It is such a long time since I last blogged, I think I posted just once last year. I’m hoping to get more into it this year, but we’ll see if that happens. There are a number of regular challenges I hope to take part in.
Anyway, I digress. This pair of earrings is doing double duty, as a piece for Art Elements’ monthly challenge, which for January is Moon, and also for Allegory Gallery’s Inspired by Reading Book Club, for which the book of the month is Deborah Harkness‘s book A Discovery of Witches, one of my favourite reads of the last few years.
A Discovery of Witches is the first book in the All Soul Trilogy, a series about a witch and a vampire, two of three “creature” races that live amongst us. Diana, a historian and reluctant witch who refuses to knowingly use her magical powers, inadvertently calls up a long-lost alchemical manuscript from the depths of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, which promises answers to the origins of the supernatural races, witches, vampires and daemons. Scared by it, she sends it back and it disappears again, but not before it has been noticed. Pursued by other creatures who want the book, she runs straight into the arms of Matthew, a 1500 year old vampire and the two fall in love, which is, of course, forbidden between the races. The series is about their hunt for the manuscript, and for its meaning for creatures. It has also recently been made into a TV series.
So how does this relate to the moon? At one point in the book, Diana calls on her namesake, the goddess Diana, who makes an appearance in later volumes as well. Diana is the Roman Goddess of the Hunt and is also strongly associated with the moon.
The moon gave me a way to do both challenges at once. These earrings have a beautiful pair of enamelled charms from Anne Gardanne, featuring a silvery crescent moon on a deep blue background. I’ve paired them with a couple of silver owl beads, that just seemed to want to go with the moons. I’m quite pleased with them, they are simple but rather pretty (and I’ve just realised that one of the owls is upside down — oopsy! Good thing these are for me!).
I made another moon necklace last year that I was rather pleased with, that I don’t think I have posted on this blog, It features a Gaea Cannaday resin and copper pendant showcasing one of her gorgeous moon paintings. And even though it wasn’t made specifically for this challenge, I think it’s quite fitting that I show it off here.
If you’d like to see what other people made for the Inspired by Reading challenge, check out the Facebook group. And to see the other Art Elements Moon creations, please check out the blogs of the other participants below:
Art Elements Crew:
beadrecipes 
I watched the series A Discovery of Witches and loved it! Your earrings are beautiful and I too hope to see more of you with the Art Elements theme challenges this year 😉
I just had to go and download the first book in the series. I love the earrings and I think they capture the theme perfectly!
Very pretty!
I don’t even think it’s that bad that one owl is upside down. You could weave a story around this …
That’s a lovely, succinct intro to the series. 🙂 I love your earrings, and I actually like the upright and upside-down owls – they are asymmetric yet symmetric!
The necklace is pretty – I’m discovering from the blog hop that blue and copper do make a great pair!
I don’t know the series, I’ll have to check it out! I love your earrings, and the Gaea pieces on your necklace is fantastic!
First off, I loved the books too. I read them a few years ago and had no idea that it was the reading for that group, but now I’m seeing all these lovely reveals. And, there’s a TV SHOW? I’m going to have to check that out! Thanks for the heads up on that.
Your moon earrings are fabulous! Those beads from Anne are sublime, and I love that you paired those owls with them. Even if one’s a bit cheeky and acting like a bat 😉
Your necklace also works great for this/these challenge(s)!! The Czech glass beads you included match the pendant so perfectly. It’s like they were made for one another.
Your earrings are perfect! I love the owls, and they pair so nicely with the enamel charms. Lovely work!
I have not read the Discovery of Witches, but your summary definitely has me intrigued. 🙂
I love your earrings!! I also love the necklace. And I am a huge fan of the All Souls Trilogy. I read the books but haven’t watched the new TV series yet.
Gorgeous designs, I really like your choice of components.
Your earrings and necklace are wonderful. The earrings are very cute. Your owls look wonderful.
The earrings are wonderful (and I am really partial to large earrings – love them!) and to be honest, I didn’t realize that one owl was upside down until I read it! 😉
The necklace is also lovely, the beads and the pendant balance each other so well!
The book sounds really good and I love both the pieces that you made!
I read the first two books in the series a few months ago, and found them a good source of entertainment. The moon theme definitely fits in with both challenges…how fortuitous! Especially for busy women like yourself. I’m so glad you decided to participate and hope you can find time and inspiration to join us again for future challenges!
I like your idea of the owls with the moon and the blue reminds me of Lapis Lazuli! The necklace focal is just awesome. I like the horse eye chain paired with it. I followed your blog and will do same for your fb page. Nice to see you here. Alysen
I love the All-Souls trilogy and regularly relisten to it! I have no clue why it never occured to me to make Diana inspired jewelry (or Matthew for that matter)! I love your earrings and their tie to one of my favorite book series as well. Thank you for playing along with us! I hope you will be able to do it again soon!
Blue and silver color is perfect for a starry moonlit night and those charms are very beautiful! I would leave the owls asymmetric 🙂 The pendant is gorgeous and its statement look is enhanced by the perfect choice of the complementing beads!
Yes! Read the books twice. Watched the show as a bootleg. Looking forward to rewatching when its released here in US. I think Ysabeau would approve of these.
I adore your owl and moon Diana earrings! They are just lovely… and glad to see someone else doing double duty with their designs for this challenge and book club. 🙂 It’s nice to see you Gaea pendant in action too!
Love the earrings! Those are so ethereal and I think the owls are a great addition. The necklace is beautiful too.
This story seems a lot like the ones that appear in Nora Roberts novels so I am intrigued and I will check it out. I watched the trailer now and know that Diana would happily wear the earrings. I find Gaea’s pieces comforting and your necklace is beautiful.
Hello! Your jewelry is beautiful. I’m really drawn to the color of the earrings, and I love the name as well. (When I was in school and taking Latin, our instructor had us choose “Latin names” — I chose Diana!) I hope to see more of your work in future challenges! (And I apologize for the late comment… this first week of February has left me little to no time to play online.)
Those are beautiful earrings, the moon components are simply gorgeous!