The Flickr Carvedshell Image Generatr

I have made some wonderful, extremely special and lasting friendships with certain people I have met through Flickr. Some I have been fortunate enough to meet in person, whilst others I have yet to have that pleasure, and yet I have the same affinity and closeness to them.

The title of this image today comes not from the colour of the bobbins I have used, but rather because of the beautiful cameo which features in my still life. The cameo brooch is very special to me because comes from one of the latter variety of my treasured Flickr friends - the ones I have yet to meet, but have an affinity with. I have never met her in person, but we bonded so easily and chat all the time. I treasure her friendship for the precious gift it is. Much was my surprise when one Christmas I received this gorgeous cameo from her as a gift. She knows that I love to wear lapel pins, and she thought I might like it, and indeed I do! I absolutely love it, and I have worn it many times since that Christmas Day when I opened the green, velvet lined box it comes in.

Set in gold, this cameo was a gift to my friend from her stepfather. The lovely cameo lady is, I believe, hand carved from translucent shell and the style of her places her anywhere between the 1920s and the 1960s, but I'd say she is in the earlier range because of the quality of the carving. Set in gold, she can be worn as I wear her, as a brooch, or as a pendant via a small loop discreetly added at the top just behind the band of gold, which is the other reason why I think she is more likely to be 20s.

I am so grateful to my dear, treasured friend, for thinking of me so fondly to have sent me such a precious and thought filled gift.

When it was last my birthday, another very dear friend who enjoys photography as much as I do, and knows that I collect beautiful and vintage pieces, gave me a wonderful selection of antique ribbons, buttons, buckles, lace and other fine notions. She also gave me three follow up tins of similar delightful gifts for Christmas.

Those wonderful gifts are what has inspired me to create this series of "Embroider my World" images featuring my vintage bobbin collection. In this case, the wonderfully creamy vintage lace from the 1930s comes from my own collection of antique notions, as does the French satin rose. I have accessorised them on a 1930s embroidered tablecloth with two unbranded bobbins of orange cotton, and the very special cameo brooch.

"A kiss on the hand may feel very, very good, but a diamond and sapphire bracelet lasts forever" – Anita Loos (American actress, novelist, playwright and screenwriter).

I am a great fan of jewellery, especially if it contains either diamonds or sapphires – the latter being my birthstone – however for the theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 16th of September (my actual birthday) of “bracelets and anklets” originally left me wondering what I could photograph. I have been given a great many pieces of jewellery for my birthday over the years: brooches, pins, necklaces, but I don’t have any anklets nor very many bracelets as I don’t wear them. In fact, I only have two bracelets in my possession. One is a very old and rare Vulcanite (early form of plastic) mourning bracelet which is extremely fragile considering it comes from the 1890s. The other is the bracelet which I used in this photograph. It was given to me on my birthday some years ago by my mother. It is a Hawaiian souvenir. Bought in the early years of the Twentieth Century it must have been a keepsake originally bought by someone quite wealthy, for the bracelet is made from hand made sterling silver links that are patterned with flowers on the reverse, and each one of these delicate blossoms is hand carved from shell before being affixed to each link with a sterling silver rivet. It is a dainty piece of jewellery, and one of the few American pieces I own. I hope that you like my choice for the theme this week, and that it makes you smile!

With the news we hear today, it is very easy to forget that for all the bad, the world is full of lovely surprises and kind people.

I have made some wonderful, extremely special and lasting friendships with certain people I have met through Flickr. Some I have been fortunate enough to meet in person, whilst others I have yet to have that pleasure, and yet I have the same affinity and closeness to them.

This beautiful cameo comes from one of the latter variety of my treasured Flickr friends. I have never met her in person, but we bonded so easily and chat all the time. I treasure her friendship for the precious gift it is. Much was my surprise when this Christmas I received this gorgeous cameo from her as a gift. She knows that I love to wear lapel pins, and she thought I might like it, and indeed I do! I absolutely love it, and I have already worn it several times since Christmas Day when I opened the green, velvet lined box it comes in.

Set in gold, this cameo was a gift to my friend from her stepfather. She is, I believe, hand carved from translucent shell and the style of her places her anywhere between the 1920s and the 1960s. Set in gold, she can be worn as I wear her, as a brooch, or as a pendant via a small loop discreetly added at the top just behind the band of gold.

I am so grateful to my dear, treasured friend, for thinking of me so fondly to have sent me such a precious and thought filled gift.

I decided to display her with two strands of my Grandmother\'s Mikimoto pearls from the 1930s.

I was inspired to take this photo by another Flick friend, hehaden, who recently uploaded an image of a cameo without its gold setting against a porcelain background. You can see it here www.flickr.com/photos/hellie55/52663746814/in/photostream/ or in the first comment below. I was so taken with the colours, that I decided to use a similar background with colours complimentary to the cameo. In this case it is an Eighteenth Century hand painted Japanese Kutani Ware plate that was given by my Great Aunt when I was fourteen years old and first started collecting decorative porcelain seriously. Thank you for inspiring me hehaden.

A cameo is a material that is carved with a raised relief that often depicts a profile of a face or a mythical scene. Cameos are commonly made out of shell, coral, stone, lava, or glass. Cameo jewellery has varying quality factors including the intricacy of the carving to the quality of the setting.

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” this week is “carved artpieces”. I thought this delicately and expertly carved beautiful Italian cameo brooch from the 1830s meets the theme. This cameo, set in an ornate eighteen carat gold setting decorated with pearls, is carved from shell and features a typically classical female profile. Many cameos feature mythological figures. In this case it is a Bacchante maiden wearing grapes and grape leaves in her hair. She represents fertility. I think she is a beautiful work of art.

A cameo is a material that is carved with a raised relief that often depicts a profile of a face or a mythical scene. Cameos are commonly made out of shell, coral, stone, lava, or glass. Cameo jewelry has varying quality factors including the intricacy of the carving to the quality of the setting.

This cameo brooch is carved into shell and features the goddess of the moon, Selene. The ring, also carved from shell features the profile of Persephone, the goddess of vegetation, wife of Hades, ruler of the Underworld. Both pieces are mid-Victorian and are set in ornate eighteen carat gold settings. The brooch is deliberately surrounded in black because it is a mourning brooch.

The brooch has its provenance with it. Engraved on the back is “Hannah Lund Obt (died) August 2nd 1861 AD (aged 33).” Hannah Landless was born in Little Marsden in Lancashire around 1827 to parents William Landless (engineer) and Margaret nee McGruther. She was baptised on the first of April 1827. She married Thomas Lund at Burnley, Lancashire, in 1856. At the time of her death, she lived in Well Close Square, Berwick, Northumberland. She lived with her husband Thomas (26) and children Arthur (4), Thomas (2) and Hannah (1). Thomas did remarry, as was common of widowers with young children. He married Margaret Dickson Macintosh in 1865. They had four more children together. By 1871, Margaret was a widow at 37. Although the other children could not be traced due to their common names, Arthur served in the Royal Navy.

This year the FFF+ Group have decided to have a weekly challenge called “Snap Happy”. A different theme chosen by a member of the group each week, and the image is to be posted on the Monday of the week.

This week the theme, “pair” was chosen by Beverley, BlueberryAsh.

Although not related, or even made by the same makers or in the same year, I think this brooch and ring make a fine pair.

Choker with nineteen death’s heads. Mexico. Mixtec, AD 1200–1500. Carved shell.

from Fiji. The flash did highlight some of the intricacies of this carving.

A pair of flowers from a Mermaid’s garden. Natural shell flowers glow with luminous shades of gray, cream and white with a pale peacock sheen over their surfaces. Smaller peach colored shell blossoms and amethyst Swarovski® crystals grace the tops.

One of a kind.
My March birthstone piece.

Sterling silver. 18k gold, 22k gold, vintage carved shell button, aquamarine

Autumn inspired earrings- wooooot!!

The polymer clay pendant and ship focal bead were created by me, Lynda Moseley, using an image transfer technique and an embossing technique. The image is a Japanese Woodcut design titled "Great Wave Off Kanagawa" by Hokusai Katsushiki. I embossed the pendant with an Asian Lotus Blossom and Chrysanthemum stamp. It is my entry in the August Art Bead Scene Challenge.

In addition to the small focal bead which I created, I used Kyanite dagger beads, carved pink agate ammonite beads, Fossil Agate, Impression Jasper, a/k/a Aqua Terra Jasper rounds, Bali silver spacer beads, and a Sterling Silver Hook clasp.

It was a pleasure to create something for the August ABS challenge. I am a huge fan and a collector of Japanese woodcut prints, and this has been one of my personal favorites for years.

I blog at www.scdiva.blogspot.com

The polymer clay pendant and ship focal bead were created by me, Lynda Moseley, using an image transfer technique and an embossing technique. The image is a Japanese Woodcut design titled "Great Wave Off Kanagawa" Hokusai Katsushiki. I embossed the pendant with an Asian Lotus and Chrysanthemum stamp. It is my entry in the August Art Bead Scene Challenge.

In addition to the small focal bead which I created, I used Kyanite dagger beads, carved pink agate ammonite beads, Fossil Agate ovals, Impression Jasper, a/k/a Aqua Terra Jasper rounds, Bali silver spacer beads, and a Sterling Silver Hook clasp.

It was a pleasure to create something for the August ABS challenge. I am a huge fan and a collector of Japanese woodcut prints, and has been one of my personal favorites for years.

I blog at www.scdiva.blogspot.com

The polymer clay pendant and ship focal bead were created by me, Lynda Moseley, using an image transfer technique and an embossing technique. The image is a Japanese Woodcut design titled "Great Wave Off Kanagawa" Hokusai Katsushiki. I embossed the pendant with an Asian Lotus Blossom and Chrysanthemum stamp. It is my entry in the August Art Bead Scene Challenge.

In addition to the small focal bead which I created, I used Kyanite dagger beads, carved pink agate ammonite beads, Fossil Agate ovals, Impression Jasper, a/k/a Aqua Terra Jasper rounds, Bali silver spacer beads, and a Sterling Silver Hook clasp.

It was a pleasure to create something for the August ABS challenge. I am a huge fan and a collector of Japanese woodcut prints, and has been one of my personal favorites for years.

I blog at www.scdiva.blogspot.com

The polymer clay pendant and ship focal bead were created by me, Lynda Moseley, using an image transfer technique and an embossing technique. The image is a Japanese Woodcut design titled "Great Wave Off Kanagawa" Hokusai Katsushiki. I embossed the pendant with an Asian Lotus Blossom and Chrysanthemum stamp. It is my entry in the August Art Bead Scene Challenge.

In addition to the small focal bead which I created, I used Kyanite dagger beads, carved pink agate ammonite beads, Fossil Agate ovals, Impression Jasper, a/k/a Aqua Terra Jasper rounds, Bali silver spacer beads, and a Sterling Silver Hook clasp.

It was a pleasure to create something for the August ABS challenge. I am a huge fan and a collector of Japanese woodcut prints, and has been one of my personal favorites for years.

I blog at www.scdiva.blogspot.com

The polymer clay pendant and ship focal bead were created by me, Lynda Moseley, using an image transfer technique and an embossing technique. The image is a Japanese Woodcut design titled "Great Wave Off Kanagawa" Hokusai Katsushiki. I embossed the pendant and the reverse of the smaller focal bead with an Asian Lotus Blossom and Chrysanthemum stamp. It is my entry in the August Art Bead Scene Challenge.

In addition to the small focal bead which I created, I used Kyanite dagger beads, carved pink agate ammonite beads, Fossil Agate ovals, Impression Jasper, a/k/a Aqua Terra Jasper rounds, Bali silver spacer beads, and a Sterling Silver Hook clasp.

It was a pleasure to create something for the August ABS challenge. I am a huge fan and a collector of Japanese woodcut prints, and has been one of my personal favorites for years.

I blog at www.scdiva.blogspot.com

Estimated era 1960's.

The coffee and cream colours in the carved shell pendant are echoed in the smooth stone beads and the freshwater pearls.