Sunday, July 19, 2009

Carnivore Crinoid Brooch


I sold a piece! Yay! This was my entry to the Regal Castings Contemporary jewellery competition - which was part of the NZ Jewellery Show, Auckland. I didn't win anything but my piece actually SOLD!

This brooch features a piece of fossilised Crinoids that I bought from Heart Of Stone Studio. Crinoids are lovely & graceful-looking sea creatures that resemble fern-like plants, but are really animals. Commonly called sea lilies, they are Echinoderms - relatives of sea urchins and starfish.

They are one of Nature's success stories, having been around for 530 million years. Ancient Crinoids sported feathery arms sprouting from a stalk anchored on the ocean floor. Thier soft, filter-feeding bodies are supported by a framework of calcium carbonate segments called ossicles and it is the ossicles that you see in this piece of fossil.

I created a man-eating, parasitic, Triffid-like base structure for the Crinoids to happily live and lurk within (even though Crinoids don't actually have teeth).

Other materials used: brass sheet, bronze sheet, patina (green & heat), prismacolor, plexiglass, sterling silver, merino wool roving, microscrews, fine silver heishi (Thai Karen Hills Tribe - Fair Trade), brass heishi, pink natural freshwater pearls, brown pearls, thread, craft wire & plastic aquarium plants.

9 comments:

ArtSparker said...

Just wondering - Do you have a tiny foldover or parchment that goes with these when you sell them? I always get a second jolt when I read about the unrelated materials existing in the group marriage of the work. Not meant in a rude way, mind you.

Ginga Squid said...

No worries Susan! Normally I would write a little card to go with the piece detailing materials and any specific care instructions.

However this one sold directly from the show display cabinet and I wasn't there at the time. However they did give the buyer my email address so that she could contact me about it.....

Queen of the Tea Cosies said...

Of course you sold it. It is FABULOUS.

Tammy's Treasure Chest said...

Congrats on the sale! It is a stunning piece!

Ginga Squid said...

Thanks Tammy & Loani!

The Beading Gem said...

Another fabulous design.Selling a piece is just as good as winning! Congrats!

Pam de Groot said...

Fantastic. a win and then a sale!! Well done you. These pieces are just amazing.

Ginga Squid said...

Thank you! I agree - selling does indeed feel just like winning. Its quite a high!

Stevie B. said...

Forget about the award, YOU SOLD! That's worth more then any award!