Circe Necklace

Like most floaty folk-chick types, during my time in college oh those many years ago, I developed an obsession with the Pre-Raphaelites and JW Waterhouse in particular. I wanted everyone to know that I was a sensitive soul that cherished love and beauty. The truth is, I liked listening to "Jagged Little Pill" over and over, drinking beer, playing naked soccer at 2 in the morning and trying to make time with sensitive theatre boys who had long hair and cried easily. There was a girl on the dorm floor that inhabited who actually LOOKED like Waterhouse's "Wildflowers", so naturally, we all really WANTED to hate her, but she was too cute and friendly, so we all tried to keep our simmering resentment on the back burner while she tossed her long, flowing, dark, pre-raphaelite locks.

Waterhouse's paintings have stayed with me though the years, however; "Circe Individosa", depicting the famous seducer of Odysseus poisoning the sea, in particular due to it's exceptionally beautiful blues and greens. I could never find a print of it, although other more popular paintings of his adorned my walls, such as "Hylas and the Nymphs", "The Lady of Shallot", "Ophelia", "La Belle de sans Merci" and "Destiny". In listing these prints, it occurs to me that I owned quite a few more than that; not an insignificant investment in art that ended up stuck to dorm room walls with blu-tack. Do I know the whereabouts of any of those prints at present? I do not.

Bar none, my favorite stone to work with is Labradorite. The play of color inside a particularly nice cabochon is enough to keep me visually occupied for ages. I've made two Circes, but have found that it's difficult to get ahold of the particular teardrop cabs needed to make more. I peruse eBay often in hopes of finding something, but often come up empty-handed. The smaller tear-drop cabs are even MORE difficult to find and came from a company in Thailand that unfortunately no longer exists.

This is the remaining Circe; it's partner was sold at Christmastime. Have a gander at her and her lovely friends in the shop.