Emma Mitchell

Author, designer-maker, naturalist, illustrator, mum

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Beachcomber

So the weather. Apart from a dreich, rather windy couple of days this week it continues to be sunny and summery. This balmy, fluffy white cloud, blue sky weather makes me want to don a floaty frock and spend a day beach combing. I could easily spend an entire day happily gazing at the strandline and at piles of pebbles and filling my pockets full of treasure. It’s likely that I would forget to have lunch. This has happened once or twice.

When I began blogging in 2008 I had only just begun to work with silver clay. At the time one of my favourite things to do was to use the clay to emulate the shapes and surface textures of some of my beach finds. The joy I felt at having made a series of silver pebbles is hard to describe. I realised that I hadn’t made a three dimensional silver pebble for quite some time so spurred on by the beachy weather I put that to rights.

There’s a moment when I’ve finished making a piece of jewellery when I place it down on my worktable and look at it. I’m afraid that my table is far from tidy. At any one time there might be small piles of beads, gemstones and small silver things that I’ve made dotting the surface along with small bags of pearls, patty pans full of seaglass and tools. When an idea for a necklace pops into my mind I’ll gather the makings for it together but am sometimes drawn in another direction. It’s a bit of a jumble.

When I put the silver pebble down onto the wood the small pile of handmade antique beads nearby in various shades of aquamarine seemed to leap out, as did my trusty stash of tiny shell buttons and some little drilled shells. A small seaside-inspired collection was inevitable.

It echoes tiny treasures brought home from the beach, Cornish coves, rockpools, piles of pebbles on the beach at Walberswick, seaglass collections and holiday memories. It’s called the beachcomber series and it’s in my etsy shop.

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Comments

  3. Such a beautful series emma 🙂 I do love reading about your inspirations for your jewellery, it always inspires me 🙂 I loe the silver pebble you've made, for me it sums up your beautiful work 🙂 it's wonderful. I only wish I had the money right now to buy it, a girl can dream 😉 safxxx

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  4. What exactly is it about pebbles, Emma. I love them so much too, the way they sit in the hand, the way they are nearly spheres or oblongs but not quite, their smooth ei lines, the surfaces weathered by the sea. Just love 'em, always have! Your silver one is so tactile looking. X

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  6. Emma, they are lovely. I know exactly what you mean about pebbles and also losing track of time beachcombing. There is always one more to find. The jewellery is beautiful, you have really captured the essence of beachcombing.

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  7. Beautiful summery things Emma!
    Our bedroom window sill is becoming a beach, with all the collections of pebbles and shells we add from our coastal visits! They remind us special places.

    btw I LOVE the top photo! Are they your feet? Have you grown like Alice in Wonderland?

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  9. Truly lovely Emma! And I know what you mean about the pleasure of beachcombing. I lost my entire family at Saltburn beach the other day as I was walking along staring so intently at the ground that I left them at the other end of the beach and then couldn't find them again! xx

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