I had the pleasure of working with a client to design a spiritual tool for her personal practice. My client brought me a twig from an old Oak tree that overlooks her home, and requested to have it turned into a wand. We developed the design sketches to incorporate Moonstone & a clear crystal Quartz point, personally mined from Hot Springs, Arkansas. After the conceptual design was finalized, I got to work at my bench.

The twig was cast into solid sterling silver & oxidized to bring out the natural texture & patterns in the wood. I created 2 intricate parts for either end of the twig, & stamped details were added to enhance the magical feeling of this piece. The 5 Moonstones on the bottom segment have been set in cardinal directions, with the Marquise shape symbolizing eyes for protection.

In all, there were three separate metal parts that were created: the setting for the Quartz crystal, the silver cast twig & the Moonstone element at the base of the wand. After completing the metalwork of each segment, the stones were set & the parts were riveted together. Lastly, I added texture to the interlocking parts to make the design look seamless, and gave it a final polish.

This creation was an absolute joy to make. I never know what custom ideas will come my way & it is one of the reasons that I love collaborating with clients to create designs that I would never do so otherwise.

If you’d like to see the process from start to finish, check out my video from instagram below.

If you are interested in working with me to design your own healing tool, get in touch HERE.

As a first design journal post, I want to personally say hello & welcome. It’s taken passion, intention, and a great deal of trial and error to get to where I’m at, and grateful to be growing & evolving year after year.

I’m currently in the whirlwinds getting ready for upcoming art fairs, and focusing on rounding out my collection of works. I’ve got many WOW pieces already, so I’m working to fill in the gaps & bring some special smaller items through the collection, especially mindful of how precious metals have jumped in value this year. This week I’m finishing a batch of charm necklaces featuring rose-cut Sapphires. These charms are all made from silver scraps that I’ve melted & milled in my studio, and intentionally texturized to feel like special little relics from the past. I’m pleased with how they look as a whole, and they’re sweet little weirdos that feel so fun to wear. Here’s a look at a few of the unfinished pendants.

Today I’m working to polish all 9 of them, will oxidize the metal to bring out the texture, and will set the gemstones. (Will share the outcome shortly).

These will soon be available in my studio/ shop in St. Charles & at upcoming shows (St. Louis & Milwaukee, come find me!). You are always welcome to reach out for details as well~ here & instagram are great ways to be in touch. If you want to see more content from me, please follow me on instagram: @annkatdesigns

Light & Love, Ann Kathryn