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Artisan Jewelry by Michaela Batstone

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The Ravens Are Flying In

November 28, 2020 · 1 Comment

I always love beginning this collection each year, knowing some little ravens will settle on the backs of Picasso jasper gemstones, corvids made of leafless autumn trees set against dim skies.

Others will perch on either side of ink black onyx gemstones and built onto cuff bracelets.

And a small handful, about ten little birds, will settle atop simple split half-round bands; raven shields to accompany the wearer through quiet November walks.

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All the while I have been working on these pieces, there have been crows hopping around on the grass outside my studio windows; croaking to one another, picking up leaves in their beaks, and then taking flight to the leafless birches alongside the house.

I only create raven pieces once a year in November, when the trees against gray skies look just like the Picasso jasper on my bench.

Ravens made of tree branches and rainy November skies.

Each jasper is so incredibly different. The stones come in a range of grays: rainy afternoons fading into a dark evenings.

And the matrixes are all so beautifully different as well: the bare branches of an entire forest reaching across the pendants.

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There will also be ten cuff bracelets in tomorrow’s release.

Eight small/medium sized bracelets (5.75″ + a 1″ gap) and two med/large sized bracelets (6.75″ + a 1″ gap). They are easily adjustable.

Dark shadows collecting around jet black onyx lined with sterling silver pebbles, and ravens perched amongst the branches.

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I don’t often make Waiting Raven rings, but this year has been a long and difficult one. I thought now would be the perfect time to bring a small batch of them back.

Corvid strength and resilience for the wearer.

Each ring features a hand sawn raven atop a sturdy base. The silhouette of the base follows the shape of the raven. It is curved slightly to comfortably sit atop the finger.

They are oxidized and hand polished for a textured, organic look.

(Sizes available: 5, 5.5, 6, 6, 6.75, 7, 7, 7.5, 7.5, 8, 8.75, 9, 11)

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And here is the surprise element to this yearโ€™s Waiting Raven Collection I have been teasing for a few days!

My sweet fella, who is also an artist who creates predominantly through woodworking, paper ephemera, and photography, has made these mixed media mechanical sculptures for the release.

Black walnut
Blonde shellac
100# black cardstock paper raven

With a brass โ€œScotch Yokeโ€ mechanism converting rotational (crank) motion to linear motion via the slotted yoke. With respect to time, the position of the yoke follows simple harmonic motion given a constant crank speed.

He has made eighteen of these sweet little familiars, and one will be included with the first eighteen orders from the raven collection.
(*One per person*)

I cannot wait for you to see them in person! Little corvids to sit upon your fireplace mantel or in a curio cabinet, steady companions on days of leafless trees and November rain.

____________________________________

Everything previewed here will be landing in the Etsy shop Sunday, November 29th at 7pm EST.

Click here to visit the Etsy shop!

   

Filed In: In the Studio, Jewelry, On the Bench / Tagged: moonspinner, moonspinner jewelry, moonspinnershop, picasso jasper, ravens

Comments

  1. S. B. says

    November 29, 2020 at 7:56 pm

    Those stones really do look like tree branches against a dark sky. It’s enchanting. And the little mechanical raven sculpture is so handsome!

    Reply

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All of the orders from Part I of the North Wind Co All of the orders from Part I of the North Wind Collection are in the mail!

Info on Part II soon. ๐Ÿ’™โœจโ„๏ธ
The wind is whipping outside right now, and the bl The wind is whipping outside right now, and the blue satin sky looks as though you could take a scoop out of it with a spoon.

This bright, brisk winter day has me thinking about snowy hiking in the Adirondacks. Micro-spikes digging down towards granite, breath frozen to my hair, and -9 degrees before wind chill at the summit.

Winter hones you like a blade. You feel crisper, bolder; joints and legs gliding like machinery. I wouldnt trade winters in the northeast for anything.

Are you a winter person? Are your winters harsh where you are?
Phew! I have gotten nearly a third of your orders Phew! I have gotten nearly a third of your orders in the mail, and the others should be all packaged up by the end of tomorrow.

What a joy to tuck these pieces in paper and cotton, and know they are going to be loved and cherished by so many winter walkers and snow queens.
Fueled by coffee and very strong tea these days! B Fueled by coffee and very strong tea these days! But I have gotten through everyone's orders and printed all the shipping labels, and you should receive tracking information by Wednesday.

Now to package up each frosty piece! I will whisper words of gratitude to each one as I set them in their boxes and top them with a bow made of paper ribbon.
I am currently working on shipping refunds for tho I am currently working on shipping refunds for those of you who placed more than one order. I am hoping to have everything in the mail by Wednesday at the latest!
Friends, the warmth you continually show my work n Friends, the warmth you continually show my work never ceases to send me dancing. Your patronage allows me to continue buying silver (goodness, have you see the price of silver lately?! ooph!), keeps food in my kittiesโ€™ bowls, and reaffirms that life lived through art is a joyous one indeed. 

When you support my collections, it allows me to dream even bigger for future offerings. When you claim a piece that I have based around finding light in winter or a translation of my magpie-like tendency to collect bits of nature, it shows me that the designs that (in my doubtful moments) feel too particular to my own soul also sings to yours. This work has allowed me to share my heart, and in turn has revealed so many kindred souls. (I think Anne Shirley would have loved my Bee Garden Necklace!) โ€จ
Thank you for the encouragement, the orders, the sharing of my work, thank you for being here with me.
Everything is in the shop! I hope that if you are Everything is in the shop! I hope that if you are trying to catch a piece as they float by, you catch all the little snowflakes you love best. ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’™
The final preview for Part I of the North Wind Col The final preview for Part I of the North Wind Collection is up on the blog!
In creating this collection, my fingers have turne In creating this collection, my fingers have turned to icicles and a layer of hoarfrost now armors me. After months of working in darkness and bracing against the cold, I feel as though I could break the North wind and toss it out to sea.

And in these pieces, I feel the bite of ice and softness of snow. Winter woven into stone and silver.

 โœจโœจโœจ
โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
โœ–๏ธNorth Wind Collection Release: PART I - TONIGHT at 7pm EST in the Etsy Shopโœ–๏ธ
The February Rings are set atop matte sterling sil The February Rings are set atop matte sterling silver, 6mm wide, half-round bands. I added a slight hammered texture on the ridge of the band, which to me looks like a path trod through fresh snow.

Don't forget that since these bands are 6mm wide they fit a bit snug!
โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
โœ–๏ธNorth Wind Collection Release: PART I - TONIGHT at 7pm EST in the Etsy Shopโœ–๏ธ
Currently hurriedly writing listings and working o Currently hurriedly writing listings and working on blog previews! 

The blog posts will include additional pictures, ring sizes, and prices for the pieces in the North Wind Collection, Part I. I have the first preview up (link in the profile) and should be finishing the others soon.

Someone send me a time-turner!
โœ–๏ธIMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR THE RELEASE!โœ–๏ธ
โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
๐Ÿ”ธ All the pieces I have been previewing the last several weeks will be in tonightโ€™s 7:00 p.m. EST shop update. It is first come first served, to give all a fair chance to claim the pieces that are calling.

๐Ÿ”ธ Remember! Etsy wonโ€™t reveal my new listings for you right at the release time, you have to refresh and reload my shop page, sometimes a few times, before they all show up. It even does the same for me! 

๐Ÿ”ธ Etsy is often slow with populating my shop after I publish my listings, I believe because I list so many pieces at once! I have been told this is because they work out of the cloud now rather than dedicated servers.

 So if you want to try for a piece at release time, start on the home page and move through the pages from there. If you click on the collection section on the left, sometimes it takes 15 minutes or so for listings to show up. A very strange glitch, but it happens. Refresh often!

๐Ÿ”ธ Make sure you look at all the photos of the pieces you are looking to purchase, because I try to photograph these pieces from every angle, in my hand for size reference, and in natural light, so you can see exactly what you will receive. I want you to be sure you are purchasing the perfect pieces for you!

๐Ÿ”ธ That being said, an item isn't "yours" until you complete checkout. Meaning that other people can purchase items you are looking at, or that you even have in your cart. This is an Etsy feature that I cannot change.

๐Ÿ”ธ My advice is that if you have a piece you have your heart set on, complete checkout with that item first. And then go back for the other pieces you want. Checking out separately allows you to claim your pieces more quickly, and you have less of a chance of a piece being scooped out of your cart.

๐Ÿ”ธ Following the release, I will refund any shipping overages for multiple orders. I will be shipping out all the Part I orders together though, that way I donโ€™t get confused when it comes time to ship Part II orders. 
โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”
I hope you are able to claim the pieces that have been calling to you!
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