Back from Florida, and reeling at the work that has to get done between now and ... well, now.

Just thought a few of you would like to see what I've created for the Interstitial Arts Foundation's Interfictions jewelry auction. Both are created for yuki_onna's "A Dirge for Prester John," a complex story about colonialism, religion and an incredible romance between a Blemmyae (the "anthropophagi" to which Othello refers in Act I of Shakespeare's play) and a befuddled priest. It's a story of scorching desert sands and madness, of Old World and New World, of love between two very different beings.

It is a tale of dichotomies, religious, cultural, emotional. Naturally, I could only create a pair of necklaces to match this theme.


The Blemmyae



I would have named this after the character but my copy of the anthology is hiding right now, and I can't remember her name. If any of you can look it up, please do and let me know in the comments.

I apologize for the poor quality of this scan. For some reason, my scanner wanted to register the beautiful carnelian pendant as a piece of pink bubblegum. I tried to scan it several times, and this was honestly the best of the bunch.

She is made out of copper chain and copper findings, to match the desert sands of her homeland which Prester John "discovers." Along with the carnelian pendant, she is made from cloisonne beads, bone, Botswana agate (the large black and white beads that look, appropriately, like eyes) and glass (the small black and white beads that look like eyes).

And now for her mate.

Prester John



The presbyter hails from (quite literally) a different world, from comparatively colder and more austere Christian Europe, represented by the silver plate chain and sterling silver findings (sorry for using plate, folks, but silver chain is ridiculously priced these days). Befitting his connection to the sea (and to further contrast the waterless desert in which he finds himself), his colors are blue: pearls, blue glass seed beads, dyed blue agate and blue glass as well as the vintage blue rhinestone in the antiqued silver cross (the little glass box above it reminded me of an ikon, so I used it, too).

I am very proud of these creations, and I hope to show you one more soon: a necklace based on K. Tempest Bradford's "Black Feather." It's just not done yet sadly, thanks to how damnably busy I am with a number of projects. But hopefully it will be soon.

Feeling: drained