Relics

Lately I have been using skulls in my designs. I am so inspired by relics, culture, art, and color , and the symbolism that has been associated with skulls throughout the world. I  draw on some of these images and information for my designs.

  Mondo Guerra

This necklace has already been sold but it was inspired by Dia De Los Muertos, the Mexican holiday that honors the dead.This holiday is full of rich imagery, color, make-up and so rich in spirit it is hard not to be inspired.  Some version of this holiday has been celebrated for over 3000 years.                                                                                                                                                

            

                                                                Death and Rebirth

       This is an amazing look! I think that wearing a corset that tight would probably kill me too.

I originally made these for my Men's collection, but many women have bought these too! I find myself wearing one alot lately. The skull is stone and hand carved, and the key is a real vintage key from the turn of the century, which makes each one unique. The chain is stainless steel.

 

   I love old keys! When they are with skulls their is something cryptic and ancient feeling about them.

This necklace is an agate with a stone skull and a piece of turquoise that hangs on a 36 inch gold tone chain. This is available on my website.       click www.lux.bigcartel.com 

 

The mysterious Mayan crystal skulls. No one really knows how old they are. how they were made. or why many of them have an elongated skulls. It is believed by many Mayan elders that these skulls play an important role in the reawakening of humanity. According to Mayan legend, there will come a time when 13 ancient crystal skulls are reunited that can affect the Earth and the course of humanity. This belief is closely associated with the end of the Mayan calender popularly known as 2012.                     

In October 2010 Mayan elders were invited to speak to the United Nations in New York about 2012 and one elder said :                                                                                                                                

"The year 2012 marks the birth of a Golden Age, and a great transformation for consciousness on Earth. The transformation process always involves death and rebirth: the old must die so that the new may be born. The Mayan calendar, which began five thousand years ago, comes to an end on December 21, 2012, which is the Winter Solstice. This does not mark the end of the world, as some might fear, but perhaps the end of the world as we know it. The year 2012 marks the ushering in of a new dawn, a new era, and a new consciousness for many on Earth."

Click here to see videos of elders addressing the United Nations

This is the oldest grill known to man! Seeing this I had to do one for a tribal fusion theme I did for a monthly event called MASSIVE at the Crown Room in Portland. I was really fun the people in the show were Krumpin down the runway with tribal make-up mixed with urban clothing.


Click to see more of this album

Vanitas Still Life by Jacques de Gheyn the Elder (1603).

 Vanitas paintings are a fascinating use of symbolic images in art. They are a reminder of the constant change of life, both the beauty and the ugly, the emptiness of vanity, and the certainty of death. Common symbols in these paintings are bubbles, smoke, cut flowers, watches and hourglasses symbolizing the brevity of life. Some of these symbols are found in this painting along with some Spanish coins that symbolize material wealth.The laughing and weeping philosophers, Democritus and Heraclitus, reflect upon the vanity of human life, which is symbolized further by objects floating in the bubble, such as a wheel of torture, a leper's rattle, a broken glass, and a flaming heart.

Source: Jacques de Gheyn the Elder: Vanitas Still Life (1974.1) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Audrey Flack - Marilyn Vanitas

         Vanitas can also be modern with bold colors and traditional symbolism is still used but it is also popular to have images that symbolize very personal events in life.
       
 
I only own the images of my jewelry all other images are used for inspiration.

STONE LOVE

STONE LOVE
he Stone Love Collection is a celebration of the Earth and all who reside and rejoice in its beauty............This is all the inspirations that are naturally beautiful and naturally make those who wear them beautiful. Itake natural materials or materials that are in some way a tribute to nature and make unique statements for you to enjoy. Some things that are reocurring in this collection are real leaves dipped in 24k gold, tagua nuts, wood, shells, stones, feathers, leather, metals and whatever else I can get my hands on
Color, curve, and texture of the natural elements that are around us everywhere have always been used as adornment, beauty enhancement, costume, ritual. I have always been inspired by the vast richness of all the the many cultures old and new take pieces of the natural environment
Handmade bracelets from Ghana This is a new feature to the Stone Love Collection. These are hand made in Ghana by weaving colored plastic around a reed. The symbols and colors represent different tribes and their lands. My Sister (another Lux designer) goes to Ghana a few times a year, she hand picks each bracelet direct from the people who make them. They are beautiful, have amazing hand made quality and they add a great element to your outfit. They come in every color combination you can think of.

Tagua Nuts These beautiful things come from a palm tree the rain forests of Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. They are also called vegetable ivory because of their similarity to animal ivory. This nut has played a role in helping curve the demand for animal ivory since this is a similar less expensive material. Especially before the invention of plastics it was used for everything from buttons to game pieces and still is today.
The indigenous people of South America used Tagua to represent the feminine because of its great magnet-like romantic energy. Each member of the tribe was given a tagua pendant to wear around his or her neck. The natives believed that persons wearing tagua would live in harmony and always be loved by their friends and family.
Today it is a vital resource for sustaining rain forest land and protecting it from deforestation by providing an eco-friendly crop that you can harvest without harming the forest.
This eco-industry also provides work for about 30,000 people.
I get my tagua from a source that uses fair trade practices and most of the beads are colored with vegetable dyes.