"HEY. That thar's a piece o' wood hangin from yer ear..."
Why yes, yes it is. It's a twig of black walnut, to be exact. Cut into small segments, rounded at the ends, drilled through with a hole, and sealed with wax to help preserve the wood.
Sometimes I wonder if I've taken my "back to roots" routine a little bit too far. In this example:
1. I love wood beads.
2. Let's take it back a step to old ratty vintage wood beads.
3. Oh, but wait, what if we went back even further to part of the tree branch itself and just made that into a mini log-bead?
Lunacy? Inspiration? The line between the two is far thinner than we like to think.
For this long, swingy pair, I picked out a particularly luscious pair of lampwork glass headpins from dear friend Kim of NuminosityBeads. The swirled moss, sage, delft, and cloudy hues work perfectly to provide a habitat for the natural wood beads. Plump rounded blobs of blackened silver solder cap off the wood, while wee rusty metal bead caps crown each headpin. These are earthy, subtle stunners.
I ended up titling this pair "Life is Change". Because I'm sure this black walnut tree could have never dreamt, even in its wildest imagination, that it would one day end up adorning someone's ears.
Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy
Isn't it the truth? It's old-timey, cliche, and overused, but the saying that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder will always hold water. One of the incredible things about humans beings is that we all have different ideas of what beauty is---what pleases us, makes us smile, stays in our mind long after the initial vision is gone.
No one version of beauty will ever trump. How boring would it be if everyone looked the same, anyways? Diversity: it's necessary on a biological level as well as a "keeping your interest" level.
While I tend to mix media with abandon in my jewelry, I like to think that my pieces still share a common aesthetic thread: primitive organics. My version of beauty pays homage to forms occurring in nature---however abstract, however old, however futuresque. I love to mix sprawling organic forms with manmade art beads or vintage bits from the past.
Today's pair of earrings is no exception. Two segments of copper have been beaten, twisted, and oxidized so that they resemble branches or vines. I strung each hoop with a single vivid otherworldly lampwork glass Basha bead. The dichotomy between the gnarled twisted copper and the striking flash of the beads just makes my neurotransmitters go crazy...in the best way possible.
So if you've been bored with mainstream ideas of beauty and have always wanted to explore different aesthetics, go ahead and take the plunge---you'll be surprised how many people from your tribe are out there.
Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy
"HEY. That thar's a piece o' wood hangin from yer ear..."
Lunacy? Inspiration? The line between the two is far thinner than we like to think. 
