Sasha Fitzgerald: Little bits of this n' that

When I'm in the process of making jewelry, I often create things that go unfinished for a little while. I guess you could call them jewelry in progress. Most of the time I know what they will turn out to be, but sometimes it's a surprise even to me!

Hammered Silver Wire Heart, & Birds Nest Charm

A wire weaved copper pendant

Lately I've been watching a lot of Xena on netflix. (I tend to have movies or music playing while I work)
Anyway, back to Xena - I haven't seen this show in a long, LONG time. I was 12 or 13 years old when it was on tv, and I remember just loving this show to death. I idolized Xena's strength and beauty as a woman, the magical world she lived in, and the mythical and spiritual themes of the world. I don't really remember any plot specific elements of the story, so it's almost as if I'm watching it anew for the second time.

Dyed Agate Semi Precious Stones

When I was a kid, I didn't really notice the campy acting/plot/characters, or the impossible and often silly fighting scenes. I still think this show has a good, strong core, though. I love Gabrielle and Xena's strong friendship, Xena's ability to kick everyones ass (even Ares the God of war). I also love the strong femininity of the show. It portrays women as... people. Not a girly girl and a manly man, or a butch girl and an effeminate male... it just portrays people as people, in the vast and complicated array they come in. (Yeah there's still stereotypes, but it's a tv show, what can you expect).

Copper Wire Wrapped Rings
Left: Freshwater pearl
Center: Glass star bead
Right: Shimmery purple crystal

They were also quite liberal compared to other day time shows of the 90's. For instance, in the last episode I watched, Xena had to enter a beauty pageant to protect the women & find out who was trying to kill them (think Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock). In the end, a man who had entered the contest dressed as as a woman won (and then kissed Xena on the stage!). One of the best episodes so far!

Wire Wrapped Star Ring

I've also been feeling very inspired by the jewelry and accessories in the show. Xena and Gabrielle both wear their hair in a natural way - it doesn't look primped, preened, or dyed. It's long, sometimes they have bangs and braids, and they put handmade clips and things in their hair. The style of the clothes and jewelry make me think of my own wire jewelry... A lot of the techniques I use to create my jewelry were used thousands of years ago. Wire wrapped/hammered jewelry is one of the oldest techniques in jewelry making. It's kind of like being connected to crafts people from thousands of years ago who loved to create beautiful things with simple materials by hand. I also think it's the type of jewelry preferred by Faeries and magical creatures, for it's organic feel and intricate wire weaving.

I'm sure chatty tonight. Hope you liked the pictures :) Scroll down for some more lovelies.