Plucked from the earth

In keeping with our nature theme, here are some natural materials in
the form of stone pendants, available at ShopCurious, photographed against tropical palm trees that curiously now grow rather well in central London. This one is an ammonite fossil - a stylish one of a kind piece that's a limited edition once in a lifetime find and a collectors' item.






To the right is a natural mixed wood sculpture, the sort of thing you can expect to pay oodles of money to have on display alongside your furniture in a stylish modern eclectic home. But if you simply go for a walk in the woods, or along the coast, you can appreciate the natural beauty of nature without paying a fortune - and you'll probably see all sorts of unique and fascinating curiosities.


Depending on which part of the world you're in, you might stumble upon labradorite - it's really unusual and rather overlooked - which means that it's not yet as expensive as some other stones. We have some extraordinary pendants made from this remarkably beautiful mineral - each an individually handcrafted work of art.




Labradorite was discovered in the late 18th century in Labrador in Canada and is sometimes called opaline feldspar, because depending on its type, it resemebles opal or moonstone in the way it reflects an array of colours: blue, green grey, purple occasionally even yellow and bronze. This unique iridescence is known as 'labradoresence'.

Labradorite is thought to have fallen from the Aurora Borealis. Eskimos believed that the Northern Lights were trapped in the rocks off the coast of Labrador, but were set free by their ancestors, who broke off the rocks with spears - however, some of the lights remained trapped in the stone (as labradorite). Labradorite is believed to be a protective stone and is said to help one 'hear the message of spirit guides'. It's also said to be able to help the wearer to realise and achieve his/her destiny. Whatever its properties, there's no doubt that this special rock has a very captivating appearance - and when fashioned into original jewellery pieces, the stone looks both stylish and highly individual.












As do these one of a kind natural wooden sculptures. You'd need to splash out quite a bit to have one of these in your sitting room. Alternatively, you could just camp out in the forest... and go and see what you can find.

Will you?

A little bird told me

I was sitting at my desk this morning when a curiously cute little bird appeared outside my window. It simply sat and looked at me .. and I thought this bird is just waiting to be photographed. So I grabbed my camera and wondered how I could catch a crafty shot without scaring it away. First I thought I would poke my camera through the blind and capture it through the somewhat rain-splattered window (remind me to call the window cleaner!), then I decided to venture nearer - towards the door ... and I was just about to open it when the pesky bird flew away. So I looked up said bird on the internet and here's a photo of one very similar - a goldfinch. Though mine seemed even prettier than this.

If you're equally curious about the colourful variety of nature, there are some beautifully hand painted mother of pearl pendants available at ShopCurious. These are vintage pieces, which have been recycled with the addition of a matching necklace made of natural materials (like rice pearls and crystal) and an inventive antique style magnetic clasp. Each one of the pendants is totally unique.


I believe that these are originally from Persia (can anyone verify that?) and quite a few of the designs feature rather exotic looking birds. Some of the birds look like doves and others more like birds of paradise (maybe those are imaginary varieties dreamed up by a curiously creative artist?) Do let me know if you can identify any of these. Will you?