Mother Necklace

Hello again :)
I thought I'd share some pictures of my Mother Neklace with you.
I call it Mother Necklace not only because I actually made it for my Mom, but also because it's mother themed.

It all began when I found some bottle tree (Brachychiton populneus) seed pods on a weekend trip to Barceloa a few weeks ago. I looked at them and found that their shape was...ahem...quite female :)
It reminded me on childbirth.
So the idea was born to create a necklace for my Mom from it.

This necklace is full of meanings and symbolism. Almost every detail tells a story, but most of them even my Mom won't understand. To make this piece, I went on a trip down to memory lane, and sometimes it hurt a bit. In a way, this was some kind of birth for me, too.

Behind a "leaf" (sewn of recycled recycled sari fabric and Lacy's Stiff Stuff and adorned with some glass beads, a brass sequin and a garnet) are childhood photos of my sister (top), my brother (bottom) and me, embedded in resin.
I didn't pour the resin directly into the pod. You can'tsee it very good, but I made a mold especially for this piece. The finished resin piece has the shape of a leaf, and on the back of the piece you can see the cast of an elder blossom that is shining through. I highlited the elder blossom a bit with Gilders Paste in antique gold. Then I put some dupioni silk loosely into the pod. Above came a piece of mica, also cut into leaf shape. Finally the resin piece was placed on top. Tiny golden glass seed beads, "sewn" into the pod with waxed linen thread, prevent everything from falling out.

I am quite pleased with this necklace. 

Yesterday I gave it to her.