The idea of literay influences on necklace design and uses came to me as I was working on an ametrine necklace. The shape and weight of the stones reminded beautiful ancient Egyptian collar necklaces. I was reading about Lord Carnarvon and Lady Almina at the time, and I thought how fitting the necklace should remind me of him and the fabulous discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922. Likewise, working with unusual and striking kunzite stones made me think of illustrations I had seen for Puck, that mischievous sprite also known as Robin Goodfellow in Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Thinking of jewelry items in this way added a degree of fun while making and wearing the pieces; it provided a sneaky Walter Mitty-like way to enter a character or story without anyone the wiser! Some of the pieces are large and bold, others are smaller and subtle, but all can add to the story of the day.

There are three groups: general literature references, mythology references and fairy tale references. Literature is most heavily influenced by classical fiction authors, but there are a couple modern writers in the mix. Mythology references draw upon a variety of sources, including stories from Greek, Roman and Norse legends. Fairy tales feature familiar characters from tales of childhood, including Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Mother Goose nursery rhymes.

••  d e s i g n s   i n s p i r e d   b y   l i t e r a t u r e 

••  y e   g o d s !   d e s i g n s   i n s p i r e d   b y   m y t h o l o g y 

••  f e e l i n g   g r i m m ?   d e s i g n s   i n s p i r e d   b y   f a i r y    t a l e s 

••  g e e k   c h i c 

yes i koan | literary allusions | spirodoodles | school daze |