces, please click here, or on the link above.

Old Irish Blessing Stone Ceramic Pendant

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

This unique 1 1/2" diameter pendant has been made to look like the Buckquoy spindle whorl, which was excavated in Buckquoy, Birsay, Orkney, Scotland in 1970. The old Irish Ogham inscription is believed to date back to the 8th century. My pendant was created with earthenware clay and has been glazed with an earthy iron ore colored glaze. No two pieces ever come out of the kiln the same!

The cord is a wonderful faux suede material that doesn't shed all over your clothes like real suede can. It can be tied to accommodate any neckline.

More photos of this piece and other Celtic and Norse ceramic pendants can be found in my Good Dirt Jewelry 1000markets shop and in my Etsy shop.

According to Wikipedia, the inscription was once used as positive proof that the Pictish language was not Indo-European, being variously read as

E(s/n)DDACTA(n/lv)IM(v/lb)

(e/)(s/n/)DDACTANIMV

(e/)TMIQAVSALL(e/q)

however, in 1995 historian Katherine Forsyth reading

ENDDACTANIM(f/lb)

claimed that it was a standard Old Irish ogham benedictory message, Benddact anim L. meaning "a blessing on the soul of L.". The stone from which the whorl was made, and on which the inscription was written, is native to Orkney.

Good Dirt Jewelry Now on 1000Markets.com!

Have you heard of 1000 Markets? Well, now you have! 1000 Markets is an amazing new online art gallery that combines sleek styling with hassle free Amazon payment services!

I've been selling online for a little over six years now, and I know there are many buyers that just don't feel comfortable sharing all of the personal information required by PayPal to sign up to use their payment services. 1000 Markets has partnered with Amazon.com to allow it's customers to pay using their pre-established Amazon account! How cool is that?! You can shop on 1000 Markets with confidence knowing each seller there is backed by the power of Amazon.com.

I have begun adding ceramic pendants to my 1000 Markets shop, so please stop by for a visit!

The Solitary Fern

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

This "Solitary Fern" pendant was created using earthenware clay. No two glazed pieces ever come out of the kiln the same, so each piece is truly unique. This pendant hangs from an 18" ball chain and is available for purchase in my Etsy shop. A gift box is included with your purchase.

A special note to those of you that have contacted me regarding my earthenware Celtic Ogham and Runic pendants--First of all, THANK YOU! for your interest! I was "lucky" enough to have been chosen for jury duty for the months of November and December. We live in a sparsely populated county, so there isn't a huge jury pool. Between that and getting ready for my wonderful son to be home for Thanksgiving I don't have a lot of time to create, but hopefully I will get back on track soon :)

I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

"The Meeting" Celtic Ceramic Pendant

Jo created this Celtic inspired "The Meeting" from earthenware clay. It measures about 1 1/2" square. It has been accented with a very old Tibetan Yak bone bead that has been inlayed with copper. The pendant has been glazed to make it look like an ancient relic. 

This item ships for FREE and includes a gift box!

There's No Place Like Home!

We are back home safe and sound from our weekend show in Yachats.  I have returned several of the ceramic pendants that I took to our show to my Good Dirt Jewelry Shop and will try to get some new ones photographed tomorrow.

Crafts on the Coast

Our last show of the season is rapidly approaching! I will be removing many of my ceramic pendants from my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop to take to the Crafts on the Coast Annual Harvest and Holidays Art and Craft Fair in Yachats, Oregon. This is a wonderful venue for a show and there is always a great variety of artists, not to mention the location :) If you have "bookmarked" any pendants as possible holiday gifts, you may want to go take a second look before they are gone. I'm thinking positive here! Everyone is going to be in the holiday shopping mood the first weekend in November, and I'm going to sell every pendant I take :)

I've also just finished some new Runic and starfish pendants, so if you are planning on being in Yachats, Oregon the first weekend in November, stop in and say "Hi!".

New Old Irish Blessing Stone Pendants

Two new Old Irish Blessing Stone Pendants were added to my Good Dirt Jewelry shop today!

These Blessing Stones are patterned after the Buckquoy spindle whorl, which was excavated in Buckquoy, Birsay, Orkney, Scotland in 1970. The old Irish Ogham inscription is believed to date back to the 8th century. Historians believe it was a standard Old Irish ogham benedictory message, Benddact anim L. meaning "a blessing on the soul of L.". The stone from which the whorl was made, and on which the inscription was written, is native to Orkney.

A Little Celtic Love

My laptop is still down, so I haven't been as prolific online as I'd like to be. I was able to add this "Celtic Love" and three other new pendants to my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop.

This "Celtic Love" pendant is made from earthenware clay and has been accented with a very old African Krobo bead. It has been glazed to have a distressed look. The cord is a wonderful faux suede material that doesn't "shed" on your clothes like real suede does and is very easy to tie so your pendant can compliment any neckline. If faux suede is not your favorite material and you prefer to wear your pendant on a chain, you can easily remove it.

What are African Krobo Beads?

Krobo powder glass beads are made in vertical molds fashioned out of a special, locally dug clay. Most molds have a number of depressions, designed to hold one bead each, and each of these depressions, in turn, has a small central depression to hold the stem of a cassava leaf. The mold is filled with finely ground glass that can be built up in layers in order to form sequences and patterns of different shapes and colors. The technique could be described as being somewhat similar to creating a sand "painting" or to filling a bottle with different-colored sands and is called the "vertical-mold dry powder glass technique". When cassava leaf stems are used, these will burn away during firing and leave the bead perforation. Certain powder glass bead variants, however, receive their perforations after firing, by piercing the still hot and pliable glass with a hand-made, pointed metal tool. Firing takes place in clay kilns until the glass fuse.

Spiral Hand Symbol Ceramic Pendant

Along with the new Celtic Oghams, I have added a few more of my latest earthenware pendants to my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop, including this Spiral Hand pendant.

The spiral is an ancient symbol reflecting the universal pattern of growth and evolution. The spiral pattern appears again and again in the natural world from the milky way galaxy to snail shells. The living spiral does not begin or end, it is an ongoing process of innocence, discovery, community, and the essence that connects all things.

New Oghams Added

I finally got a few more Celtic Ogham pendants added to my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop! Things have been a little crazy around here lately, so I haven't gotten as many pieces finished as I had hoped. Oh well, I'll just consider more to later job security :)

Old Irish Blessing Stones

I have just added some new Old Irish Blessing Stones to our Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop! For all of you Ogham lovers--that's my next project!

We are officially on vacation! To celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, Dave and I are headed to Reno and will be gone until late Thursday evening. All of our shops will remain open and we will have our laptop with us to answer any questions you may have. It will be business as usual except all items purchased during this time won't be shipped until Friday, September 12.

The Sacred Salmon Earthenware Pendant

To the Celts, the fish symbolized knowledge, wisdom, the gift of prophecy and inspiration.

The Salmon of Wisdom were keepers of all knowledge. Mythology tells us that this knowledge was attained by eating the nuts of the sacred hazel tree.

I created my "Sacred Salmon" from earthenware clay. It has been glazed with a dark chili pepper red glaze. Measuring about 1 3/4" in length by 1/2" wide, this pendant hangs from an 18" ball and chain necklace. This piece is currently for sale in my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop.

New Additions to Our Shop!

Update! This piece sold on the first day! Many thanks, Diane!

Finally! All of our earthenware pendants are now located in our Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop! In addition to those that have been listed for a while, I have added some new pieces! Most of my new pieces are more organic in form and design.

The pendant that is featured in this post, is one of my favorite new designs that features a simple spiral. These are all done free form, so no two will be exactly alike. If you'd like to see a more detailed view, please click on the photo above.

Don't worry, there will be more Oghams in the future :)

Making a Change

Okay, I'm a woman so I'm allowed to change my mind!

I had been hearing how wonderful Big Cartel was, or was going to be I should say, but after having my ceramic pendants there for several months it's just not working out. I had planned on adding my new pieces to my BC shop after our upcoming show, but that's not going to happen because I've just opened a new shop on Etsy!

Good Dirt Jewelry will now be located on Etsy. You may know that we have another successful shop there already and we really like the site, so "Good Bye!" Big Cartel.

UPDATE I have just finished adding the pendants from our Big Cartel shop to my Good Dirt Jewelry shop on Etsy! Next week, I will move all of the earthenware Oghams to the new shop too!

Getting Ready for the Holidays!

There haven't been any new additions to our "Good Dirt Jewelry" Big Cartel shop recently, and the reason being, we have a huge show coming up!

Grizzly Mountain Arts will be participating in the Native American Festival in Sisters, Oregon the last weekend in August. This wonderful show is held each year in Creekside Park, which is a perfect venue. The sight, smell and sounds of tall Ponderosa pines mixed with Native American flute music is beyond description.

What does this have to do with the Big Cartel shop? The Native American Festival will be one of our last shows of the season, so I will be adding new "Good Dirt" pieces in time for some early holiday shopping. Please give us a bookmark and check back frequently to see what we may have added.