Spring Equinox, Eclipse Necklaces

Spring Equinox/Ostara is almost here, Spring yay :0) and this year it comes with a solar eclipse!!
With those events in mind I thought I would show a couple of necklaces that I created which would make an excellent (eggcellent ;0)) memento/gift.

This is a silver spiral moon kissing the sun for the eclipse or for the balance of night and day at the equinox.

And this is for Ostara's Hare coursing across the starlit night under a crescent moon.  With added symbology of the triple spiral/ triskele.

With Terry Pratchett's sad passing it also remind's me of Tiffany Aching's hare necklace in I shall wear Midnight. I think I shall make a silver horse necklace to compliment this one similar to the one she wore when she was younger.

If you like these necklaces you can find out more about them here -

 Necklace and pendants

Silver Triple Moon and Golden Leaping Hare Pendant

Silver Triple Moon Hare Necklace

Silver Triple Moon and Golden Leaping Hare, a photo by Dawn* on Flickr.

This is the Triple Moon and Hare I had on my soldering block ready to finish a while ago that I showed as wip, thought I'd better take a photo to show you the finished necklace:0) Sterling Silver Triplemoon with a textured finish to the crescents, waning and waxing with the full moon buffed to a shine. The spiral golden brass hare leaps across across the front of it. Working on a similar piece now with a crescent moon and hare. I don't seem to be able to reply to comments, will have to have to try and sort that, thank you for any comments that have been left, I appreciate them x

Triskele, Hare & Moon Necklace

 

After spending up till easter this year trudging down to my workspace at the bottom of the garden in wellies through the snow I have decided to move into the house for the winter.  Although the weather is still glorious at the moment and I will miss going down there while it is nice and checking how well the weeds are doing, I am loving the almost spider free space, brighter light and more room of working in the house,with running water and kettle near by and it should be warmer when the weather does change.

This Triskele, Hare & Crescent Moon with little star Necklace is the first thing I have made in my new workspace, all totally handmade.  The Hare is hand sawn from brass sheet and the moon and star from sterling silver sheet, all the other parts are sterling silver too including the hand formed Triskele.  The moon can be a New Crescent Moon or a Waning Moon depending on your mood as it is reversible.  I'm tempted to keep it as it looks lovely on but will list it on my Morning Star Craft website soon.  Oh and I must remember to give measurements too.

Have now put this necklace on the website and am trying to update other parts of it too:0) 

Morning Star Craft Necklaces/pendants

Moon Hares

Running Spiral Moon Hare Necklace

Leaping Full Moon Hare Pendant

Moon Gazing Spiral Hare

As it's nearly the Spring Equinox/Ostara thought I would show some of the Moon Hares I have finished recently. They have been hand sawn (pierced) from brass (the two top ones) and copper, the silver is all sterling silver.

I have engraved some detailing onto the Running Hare. Behind is a silver moon which has been lightly hammered to give texture and a crescent shape and a silver spiral acts as the bail.

The Leaping Hare has a circle of sterling silver bringing together the hare and the mother of pearl full moon.

The Moon Gazing Hare has a silver spiral on the back leg and sits under a lightly hammered silver moon.

The hare is an ancient symbol of this time of year and is closely associated with the Saxon goddess Oestara and is from where the modern easter bunny comes. There are different spellings for Oestara - Ostara, Eostra (notice the similarity with the word easter). She is the European version of the Goddess Ishtar/Astarte whose worship goes back thousands of years. She is goddess of the spring, and the dawn, and fertility, as christianity took over her time was changed to easter and the hare to an easter bunny.

This is my favorite time of year, the celebration of the arrival of Spring. There is new hope and promise for the coming seasons, warmth returning, early flowers blooming, renewal and rebirth, balance of night and day, with the light growing stronger day by day, masculine and feminine/yin and yang are also in balance, young life is emerging, and of course chocolate eggs;0)
www.morningstarcraft.co.uk necklace pendants

Leaping Moon Hare Pendant

Latest Moon Hare that I've made. A golden hare leaping under a full moon and circled with silver.  The hare has been hand sawn from brass, the circle is lightly hammered sterling silver and the full moon is a mother of pearl cabochon. The jump rings have been soldered so that the pendants should lay well when worn as a necklace.

I did have another similar hare finished which I was going to put on now, but I can't find it! Hope I didn't loose it when I was showing some of my things the other day.  That one was sweat soldered onto a silver disk which was hammered on one side to form a crescent moon inside a full moon, with the hare leaping across it.

www.morningstarcraft.co.uk necklace pendants

Hand Engraved Chalices

These are some hand engraved chalices I've just finished. They are all individually hand done and as they are engraved the design doesn't wear off.

There is a willow and ivy pentacle one at the top, people seem to like this design, and then a holly and oak pentacle one at the bottom. Oak and Holly for the turning of the season winter to summer and back again.

There is also a daintier one with flowers, leaves and vine circle surrounding the pentacle with a butterfly fluttering by.

In the middle photos is a goddess, with a spiral stomach, stood in front of a star with a crescent moon below surrounded by a circle of swirls.

The main engraved shape on the remaining chalice is the Vesica piscis, the interlocking circles, which can be found on the cover of the Chalice Well in Glastonbury. It is an ancient yonic symbol that represents the female genitals; as the energy of water is feminine and the chalice also represents the feminine this is quite apt. Also engraved is a spiral in the centre for spirit, trailing ivy above and ferns below.