A Travel Journal with a Secret in the Pages

The Travel Journal

Here’s how one thoughtful, inventive and romantic man presented a compass pendant gift to his wife.

He began with a nicely wrapped parcel to reveal a small and unassuming Moleskine Travel Journal – in keeping with a travel theme.

He organised the journal to open at this page, which she read out loud to the family, but then she closed the book and started to put it down, clearly thinking it was just a journal. Their daughter, who didn’t know what it was, saved the day by saying “I think there’s a bit of clue there Mum – secrets in the pages.”

The Compass

So she turned on through the book until she found the pendant. Secretly embedded in the cutaway pages of the travel journal she discovered her unique compass pendant which she loves.

  The Travel Journal Compass Revealed!

It’s experiences such as these that are remembered … and treasured.

  A Treasured Compass from Father ~ to daughter ~ to niece

A Story

This is an enchanting story about a compass pendant.

A Compass from the Past

Last year I made a custom made compass pendant for a lady in Australia. It was especially made for her to replace the one that her late father used to wear, but which had been lost for over 15 years.

Delighted to receive it, she admitted to shedding a tear of joy when she opened the velvet bag. The compass was inextricably bound with stories of her past and memories of her father.

A Compass for the Future

A while later, the lady’s niece saw the compass and instantly fell in love with it. So, the kind and big-hearted lady gave her precious compass to her niece in the knowledge that she’d treasure it.

Do you know what happened next?

Well, I’ve just learned that the niece gave the compass pendant back to her aunt for her Birthday in April! Then, next May, the lady will give it back to her niece for her Birthday! It has become a shared treasure ~ two compasses in one.

The story of this Ship’s Wheel Compass starts in the past. With each passing year, tales are recounted and new chapters added.

A shared treasure that will be cherished into the future.

  Pat Benincasa ~ Award Winning Sculptor

Meeting an Artist

I am extremely lucky to ‘meet’ so many people all over the world through my creations.
Pat Benincasa is an award-winning sculptor I ‘met’ when she asked me to make a
Custom Made Compass for her.

Pat’s creations are based on the potent language of geometry expressed in multifaceted ways with dimensional glass, painting and sculpture ~ using materials in non-traditional ways. She describes her art making philosophy as being inspired by Martin Heidegger who speaks of a ‘thing’ as follows:

“You know what a thing is by the way it gathers the world unto itself”.

I certainly feel inspired by this, too. Don’t you?

Connections

It’s been a pleasure meeting and working with Pat, and here’s what she had to say!

As an artist I am extremely picky about quality and creative inventiveness. As soon as I saw Gee’s compass pieces I was smitten! In addition to ordering an exquisite compass pendant with a twist, I found Gee to be delightful to work with. She was open to a stylistic request and graciously showed me an example of what it would look like. If you are looking for an unusual, beautifully crafted piece of jewelry-look no further than Gee Backhouse! From one artist to another-her work is amazing!

Turns out we both delight in walks, too!

  Happy Birthday Jasper!

Jasper is One Today!

Please join me in wishing my gorgeous dog, Jasper, a Happy First Birthday! He’s named after the Jasper gemstone, one often associated with protection and good luck. I’m not superstitious, but I rather like the idea of the association.

Wishing you all a great day, too.

  Custom Made Brass & Silver Compass Locket

Compass Locket

If you know anything about me at all, you will know I create compass jewellery that you will not find anywhere else.

Whether it’s a gold compass pendant or a top quality compass bracelet for an elegant explorer, each and every piece is handmade, unique and of unmatched quality.

This Compass Locket is no exception. It’s also much larger than any compass I’ve made before and was quite a challenge! I’ve included a short video of me showing it to you ~ it seemed to need moving pictures to tell its story!

Magnetic Compass?

This compass locket was hand made especially for Nils Sorensen, the creator of Mila’s Fountain. Instead of a north seeking magnetic compass, this one is intended to point towards immortal deities…

A custom made compass depicting mystical watery swirls, stars and a crescent moon.

Oh, and the lid closes with a truly exquisite snap, too

  The Peridot - an Evening Emerald

Peridot from the Past

The peridot originates from­ Zabargad Island, a small volcanic island in the Red Sea. From the early 2nd millennium B.C. this ancient stone was found to have been used in Egyptian jewellery.

The design of this Peridot Compass Necklace hints at antiquity.

The Other Side of Peridot

Peridot has been thought to emit a warm and friendly energy; to inspire happiness in the self, and delight in the nature of one’s life.

Peridot as Emerald

It’s often referred to as the evening emerald as it holds its colour in twilight more tenderly than true emeralds. With its gentle glow, early lapidaries pronounced peridot a good talisman against terrors of the night.

Aren’t gemstones intriguing … ?

  Why is this a Compass Rose?

A Compass Rose?

I was given this beautiful yellow rose by a group of folk we met on a walk at the weekend. They’re staying here in France and have flown over from the United States to enjoy various parts of the country.

A compass rose is a figure or motif used to display cardinal directions on maps and charts. It’s also the part of a magnetic compass that shows the graduated markings. However, this yellow rose is a kind of compass rose, too.

These lovely people came over for apéros yesterday evening. They’re only here for a short time visiting the area and we talked about life and shared some of our stories – tales of our individual journeys.

We all agreed on how, for so many people, a compass is a truly significant symbol.

They’re an inspiring group of people. A big thank you to them for their company … and for the roses. I hope we meet up again soon.

  Hand Made Gold Wedding Rings for the Bride & Groom

Unique Wedding Rings

When I’m asked to create hand made gold jewellery, it’s often for a special occasion – and this was no exception.

Wedding rings are significant to the individual and to the couple; the story of their life together and their wedding day are inextricably bound into the creation.

Hand Made Gold Jewellery – Design

It’s a pleasure working with clients on their custom made jewellery and seeing how the ideas evolve.

This couple started with Celtic design ideas. When I invited them to think about the design for their wedding rings and jewellery being truly personal to them and hinting at a Celtic style, the ideas started to flow.

Together we created wedding rings with dragons and the OM symbol woven into the design around the band; the theme for all of their wedding jewellery.

Custom Jewellery: Your Design, Hand Made

Custom jewellery is a fusion of your design ideas and my workmanship. Find out how we can work together to create your custom jewellery and see my client reviews.

  Small and perfectly formed Compass.

Small Compass

My compass jewellery creations are made using a small compass – often referred to as a button compass.

This picture gives you an idea of the size. By the time the top quality compass is set simply in silver or gold, the finished diameter is 17mm.

Small but Perfectly Formed Compass

Each working compass creation that I make has a top quality compass inside. It has a quartz face which means it’s scratch resistant and ready for adventure!

The Design of the Small Compass

The compass was kept small so that it could be hidden, often sewn into the lining of a coat, in war time. A secret saviour to help you find your way if you managed to escape.

Another design consideration was that it was small enough to be swallowed, say, if you were captured. The idea was that after a bit of a wait the compass would ‘reappear’.

Can I just say that I’ve never tried this and that I don’t suggest that you do either!

  Our Picnic in the Olive Grove, The Minervois, France.

Striking Gold

This year, I was interviewed by French Magazine about moving to and living in France. I now live and work here full time … and do, indeed, feel that I’ve “Struck Gold”!

The Perfect Picnic

I’ve been loving living in France with my husband and dogs for over 7 years. Here’s a picture of a picnic a group of us from the village enjoyed together last summer in a private olive grove. We’re soon to have a rerun!

What a wonderful way to spend a long afternoon.
It was heavenly.

Read the full article in French Magazine On-Line

(There are instructions there to show you how to turn the pages, too!)