witchwood- dusk

it amuses her that this vast and diverse forest is referred to as the ''witchwood''.

certainly it has a magical quality, the creatures here are more in tune with the world around them and possess their own magics and arcane qualities, their sensibilities far from what regular people would consider normal. but, the forest itself possesses an agency unknown in the mundane world. these are often the things she considers when enjoying an evening cuppa. 

when she passed through the portal she knew she had entered a place unlike any other. maybe it was her circumstances that led her here or that her very soul called out for a place she could truly be free and she was answered in the most bizarre way possible, but it didn't really matter, she was here. she had been here for a very long time. 

the cottage was built with help though no one in living memory could say by whom. she wasn't telling and wherever they are now, they can trust their secrets in her home. the creatures of the wood know they can call on her, she knows that this is theirs first, even if she has been here forever. 

she watches the sky turn colours of candy she has forgotten the names of and listens in case there is a wee scratching at the door. there is always room for more around her fire.

she has a fence, but it's for the garden, not the critters. 



dusk is a micromosaic piece set in the witchwood. these earrings on handmade sterling silver hooks are comfortable and easy to wear, featuring coral, purple, and blue smalti filati all arranged to create tiny vignettes. 

this is a sterling silver piece with hand laid micromosaic.

the inlay is hand cut glass placed piece by piece to make this evening scene.

the earrings are 42mm from the top of the hook to the bottom of the inlaid portion.

 

micromosaic is an ancient art form. examples dating back to the byzantine era have been discovered intact with the same scale of tesserae that are used in modern examples.
micromosaic were especially popularised during the 17th and 18th century when young well-to-do europeans would embark on the grand tour. small works of art, usually depicting scenery or religious iconography were made as micromosaic and adorned everything from jewellery to snuff boxes to small decor like tables by secretive artisans in italy. glass families created the filati (the thin, delicate strands of enamel glass used in this craft, the word literally means thread in italian) using their secret formulas for colour to make unique combinations and shapes for their micromosaic artists. 

even today the media for this craft are difficult to procure and the ancient method is prohibitive to learn due to the lack of educational materials. It is still a secret art, and a laborious one. 

looking at each finished piece up close you can see the different tesserae, the name given to the individually placed pieces of glass. each tesserae is the broken end of a tiny piece of glass filati, placed on it's end into a specially blended clay. the tesserae need to be pushed right up against one another to form tension in the finished piece. once the clay dries out the raw ends of the filati are painstakingly, and gently, ground by hand to make a matte, flat  surface. several diamond grits are used to make a smooth finish which is then covered in natural, local beeswax. the beeswax is scraped off and buffed.

due to the nature of hand made and hand pulled glass there are often imperfections in the filati, these are visible on the surface of all micromosaic works and add to the beauty of the handmade process.

micromosaic should never be worn to bed or in water. 
the glass surface should be left as undisturbed as possible to ensure a long life to the wearer. 
try to avoid dropping these pieces on hard surfaces.

micromosaic jewellery should not be submerged in silver dip or other sterling/precious metal cleaners.
a polishing cloth can be used on the metal parts but not on the glass surface. avoid the glass surface with rouge based cloths.

store your micromosaic sealed in the included plastic bag with the anti tarnish paper when they aren't being worn.