invisible tides

I spent weeks wracking my brain to come up with a birthday gift for my mother.  Nothing seemed right.  I asked her (several times) whether there was anything she wanted, and she insisted that she couldn't think of anything.  Then, in a flash, I remembered necklaces I'd seen last November at an art fair at my son's school. That evening, I rushed past the tables set out with lovely things -- then about-faced for a close-up look at these necklaces.  They are created with the tiniest, most intricate fronds of seaweed, and I only had a moment to gaze before I ran off to volunteer at the book fair. Eight months later, these seaweed pendants popped into my head as the perfect gift.

My mother loves the ocean, so I suspected that these tiny seaweed fronds, caught under glass, eternally swaying in an invisible tide, would appeal to her.  And I had to tell you about them, too, because, really, they are rather amazing.  A few weeks ago, when I visited Cassie (the woman who creates this jewelry) in her home, I spent a very long time marveling at the colors & shapes she captures;  some of the seaweed looks like miniature trees from Japanese ink paintings, while others look like veins and capillaries carrying life-blood, and still others just seem to float on imaginary, dream-like oceans...

And not only does Cassie create pendants, she also has seaweed-art mounted in frames to hang on the wall, and preserved between panes of glass to hang in the window.  If you would like to see more of Cassie's designs, her etsy shop is HERE.