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Wednesday 11 February 2015

Eske Storm Dragon Claw for Sue

In the past the posts that have marked the 100s have seen me looking at the links between jewellery and something more meaningful than just the "ooh shiny" part of enjoying jewellery.  I've decided to carry on the tradition for Post No. 300.

Back in 1992, I bumped into my Uncle who, being only 4 years older than me and growing up only a few doors down, has always been more like an older brother to me than a uncle.

I was really taken with the lady he was sat next to.  Spiky blond hair, nails you could cut steak with and she was wearing the most incredible silver jewellery.  

Yes, my ooh shiny habit has been with me for many years!

Sue was sassy, warm, interesting, had a twinkle in her eye and a beautiful Welsh accent.

When she went to the ladies, I leant to one side and in a conspiratorial whisper said "I really like your new girlfriend" shortly followed by "Whatever you do, do not let this one go!".  They had such a spark between them.

What I didn't know, is that they weren't a couple, they had literally just met.

I *really* didn't believe this, as if Disney had drawn animations around them - it would have been all cupids shooting arrows, animals bounding around and big hearts appearing like bubbles.  I've never actually seen two people fall in love in quite such glorious technicolour.

Over the years we've often spoken about that night and told that story because I was *so* disbelieving that they weren't already a couple.

From that point on they became inseparable and spent a very fantastic 22 years together, travelling, emigrating, travelling and generally just being there for each other.  I'd always described them to friends who'd not met them, as... if the world were to fall apart, and they were the last two humans on the planet, as long as they had each other they would be fine.

And then the world did fall apart, only they weren't the last two humans left.  Sadly Sue died very unexpectedly last October and left the rest of us behind in shock.

In the days that followed we spent a lot of time catching up in the UK; we talked about life back then, now and in the future and I was asked to choose myself a piece of jewellery in memory of Sue.

I've been thinking long and hard about this gift.  The plan was to buy a bead, however I couldn't quite find anything that really spoke to me enough with regard to Sue - plus I change my bracelets around quite often and didn't want something to be sitting in my jewellery box between bracelets.

Finally I turned away from the bigger brands and went back to more artisan designers and decided on a piece by Eske Storm.  The female dragon claw was a perfect fit for what I was looking for.




I'm currently wearing this on a Trollbeads Leather Necklace but expect to see this appear on bracelets and bangles in the future!

My Eske Storm Dragon Claw for Sue

My gift covered more than just the claw... I wasn't sure what to do with the rest until I saw Ohm's Rawr release, Sue will now also be remembered by helping to fund some dinosaur skulls in silver... Given that she once bought an actual human glass eye as a ring... I think she would have approved of my choices.

Have you ever bought jewellery in memory of someone?
How did you choose what to pick?

10 comments:

  1. Mars - or Mart' (my "little sister" - niece),
    First of all you made me cry, but in a good way. A way of making me remember the good memories.
    The piece you decided on is not only beautiful, but appropriate & something I would of given Sue.
    A difficult choice and I'm so glad you chose this piece as the Dragon's Claw means so much me being a Celt transplanted here in California. Looking forward to our next cwtch, hopefully late July if my plans work out.
    Sue would of loved it....
    Love, as always,
    Your big brother,
    "Uncle" Wayne xx




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    1. Hey you my lovely big brother/Uncle,

      Good to chat this morning/evening (time differences are always confusing even after all this time)

      I'm so glad you like it, I needed to find the right piece and sometimes that takes a bit longer. Eske's a beautiful designer and I felt this one, was the right one.

      Take care as always and I'll see you later,
      Love always,
      Mars/Mart xx

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  2. I think I bought the Trollbeads diamond antique flower as a memory of my grand-mother... she loved purple and she had always vviolets in the garden and on her balcony... so this flower has 3 petals and the colour... I think it is a piece on my bracelet which reminds me of her... I would love to have a stunning cat bead one day... which reminds me of my lovely ginger kitty I had and died too young... so as you see memory-beads are very special pieces.

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    Replies
    1. Oh what a lovely memory Patty, that sounds like a beautiful memory-bead for your grandmother. Jewellery can be incredibly sentimental, it's always been a way I like to remember visits, I've often bought rings, beads and pendants when I travel as my souvenir.

      To remember loved ones by, well, that is just a case of waiting until something speaks to you - sometimes that happens instantly and sometimes you have to wait for the right piece to find you like your stunning cat bead.

      Thank you for sharing your memories.
      Mars xx

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  3. It sounds like Sue was an amazing woman! The bead is a beautiful way to remember and pay tribute to her :)

    I have two small figurines that I inherited from each of my grandmothers that remind me of them, but I haven't bought jewellery in memory of someone. Like you, I pick up items to remind me of places or events.

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    1. Thanks Tracy, Sue was quite extraordinary. One of those souls you could actually say "she lit up the room". It's nice to release this post out there now to pay tribute publically.

      One of the things I have from my Nan is her glass jewellery/make up tray (and bits that went with it) that always used to sit on her dressing table when I was a little girl. I was fascinated by it as a child and it evokes such strong memories of both my Nan and my Grandad when I used to go and stay with them... it's now on my chest of drawers.

      Mars xx

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  4. Hi Mars,

    Yay! Your advice worked! I will drop you an email with what I did differently in the hope that others with an IPad can comment again!

    Sue sounds a wonderful lady, and your choice of Eske's silver and Ohm dragon skulls is absolutely a fitting tribute to her.

    I was thinking about Love Hurts (the bead) after I read your post, as that seems to sum up perfectly how people enrich our lives by being in it, and take a piece of our hearts with them when they pass. I think Sue left a piece of her big, bold heart with her loved ones and so she will always be there with you.

    Thank you for sharing such a personal moment with us, it is a privilege to read about the wonderful Sue, and your love for her.

    Enjoy your beautiful jewellery, and congrats on your 300th blog :-)

    Love,
    Debbie
    xoxo

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    Replies
    1. Yay Debbie! Firstly a big welcome back!!

      Thanks for the email too, I will definitely think about how best to add that info to the blog, when I get some spare time I will prob rejig my about or put up a specific page on problem solving.

      Thank you so much for your comment, you're absolutely right about Love Hurts (the bead) as Sue had an effect I think on all who met her, some of her friends shared stories of how they first met her and we all had similar experiences.

      I love the Dragon Claw, I've seen a gorgeous bangle by someone on Facebook too and this will migrate onto a bracelet at some point, currently I'm really enjoying just wearing it as a pendant.

      So so pleased you've found a way to comment!

      Mars xx

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  5. Great post, Mars, and the claw looks really beautiful on that simple necklace. A nice way to remember her.

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    1. Thanks Amanda, it's a stunning piece, absolutely beautifully made.

      It's a great way to wear it for me as I nearly always wear a pendant of some sort so no need ot worry about swapping beads around. I do have plans to use it on a bracelet in the future though :)

      Mars xx

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I love saying hi to people who've read my blog, or are just passing through via the A to Z, or anyone not a spam bot!

P.s. If you use an iPad/iPhone and are having trouble leaving a comment on Blogger, you might have better luck using a browser that's not the default iPad one... Then from the "Comment as" drop down menu choose Name/Url (you can leave URL field blank or add your web address) or Anonymous and (hopefully) away you go! Mars xx