Hi everyone. Welcome back to my blog. It’s been too long!

As you may have seen from my social media this week I’ve been taking part in the Indie Roller FriYay challenge. This is a one-day online celebration of new products created by Indie Roller members and during the week’s run up to it I’m being encouraged to share my creative process. If you’d like to see my process just pop over my Instagram page.

I decided a while ago that I’d quite like to add an ankh to my collection as I’ve always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt. But let me take you back in time to explain why….

In the mid-90s I studied Ancient History and Archaeology at Birmingham University and spent one year focusing on Egyptology. During that time, I was lucky enough to do a study trip for a whole month to Egypt! We travelled all over the country and there is NOTHING like seeing the pyramids in person and Egypt has stayed in my heart ever since so it was only a matter of time before it influenced my craft.

My latest piece is perhaps the best know symbol from Ancient Egupt. The ankh is the symbol of eternal life and also rather appropriately the symbol f0r copper in Ancient Egypt! I used to be able read hieroglyphs and I can still identify the main ones. I was always looking out for this symbol on my travels as it really resonates with me.

The ankh is often shown in the hands of important Egyptian figures, such as pharaohs and kings. The character of Death in Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” stories also wears an ankh which got me into my love of his writing (but that’s another story!). The ankh was also thought to bring good luck to the owner.

My necklace is available in both hammered copper and polished sterling silver. I haven’t decided whether to make earrings yet. What do you think?

I love using my knowledge of ancient cultures to inspire me and this necklace really fits the bill! I wonder what I’ll create next? 😀