Finally, peace....

Holding, Capturing, Containing, Keeping is both a necklace and a brooch.  It references mourning jewelry from the Victorian era, as well as vials that were made to hold tears in historical times. It is intended to capture and hold tears of those mourning. The shape of the locket is taken directly from Sonya’s “signature” shape in her jewelry.

As a pendant, the locket hangs at about belly height, and can be held comfortably in the hands. As a brooch, it can be pinned close to the heart. This piece was directly inspired by discussions between the artists, as well as a quote by Sonya, “already I can see that the neck would be an ideal expression point.  Close to the heart, hidden…I also think the hands will be important. Holding, capturing, containing, keeping. Trading. Exchanging.”

The Rise and Fall honors Sonya’s fascination with ancient Roman jewelry, as well as my love of abstraction. The brass references what would have been gold in Roman times, and the blue of the Tencel thread invokes ideas of royalty. The three stones are Halite—a salt mineral—which represent the value of salt in ancient Roman times.

 This is a necklace for royalty, with stones as precious as diamonds sitting front and center. Empires, particularly the Roman Empire, rose and fell according to how salt was traded, who had what, and their trade routes. The necklace has a significant weight to it, and is clasped at one side with a sizeable hook. The halite are naturally fairly clear stones, so the golden color of the brass shines through them.