Autumn Ray Jewelry

My church, Emmanuel Baptist, has a program where members are able to host a South African child for the Summer. This year my Mom went through the necessary screening and was chosen to be one of those host parents. She hosted 9 year old Nxobile (No-bee-lay) who, though experienced loss at a young age and comes from humble means, gave much of herself. During the children’s stay, the host parents, supporters and children had many opportunities to bond. The picture below was taken at The Lincoln Monument, Washington, DC,  where the children, host parents and supporters traveled a few weekends ago.

Top from left: Alison, Clive, Tommy Bottom from left: Gopolang, Nxobile, Lucky, Martin

Needless to say, because of time spent with all of the children, I’ve become very attached. It was only right for me to send them back with a token of affection. For the boys, I made wrist pieces that bear their names.

Wrist wear that bears the names of the boys

I was able to get a little more creative for the girls (I’m a girl too!) and design some neck wear for them.

Hand braided necklaces bearing the girls' names

The interpreter who came along with the children, Lorraine, was an absolute gem, with one of the sweetest spirits you could ever come across. The piece below was designed with the thought of ‘queen’ in mind. 

Rose colored, faceted stone that I embellished with hammered, silver wire. The pendant sits on a hand braided suede cord

So, they will be leaving tomorrow…..(sniff, sniff) and while I’m sad to see them leave, I’m happy that I was able to experience them and learn from them. I hope I’ll see them all next summer. Below is a link to the kids’ goodbye gift to the congregation of EBC. Enjoy!

SIDEBAR…….

Funny story about the spiral portion of the pendant for Lorraine. The spiral was something that I conceptualized as I began my love affair with hammering wire. I had no idea what to do with it but I figured I’d save it because it looked interesting.

Tip for my fellow artisans, DO NOT throw away your practice pieces! You never know when you can incorporate the design into your next piece, adding the finishing touch to that special piece.