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 :)

Thank You!


I just wanted to say "Thank You!" to a few customers who purchased my work lately through my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop. Unfortunately, several of you haven't heard from me because your email provider is blocking all email from Etsy.com and my GDJ yahoo account. I'm guessing that Verizon and AOL believes all mail from Etsy and Yahoo is spam so it's sending my messages to you into your trash.

So, if you have purchased a piece of ceramic jewelry from me but haven't received any notifications, that is why :)

Sunday, November 1, 2009

An Enchanted Etsy Treasury!


Having another artist include one of your pieces in their treasury is such a wonderful treat! It is such an honor, especially when all of the other artists are so amazing! Tre Civette Sul Como', who curated this wonderful collection, has a beautiful shop on Etsy that sells new and vintage haberdashery from Italy.

My Norse Daeg "Awakening" ceramic rune pendant has been included in this beautiful collection. Be sure and check out all of the other amazing artists included by following the link below the photo!


Saturday, October 31, 2009

Ceramic Burmese Deity with Leather Bolo Necklace

This stunning Burmese deity ceramic pendant was created from a mold I made from an antique lead amulet from Burma. The earthenware clay pendant which measures about 2 inches in length, has been glazed with an earthy rust colored glaze. The 36 inch long dark brown bolo cord is leather and I have adorned it with copper wire and wooden beads. More photos of this piece can be found at the Etsy shop listing.

**Who is this deity?**

At first, I thought perhaps he was Mahakala, the protector of monasteries, since there are skulls beneath his feet, but Mahakala is always depicted with a fierce, tooth baring grimace. All of the images I found of the Buddha holding a sword, have the sword of justice held high in his right hand, not at his side. Another thing that is interesting about this amulet, is that the deity appears to be cradling a infant in the left arm leading me to speculate that this may be a female Buddha. I was contacted recently by a blog reader who thought that this may in fact be a Hindu deity, so the mystery continues!

When I received this spectacular amulet, it had a wonderful patina on it which has now been removed thanks to the mold making process I use. I apologize in advance to all of the antique amulet collectors for doing this, but it had to be done for the sake of art :)

Shipping is FREE for this item and a gift box is included!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Ceramic Three Graces Cameo and Vintage Button Pendant


This graceful Three Graces pendant features a handmade ceramic cameo that I have formed from earthenware clay. I made the mold for this piece by using an antique cameo. This ceramic cameo has been glazed a pale baby blue and has been mounted on a vintage mother-of-pearl button. An Aanraku bail and silver-plated 18 inch ball chain completes this piece. You can easily remove the ball chain if you have a favorite chain you prefer to use.

You can find this and many other examples of my ceramic jewelry in my Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop!

Celtic "Fis" Pictish Stone Ceramic Pendant


There are many representations of the ancient old Gaelic Pictish stones and this is mine! This earthenware clay ceramic pendant has had the old Irish word "Fis" meaning "Secret Knowledge" carved into it. I have glazed it with a rich, earthy blue color and attached a sturdy Aanraku bail. You can easily remove the dark brown suede cord if you have a chain you prefer to use.

Shipping is free for this item that is currently for sale in my Etsy shop, and a gift box is included!

~Who were the Picts?~

According to Wikipedia, the Picts were a confederation of tribes in what was later to become eastern and northern Scotland from before the Roman conquest until the 10th century. They lived to the north of the Forth and Clyde rivers. They are assumed to have been the descendants of the Caledonii and other tribes named by Roman historians or found on the world map of Ptolemy. Pictland, also known as Pictavia, gradually absorbed the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata to form the Kingdom of Alba. Alba expanded absorbing British and Bernician territory and by the 11th century the Pictish identity had become subsumed under a new term for this amalgamation of North British peoples the "Scots".

Pictish recorded history begins in the Dark Ages. It appears that they were not the dominant power in Northern Britain for the entire period. The Gaels of Dál Riata controlled their own region for a time, but suffered a series of defeats in the first third of the 7th century. The Angles of Bernicia overwhelmed the adjacent British kingdoms, and the neighbouring Anglian kingdom of Deira (Bernicia and Deira later being called Northumbria), was to become the most powerful kingdom in Britain. The Picts were probably tributary to Northumbria until the reign of Bridei map Beli, when the Anglians suffered a defeat at the battle of Dunnichen which halted their expansion northwards. The Northumbrians continued to dominate southern Scotland for the remainder of the Pictish period.

Ceramic Celtic Coat of Arms Pendant


I made the mold for this ceramic pendant using an antique coat of arms button that features a Victoria's crown, rampant horse on the dexter (right) side, and an uncrowned rampant lion on the sinister (left) side. I believe the antique button must have been fashioned after a Victorian military button which has basically the same elements, with the exception being a rampant unicorn instead of a rampant horse, and the rampant lion wears a crown.

The glaze on this
ceramic pendant is a rich Tuscan gold color. It has an Aanraku bail attached and the silver plated ball chain measures 18 inches. You can easily remove the ball chain if you have a favorite chain you prefer to use.

A gift box is included with your purchase and shipping is FREE!