CND Jewelry Tales

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Articles: 1, 2, 3

Animal Magnetism
2008-01-16 19:13:00
"This'll make their eyes pop," she whispered to her own reflection as she held up the clothes she was about to put on. She turned sideways to the mirror, patted her tummy, and satisfied herself that it was flat enough. She turned a bit more, tightening her muscles; yup, she still had it. Well, as long as she remembered to squeeze, she still had it. Okay, okay, she still had enough of it.It had been a long time since she'd gone out on a real date; she wasn't sure she knew the rules anymore. She gave herself a mental shake; what did rules matter? She'd just make up her own and that was that. A little attitude would take her as far as she needed to go.© 2008 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel14k gold-filled, sterling silver, lampwork by Donna Millard of Fyrebeadz. Hand fabricated.
More About: Animal

Think Global
2008-01-16 02:08:00
"What was that saying?" she muttered, "Something global, something local?" She stared at her cat, as if expecting an answer, but got nothing. The cat yawned and blinked but didn't speak."Figures," she spat in the general direction of the cat as she got up from the computer and left the room, "I don't know why I ask you anything, anyway."She caught sight of herself in her bedroom mirror and let out a whoop of laughter. Never mind the world; she'd better start with her own hair. It was standing straight up as a result of being raked by her fingers while she racked her brain for that trite saying that was still missing from her mind."Never mind," she told the cat, loftily, "I never use cliches, anyway."© 2008 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver. Hand fabricated chain and lentil beads.
More About: Global

Opening
2008-01-08 22:15:00
It was too early to wake him, so she slipped on her jeans and yesterday's T-shirt, and, shoes in hand, walked out the door, barefoot. She closed the door without making a sound; she'd had a lot of practice at leaving silently. The sun had not yet shown itself over the hills, but the sky was bright enough for her to see where she was going. When she reached the street, she eased her tennis shoes onto her feet.She started out at a lope, wanting, no, needing to breathe deeply as the night evaporated into morning.  Her lungs filled with cool air, and, after awhile, she slowed down.  She'd run far enough.  She stopped to catch her breath and stretched her hamstrings against a tree; she ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it, and looked around.Hanging from the tree, just inches from her nose, was a vine with some tightly wound dark purple flower buds on them.  As she watched, they slowly unfurled.© 2008 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, uncut black diamond. Han...
More About: Opening

January Thaw
2008-01-03 23:29:00
It had warmed up enough to melt off all but the largest drifts of snow; the creek had burst through yesterday's ice dams and was flowing freely again. The ground was almost muddy; it squelched lightly under her boots, but she did not sink into it the way she would in spring.There was something so wonderful and unexpected about a January thaw; the leaves that had fallen a few months ago were still recognizable as leaves; a few remaining patches of snow lightened shady spots; and the sun shone like gold thorough the bare branches of the trees. She watched the play of light on the forest floor; she hummed along to the music of the creek.Winter was not over; there would be more ice and snow, but today, oh, today it was spring in her heart. © 2008 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel14k gold-filled, sterling silver, copper, tourmaline, freshwater pearl. Hand fabricated.

Frozen Flight
2008-01-01 19:42:00
It had been well below freezing for more than a week when she finally took out her old skates and cleaned the blades; she had not been on the ice since she was a girl, yet her mother had kept them. She'd seen them in the hall closet when she hung up her coat; every time she opened that door, they winked at her. It was not a trick of the light; those skates actually winked.Someone had already swept the snow from the ice, creating a large oval arena; she noticed a few holes further out where fishermen had drilled; the ice was obviously thick enough for them. Nevertheless, hearing her father's voice in her head, she picked up the largest stone she could manage and dropped it onto the ice about a foot from the edge of the lake. If the edges held, the ice was still strong. No cracks.She brushed some snow off a bench and began to lace up her skates. Her fingers moved quickly, strong and sure; they remembered. She stood up awkwardly, a little nervous, and stepped gingerly onto th...
More About: Flight , Frozen

A New Year
2007-12-31 18:21:00
"Well, at least this year's ending better than it began," she thought with a flicker of a smile. Although, really, at the beginning of last year, she'd had no idea how bad things were. Nor did she really know how good things were now. So perhaps there wasn't much difference after all. She'd been as hopeful a year ago as she was today; however, she sincerely hoped that she was not as clueless as she'd been 365 days ago. "Nice way to begin," she thought, ruefully, "not exactly a strong start." But never mind. Today was the last day of what had been a very difficult year; and tomorrow morning would present her with a beautiful, brand-new, shiny clean new year to start her life all over again. Perhaps this time...She felt definite possibilities.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, freshwater pearls, moonstone necklace. Hand fabricated.
More About: New Year , Year

Catch me if you can
2007-12-26 18:09:00
She flung out her arms and twirled around; enjoying the brief sensation of flight that she always found in dizziness. She heard her daughter giggle as she copied her; did she feel the same sudden loss of contact with the earth? She darted off, twisting and turning, running crazily, but never going very far. Her tiny daughter followed her every step; arms outstretched, laughter contagious.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, amethyst. Hand forged and hand fabricated.
More About: Catch

Tamesa Aestuarium
2007-12-20 00:47:00
The river Thames ran long before we came, and it will run long after we leave. It has run under many names; its waters have nourished and carried many people, from well before recorded time until now; there is no reason to think it will not see many more generations.It is an estuary; the river flows into the North Sea and the sea rises in turn to meet it. Its tides have brought people from many lands to its shores. Beneath the river lies the evidence of many lives; tesserae from the Roman occupation joins the skeletons of fish consumed in Celtic times and create homes for the peculiar denizens of the brackish waters.They keep their own counsel, these waters; they have seen the rise and fall of more than one civilization.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, lampwork by Donna Millard of Fyrebeadz. Hand fabricated.

Londinium
2007-12-10 02:53:00
She loved to lose herself in museums, and the Museum of London was ideal for that purpose. More than any other she'd found, it let her disappear into another time in this very place. Between groups of schoolchildren, she imagined peeling back the layers of asphalt, dirt, stone and mortar that was London today and walking on the mosaic floors that were hidden from view, virtually everywhere in this city.But the more things change, the more they remain the same; romantic fancies aside, she knew that this very spot, where bits of Hadrian's wall still stood, was every bit the business center then that it was today. She grinned ruefully; no doubt it would be just as hard to find a late supper downtown, regardless of the time she found herself in.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, lampwork by Donna Millard of Fyrebeadz. Hand fabricated.

Love me, love me knot
2007-12-08 22:55:00
She wasn't ordinary. She had a style all her own, and had lived a life that was an inspiration to the girls and women who had known her. Her humor and her creativity were her legacy; her granddaughter thanked her silently as she worked, grateful for the gift of letting the work lead her to its own conclusion, thankful for permission to happily make changes midstream and follow the flow of the design as she worked. Her granddaughter hadn't been born with that ability; oh, no, quite the contrary. As a young girl, she'd wanted to make things do what she wanted them to do, and she'd been quite humorless about it when they didn't cooperate. It hadn't been easy for her to accept her grandmother's easy attitude toward changing things; she'd struggled and tried to force fabric and thread to bend to her will. She could not laugh about failure at all.It was only in her later years that she appreciated her gift.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, lampwork by Donna Mil...
More About: Love , Me Love , Knot

Fairy Wife
2007-12-07 22:56:00
Once upon a time in fairy land, a mother was busily airing out a tiny house in preparation for the arrival of her daughter and new son-in-law after their wedding trip. She'd opened up the door and all the windows, shaken out the cobweb lace curtains, swept the floor, and made up the bed with the softest dandelion fluff linens imaginable.She was such a round little thing, as she flitted hither and yon; her iridescent gown sparkled in the sunlight and her golden head and toes shone gaily as she went about her work. Just moments before their arrival she cut a few of the roses that grew around the door and placed them in the foyer on her way out. She wanted her daughter to start her new life surrounded by love.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, gold-filled beads, jelly opal. Hand fabricated.
More About: Wife

Shining light
2007-12-05 13:46:00
She smiled as she unpacked the box of decorations; she wasn't one of those people who buy new every year, no, her decorations may be a bit shabby looking to anyone else, but to her they were priceless. She carefully hung the ornaments her children had made in kindergarten; they were all grown now, but how easy it was to remember their gleeful faces and little fingers hanging them on the tree that first year. She hung them low, just like they had.She hung the stockings at the mantle, next; one day, when her children had families of their own, their stockings would go home with them to hang on their own mantles. She patted them, smoothing out the wrinkles, remembered making them when her children were still babies. Perhaps she would make more, one day, for her grandchildren.She put all the boxes away, poured herself a cup of tea, and lost herself in the lights.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, cubic zirconia, freshwater pearl. Hand fabricated.
More About: Light , Shining

Hello again
2007-12-03 18:41:00
He looked familiar, but not totally so. Perhaps he just reminded here of someone she knew, but she couldn't quite put her finger on who it might be. She had the oddest feeling that she'd known him well; but, if that were the case, surely she'd remember. Nope, better just forget about it; she was far from home and the chances of running into someone she knew were slim to nonexistent. She was probably just projecting her homesickness onto the most attractive man in the room.She glanced around the room again; yup, he was definitely the best looking man there. Did it really matter if she knew him or not? She wanted to know him now. She walked over to his table before she could change her mind."Hello, again!" She said, merrily. "Remember me?"© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, lampwork by Glass and Splinters Lampwork Art. Hand fabricated.

Angels Unaware
2007-12-02 20:17:00
She hated the old pump; hated the way it froze up; hated going outside to fetch water every time she needed some. She'd heard of people rich enough to have water piped right into the house; she'd heard that all they had to do was turn a knob and watch that water pour out, never stopping until the knob was turned back the other way. She wasn't sure she believed it, but oh, she wanted to. Just once in her life, she'd like to turn a knob and have water pour out; she wouldn't turn it back the other way, oh, no, she'd let that water pour in until it filled the house. What an idea!She laughed at her own fancy as she lifted the buckets and headed back toward the house; she saw the men, working hard in the fields behind the house, and she quickened her step. The dishes would wait, and she could always pump more water. © 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, aquamarine, ampwork by Gail Kops of Beadles. Hand fabricated.
More About: Angels , Aware

Pilgrim's Progression
2007-12-01 17:51:00
Christianne automatically leaned to the left as her overloaded handbag began to slip off her right shoulder; she caught it in the crook of her arm with a jerk that would have made her lurch into the woman in front of her if she hadn't already counter-balanced herself. She took advantage of the moment to rub her shoulder ruefully; the bag had worn such a groove, it was amazing that it ever slipped off. Her husband always wondered if she had bricks in there; she wasn't sure why it was so heavy, but she was quite certain that there wasn't anything in there that she could live without.When it was her turn, she rummaged in her bag, found her wallet and paid for her purchases. She added the new bags to the ones she was already carrying; re-shouldered her handbag, and went on her way.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, lampwork by Donna Millard of Fyrebeadz. Hand fabricated.

Morning glory
2007-11-28 21:57:00
She stepped out the door and headed down to the stables, fastening her jacket against the early morning cold; rubbing her hands together to warm her fingers enough to do what she had to do. The garden was nearly finished; not enough there to bother picking. She stopped and looked at the sky; clear and bright, all the way down the mountain to the sea. There was a hawk, lazily surfing the thermals; he'd already had his breakfast and the orphaned calf was reminding her that he hadn't had his."I'm coming!" she called, but he wouldn't be convinced until the bottle was in his mouth. © 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver and turquoise bracelet. Hand fabricated.
More About: Morning , Glory

Leaf Frost
2007-11-27 03:33:00
Fall lingered late this year; the leaves turned very slowly and took their own time leaving the trees. Our first snow came long before the leaves fell, just an early morning dusting, but the backdrop of red, orange and yellow made the fat flakes look very exotic and unexpected.It melted before I thought to take a photograph; but even now, when all the leaves have fallen, I will picture them behind the next snowfall.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver and lampwork earrings. Hand fabricated.
More About: Leaf , Frost

Ripples
2007-11-24 14:53:00
She sat on the edge of the pond and tossed nuggets of koi food into it; she watched the crisscrossing patterns of the ripples as she sent each lump into a different place. The fish were new, they were hiding from her largesse; they didn't understand that these small missiles that disrupted the surface of their lives were actually sustenance that would nurture them and help them grow.She leaned back on the bench and felt the morning sun on her face; she closed her eyes briefly and enjoyed the moment. She wished she could just explain things to them, somehow show them her purpose; but they would have to figure it out themselves. She knew that, in time, there would be those who welcomed her with glad hearts; those who followed the others, wishing that they knew what the first seemed to know; and those who stayed forever hidden, fearful of her very existance.Faith was always a choice.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielGold-filled and tourmaline bracelet. Hand fabricated.

Slings and Arrows
2007-11-20 16:02:00
"Time to do battle," she thought grimly, and dressed accordingly. Nothing weak or uncomfortable would do; no high heels, nothing that would need adjusting or have to be accounted for; thongs and dangly earrings were out, out, out today. She would be completely, totally, prepared.No matter what.She synchronized her watch with the clock on the microwave; it wouldn't do to be late. Being caught unaware gave her opponents too much advantage; she calculated that she had ten or twelve minutes to spare. Her coffee cup was still in the microwave from this morning when she'd punched "reheat" and forgotten about it; she punched it again and vowed to remember this time.Dang it. The bus was early today. Her teenagers were home.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielCopper and lampwork bracelet. Hand fabricated with a heat patina.

Searching for hope
2007-11-15 15:24:00
It was the dust, more than anything, that wore us out. It coated everything. Even the water we sipped got muddied from the dust on our lips. We held out as long as we could; cursing the sky when the promise of rain was delivered to other parts, the clouds building, and then vanishing, before our very eyes.Every day we woke up to find more people gone. It seemed they'd decided at bedtime and took off before the sun rose, too worn out to stay, and too embarrassed to say goodbye. We didn't fully understand until it was our turn. We left the same way they had, the pre-dawn darkness hiding our shame, the truck filled to bursting with household goods and children.We vowed not to stop until the land gave us flowers.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, lampwork by Melissa Vess of Inner Realm Creations. Hand fabricated.
More About: Hope , Searching

Summer Skies
2007-11-14 18:37:00
The sky is heavy today; winter is coming, and although it is not cold enough, the clouds look like they hold snow. Summer is a pleasant memory; I have lost the oppressiveness of heat and humidity and only remember the deep turquoise of the summer sky as thunderclouds build for an afternoon storm. The summer sky of my memory isn't this sky, uniformly heavy and pale grey; it is a dramatic and noisy sky, demanding and receiving attention as we gather up our towels, find the lost sand toys, and scurry back home before the storm breaks.That summer sky is from such a long time ago; my children were small, then, and summer stretched out for months and months ahead and behind us. We went to the beach every day under that summer sky, and we knew its pattern as well as well as we knew our own swim-suited bodies. We lived by its rhythm.Today's sky asks for nothing.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielBracelet; sterling silver, amazonite, lampwork by Gail Kops of Beadles. Hand fabricated.

Glacier Lakes
2007-11-07 16:52:00
I had been climbing for hours and there was still a lot of mountain in front of me. I had been promised a great view from the summit, but I seriously doubted I would get there. I raised my hand to shade my eyes, tipped my head back, and looked up. Way up.I ran through the entire motion, backwards, and looked down at where I'd been. I looked at my watch and did a little mental math. I couldn't fool myself into believing that I could significantly pick up my pace; the climbing was getting harder, not easier. And even if I pretended that I could come down the mountain at four times the speed I'd gone up, I was not going to make it. Not before midnight; and, even though the trail was excellent, and well-marked for beginners like me, I was not keen to be going down the mountain in any sort of dark, let alone pitch dark.I looked around; it was too early to give up and head back now; but going forward just to fill the time seemed pointless. Aha. A trail marked in blue branched o...
More About: Lakes , Glacier

Eclipse
2007-11-06 20:14:00
I'd gotten to the point where the reflections in the water seemed more real to me than what was being reflected. It was, after all, just a simple paradigm shift; a trick of perception; a game I played and, depending on how you considered the outcome, lost or won. Such a strange mirror; the water deepened the color of the sky, and, where it slid over boulders it obscured things with frothy bubbles that shimmered and made the world look even more abstract than usual. I realized suddenly that I preferred the reflection to reality; its fluid dance swiftly eclipsed the staid, solid world and replaced darkness with its own light.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, amazonite, lampwork by Melissa Vess of Inner Realm Creations. Hand fabricated.
More About: Eclipse

River Run
2007-10-23 21:22:00
The river was central to our lives; as she ran, so did we. In the summer she ran slowly; our children played in her shallows, and we were careful to use no more of her water than necessary. We planted our crops in the rich soil that the river relinquished to us; as summer slowly cooled into fall, we harvested and stored food for the colder months ahead.The winter rains sent the water tumbling and rushing over her banks; we kept our children close and told them terrifying stories of her powers so that they would stay by our sides and shun the fascination of the raging current. We were not always successful; our stories had the bitter taste of truth to season them.But every year, Spring would bring a gentleness to the river, and we worked beside her with respect, leaving the fear behind.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielThis bracelet is made from sterling silver and ocean jasper. Hand fabricated. 8 inches long, fits 6-7 inch wrists.
More About: River

Soul of the earth
2007-10-15 22:11:00
How deep must I dig before I find something? I couldn't let that thought stay; I had to keep scratching up the earth beneath me, my mind empty and my hands full. I will break up and move this ground, inch by inch if need be, until I find it. That's the kind of person I am. I don't give up easily, I'm not afraid of working hard or being bored. Honestly, sometimes, I just don't know how to leave well enough alone. It isn't my imagination (or at least I hope it isn't my imagination, I'm tired enough to hallucinate, honestly I am); there is a flash of light and color there, or there was, until something moved; I don't see it right now, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there, does it?I will keep digging until I see it again.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielBracelet; sterling silver, faceted jelly opal, lampwork by Gail Kops of Beadles. Hand fabricated.
More About: Earth , Soul

The crest of the wave
2007-10-15 00:11:00
Long ago, and far away, in another time and place altogether, the coral grew in dense forests on the ocean floor. Oysters opened their shells, offering up their best pearls, and anemones pursed their lacy mouths into pretty pouts as we floated over them; cradled in the soft embrace of the water, we rose and fell with the tide.It took no effort at all to float; it would have been hard to sink in those rich, mineral-laden seas. The salt crusted into glittering diamonds on our brows and lashes as we rolled like seals over the crests of the waves, and dissolved into long streams that bent the light into a spectrum of colors when we dove to escape the waves that broke over our heads.And then we grew up; we grew up far too soon.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielThis bracelet cuff is made from copper, seed beads, and freshwater pearls. Forged and hand fabricated, free-form peyote stitch.
More About: Crest , Wave , Cres

Leaving an opening
2007-10-04 22:21:00
Mari's instinct for self-protection was only semi-developed; she was always finding herself in situations that made more sensible people cringe. Not that she was a disaster waiting to happen; no Mari's luck was extremely well-developed, and she nearly always came through the strangest situations, totally unscathed.Or so we thought. In reality, her armor was impenetrable. If there was an opening, no one ever found it.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielChain maille ring from sterling silver, with labradorite. Hand fabricated.
More About: Opening , Leaving

Greta Sails
2007-10-02 15:02:00
She was all alone on the deck of the ship, taking the morning air with the rest of the passengers; the endless sea rolling, rolling, rolling on all sides of her, blue and green and silver in the sunlight. If she closed her eyes, she could see Johannes and the children back in Denmark: waking up, eating their breakfasts, and working, working, working to make enough money to follow her to America.She would labor long and hard while she waited for them; she needed so little, and the money she made would make the time apart so much shorter. She wished that she could breathe deeply enough to fill the sails with air and make the ship go faster; the sooner she began her new life, the faster the old could catch up to her. © 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, turquoise, black walnut bead by Joan Jensen of Tazwood Creations. Hand fabricated.

Heart's Ease
2007-09-27 17:29:00
Stop AbuseIt's going on 15 years now; for the first five, he invaded my sleep and I would wake up struggling to breathe, the feeling of his hands on my throat more real than the 2500 miles I'd put between us. When I went, I left without a forwarding address. It seemed utterly unreal and dramatic; swearing my family and friends to secrecy and taking off for the opposite side of the country. I'd never lived more than 25 miles from where I was born, and suddenly I'd multiplied that by 100.It took me ten years to leave. Looking back, there were warning signs, but they were easily explained away. He always apologized; he never knew beforehand that I was going to get upset; he was just a bit clueless. He was frustrated at work, he wasn't getting anywhere, and he was always so sorry when he brought his anger home with him. He drank too much, but he was an easy drunk. He just fell asleep, and truth be told, I encouraged him to drink; he was happier when he drank. Usually. An...
More About: Ease

Moonstone Beach
2007-09-19 15:29:00
The moonstones that once littered the beach were long gone; perhaps they had never been here in great numbers, but she preferred to think that they had. It wasn't beach weather today; the fog was heavy and wet and the sea was surly. There wasn't much warmth coming from the sand, either. But she was dressed for it; the sweatshirt under her windbreaker kept her comfortably warm. She actually preferred the beach on days like this; except for a dog who was sniffing some seaweed, she had the whole bay to herself.As she walked, she looked hopefully for moonstones; perhaps the the wind had shifted the sands and there were some left after all.© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer DanielSterling silver, moonstone. Hand fabricated setting and chain.
More About: Beach , Moonstone , Tone