Scents and Stones

We’ve been snowed in for the past couple of days (a rare occurrence in the south of England!), so I thought I’d take the time to make something for the “stones” part of Scents & Stones.

This necklace is made entirely from beads reclaimed from bracelets that I designed about ten years ago but didn’t manage to sell. I decided to take the bracelets apart and put all the beads together to make one beautifully extravagant piece.

The majority of the beads are rose quartz. 8mm and 4mm beads are interspersed with large carved flowers and smaller stars. The middle strand is entirely amethyst, with shades ranging from milky lilac to a lovely deep purple. The shortest layer has beautifully clear quartz beads, which glisten in the light like delicate bubbles. There are also just a very few white moonstones.

The longest strand of the necklace measures 29″ and the two shorter strands measure 22″. It fastens with a toggle and loop – the loop is heart shaped, and the toggle is a little arrow.

Clear quartz (or rock crystal) is thought to be one of the most important stones used in crystal healing. It can unblock energy centres and help the body to heal itself. When used in meditation it can help to increase focus and dispel negativity.

Rose quartz has traditionally been used to represent love, and is often used for emotional healing. Amethyst is another member of the quartz family, and is said to be a particularly spiritual stone. It is often used to symbolise  protection. Moonstone can be used to represent wishes, intuition and balance.

The necklace as a whole is wonderfully heavy and tactile. I keep finding myself reaching for the large flowers and running the different sizes of beads through my fingers, almost like a rosary. I think I’m going to wear this one a lot.

Tags: amethyst, clear quartz, flowers, moonstone, rock crystal, rose quartz, stars