Jumpin' right on in.

Hello there! I'm Bhen Rudha (VEN ROO-ah), which means Red Woman in Gaeilge, and I'm starting a blog about my adventures in jewelry making.

I started my collection of semi-precious stones when I was a kid...it was a polished piece of faceted quartz from Yellowstone National Park. I was fascinated by how much it looked like ice, yet it was only cool to the touch, and would even warm to the hand without melting. I'd roll it around in my fingers, feeling each facet flatten against my skin. I still have that piece, tucked away safely in one of my stone boxes (yes...boxes).

Later I started buying little pieces of tumbled stone...tiger's eye, hematite, petrified wood, jasper, agate. I would also roll these pieces around in my fingers, or palm, feeling how they fit in my hand, the differences in weight and texture, and how they warmed the longer I held them.

When I was a teenager, I started learning about sympathetic magick, and magickal properties of the stones I had been collecting. Now I would place them in little bags and use them as spells. Helping a friend pass a test, or get the attention of someone they liked, get over a cold faster...I still carry stones in my pockets for different reasons, though it's mostly because I love them.

It seemed a no brainer then, when I thought about making jewelry with magickal intentions, but what to name it? That, sadly, is what took me to longest to figure out. Magick is broken up by intention, and I wanted that in the name...but what to preface it with? I rolled the idea around in my mind for a long time, and then it came to me (and no, the irony's not lost on me), Crystallized Intentions.

The name has a couple layers of meaning, and I love it, even though it's a mouthful. First is the obvious physicality...each gemstone is "crystallized", and so the jewelry is a physical manifestation of whatever it is you want. But beneath that is the idea that thoughts crystallize, and magickally that's how my jewelry is supposed to help, to focus the will, to crystallize your intention and make it easier to work on.

Each piece I make has some purpose behind it. Some are specific, like my Travel Charm Earrings, that are designed to promote just safety in travel, while others are more general, like my Water Bracelet, which is designed to promote qualities of the element like peace and emotional harmony.

So far I love it, and I think that's the most magickal part of this journey.

Till next time, be well,
Red