I’m always honoured when I receive a commission request. No matter what the design or occasion might be it’s a good feeling to be able to make something that might have some meaning for the recipient. A few months ago Hannah Richell contacted me enquiring about the honesty (lunaria) seedpod necklace I first made in the Autumn of 2011 as part of my Nature Table Series. She told me that she had written a novel in which honesty and in particular a necklace in the form of an honesty seedpod played a pivotal role and that she was interested in commissioning this design to coincide with its publication.
Honesty seedpods remind me of my Grandfather’s garden. I would pick them in the late summer and separate the thin papery layers to release the tiny penny-like seeds. My daughters love to collect seeds, especially the littlest, and she discovered honesty herself last autumn. She asked specifically to be taken up to a spot on the path leading to our village wood where we had discovered some that had self-seeded. I kept finding the seeds in her pockets.
They have nostalgic associations for Hannah too: I loved the idea of featuring lunaria in the story because half of my novel is set in the early 1980s and for me, it’s always been a plant steeped in childhood nostalgia. I can still remember my mum’s dried flower arrangements dotted around our house in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, vases filled with stems of silver honesty seed heads that shimmered and rustled as you passed by. I can hear the papery crackle of them under my fingertips, and recall how they would split, or crumble like ash if you pressed too hard. They were so delicate and fragile, like iridescent paper moons. To my mind honesty just seemed to fit with the era I was writing about.
Note: I have long been a fan of Richard and Judy’s bookclub so I was excited to find out that Hannah’s first book, Secrets of the Tides, had been selected for their book club last summer (the interview with Hannah begins 1 minute in). It was so good to put a face to the lovely emails that had flown back and forth between us. I ordered a copy of Secrets of the Tides and became so engrossed in it over the Easter holidays that I read it in just a day or so. It’s engrossing and an excellent read.
Toffeeapple says
What a super commission. I think almost everyone has a deep connection with Honesty, I can't be without some in the house and I grow a lot of it in my little patch.
The pendants are beautiful, well done.
Helen says
Seed pods of all kinds are wonderful inspiration for jewellery, and your honesty pendants are especially beautiful. And the sketches are equally beautiful!
Celia Hart says
A wonderful creative collaboration… isn't the inter-web amazing! And the necklaces are beautiful.
xx
Amy Friend says
That's so neat! I love mine like it that my husband bought for me from your shop!
Vintage Sheet Addict says
What beautiful necklaces and such a lovely story behind them!
saffa says
This is such a lovely design emma, it's such a beautful delicate plant and your pendant reflects this wonderfully. Love you drawing too 🙂 xxx
dottycookie says
I love this post. Just love it.
PS You about tomorrow or Thursday?
Mrs. Micawber says
These are beautiful … the funicles are especially lovely, as is the little projection at the bottom. In the US we call this plant "silver dollars" but Honesty is so much nicer. What a wonderful commission and perfectly executed. 🙂
harmony and rosie says
Well done Emma, that is such a lovely story. And, of course, a beautiful necklace too!
Magic Bean says
How serendipitous. Hope all's good with the Pebbles. Ax
didyoumakethat says
I love every single thing about this beautiful blog post.
Monica says
what a lovely story!
Naturally Carol says
Honesty reminds me of my Granny's garden…to me it always looked like silver dollars..a money bush!
Annie @ knitsofacto says
What a fabulous commission! And such lovely silver seed pods. They're delightful Emma 🙂
dragonfly says
So thrilled to read of this wonderful partnership.
I've grown Honesty for the first time this year – the seed pods always remind me of my Great Nanny Dean.
Anonymous says
Love the necklace, so very pretty. Thanks also for your sea glass post. Inspired us to take a visit there this morning and we all had a fabulous couple of hours hunting for treasures on the beach! My two girls were very impressed by mummy knowing all about the glass and where to find it! I did explain how I knew and said I would pass on their thank yous!!
Nic x