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The Gorgon Medusa

The centerpiece was sculpted by hand by me (Jeanette Norman), and is made of polymer clay. It's approximately 3" across, 2 1/2" tall, and 1" deep. The embedded attachments for stringing are made of steel (my own design, and they are not going to pull out), The clasp is silver-plated steel, which makes it much stronger than a silver clasp would be. The beads are all natural stone: howlite, snowflake obsidian, red jasper, and unakite. They are strung on Soft Flex brand beading wire. The bead section on each side is about 10" long, so the length of the piece is around 22 1/2" including the span across the top of the centerpiece and the clasp. I plan to make more similar but unique pieces in this theme, making this the first in a series.

This is a pretty rugged piece, but it should be worn with reasonable care, as those (strong and carefully placed) snakes do stick out a bit, and polymer clay has certain vulnerabilities as well as certain strengths compared to other materials. (See the materials and techniques info section for specific care instructions.) It could last for generations, or it could be damaged in short order if abused. It's also a heavy piece, weighing I'm guessing about five ounces.

My rendition of this mythical figure has a beautiful side and an ugly side, representing a dichotomy within us. But I do not at all mean for this dichotomy to be of the simple "good versus evil" variety. Our pleasant, sociable, agreeable side is what I'm calling the "pretty" side, and it's beneficial to us and to others in some circumstances, but self-destructive in others. Our angry, forceful, self-centered side (the "ugly" side) can sabotage our interactions with others, but is also necessary to our survival. A balancing of these two sides is necessary to our completeness as human beings, and it can be hard to know when we're in balance and aren't going too far one way or the other at any given time. Gender roles complicate that balancing act for women (and for men, it seems), pressuring us to be out of balance and making it hard to know where the balance is in many situations.

Gorgon Medusa Necklace

$250.00