The Celtic Druid's Egg Clay Pendant

This Celtic Druid's Egg earthenware clay pendant is an original design. The pendant, which has been glazed a sage green, hangs from an 16" necklace beaded with unakite and carved wood beads. The clasp is a gold plated barrel clasp.  A gift box is included with your order.  Additional photos can be found in our Etsy shop.

Ceramic Art Nouveau Pendant with Shell

Jo bought the most beautiful antique Art Nouveau era pewter button a while back, and with that button she made the mold for this piece. The nearly 1 inch diameter earthenware ceramic pendant has been glazed a gorgeous baroque gold color. The multi-colored shell necklace measures 16 inches long, and has a barrel clasp closure.  This is a perfect everyday piece, or could be dressed up by layering it with other longer necklaces.  An additional photo can be seen here.

A gift box is included with every order from Grizzly Mountain Arts.

Fiber Art Themed Pendants

Grizzly Mountain Arts now has a new line of fiber art themed pendants!  If you would like to view more photos of these unique pendants, please visit our Etsy shop.  Spinning, weaving and tatting are all represented in these lovely paintings.

The Druid's Egg Ceramic Pendant

The Druid's Egg Ceramic Pendant

This "Druid's Egg" earthenware pendant is another collaborative effort between Grizzly Mountain Arts and Good Dirt Jewelry, aka Jo. Dave carved the original Druid's Egg, then made a wonderful mold from that piece. This earthenware pendant, which has been glazed with an earthy "Blue Grotto" glaze can be found in both the Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop and 1000markets.com collection (there are two pendants, one in each shop).

*What Are Druid's Eggs?*

The Druid's Egg (also “glain,” “serpent's egg,” or “snake stone”) was a talismanic object sacred to the Druids. Tales about it resemble those of the Philosopher's Stone sought by the alchemists. Its myths may also be related to those of the Omphalos, a meteoritic stone which was kept at Delphi and was thought to be the egg of the serpent-monster Python. In legends, the Druid’s Egg is credited with endowing its possessor with the ability to obtain almost all he might desire. The Druid's Egg was also believed to create a favorable outcome in courts of law, so much that the Romans outlawed carrying one into any courtroom.

In truth, the Druid’s Egg was an egg-shaped talisman made of stone. This consecrated object served as a tool for meditation and magickal focus, and symbolized the promise of renewal and rebirth. They could be made from any stone, and were generally small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand (about the size of a chicken's egg).

In lore, the Druid's Egg was a magickal egg produced by serpents. It could be obtained only on St. Johns Eve, when snakes were supposed to gather in a ball and form an egg from their spittle. As the snakes twisted and writhed, the egg emerged from the mass of vipers and would then float upward into the air.

Many species of snake do form such a ball in the cold months, but the few species of snake native to Britain are not egg-layers. A snake which does lay eggs is the python, not found in Britain, but which was kept in the goddess temples of the Aegean; this may be taken as further evidence of an association between the Druids (or their predecessors) and the Delphic cult which kept the sacred Omphalos stone.

In legends, the Druid who caught the Druid’s Egg after its creation was advised to take instant measures to prevent being robbed of it: as soon as the egg had been obtained he was to throw himself upon a horse that was kept waiting for him, as he would be pursued by the snakes; he was further instructed not to halt until he had gotten to the other side of the first running water to which his flight brought him, across which the serpents would be unable to follow.

The Druid’s Egg appears to have been an object of interest to the ancients, some of whom describe having actually seen and handled it. Among those who have specially described it is the Roman historian Pliny, who claimed he was shown one of these by a Druid from Gaul and called it an "anguinum."

"There is also another kind of egg, of much renown in the Gallic provinces, but ignored by the Greeks. In the summer, numberless snakes entwine themselves into a ball, held together by a secretion from their bodies and by their spittle. this is called anguinum. The Druids say that hissing serpents throw this up into the air, and that it must be caught in a cloak, and not allowed to touch the ground; and that one must instantly take flight on horse-back, as the serpents will pursue until some stream cuts them out. It may be tested, they say, by seeing if it floats against the current of a river, even though it be set in gold. But as it is the way of magicians to cast a cunning veil about their frauds, they pretend that these eggs can only be taken on a certain day of the moon, as though it rested with mankind to make the moon and the serpents accord as to the moment of the operation. I myself, however, have seen one of these eggs; it was round, and about as large as a smallish apple; the shell was cartalaginous, and pocked like the arms of a polypus."

Of all the historic sources who have testified to seeing this legendary egg, none claim to have witnessed its creation.

While the Druid's Egg is not a widespread tool in modern Druidism, it is used by some as a ritual implement for grounding and to protect its owner from manipulative magick or other harmful intents by acting as a magickal “shell,” absorbing and transforming any destructive energy.

In Wales, there is still some belief in the objects; they call them mân macal ("snare stones") and glain y nidir ("the snake's jewel").

Celtic Good Day, Bad Day Scrimshaw Ogham Pendant

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

Everybody has their "GOOD DAYS" and also their "BAD DAYS". Now you can express your moods quietly in Irish Gaelic written in the ancient Ogham Tree Alphabet.

Dave has created this unique reversible carved bone ogham pendant just for those occasions! When you're in a good mood, you can wear the side out that says "SONAS" in Gaelic, which means "HAPPINESS". When you're in a bad mood (perhaps because of your boss), you can wear the side out that says "Pog Mo Thoin", which in Gaelic means "KISS ME ARSE"! With this unique pendant you can now make a fashion statement while your telling someone to kiss off in ancient ogham!

Ogham is read from the bottom up when written in the vertical and sometimes a symbol such as an X or arrow might be used to indicate the starting point at the bottom. To help you quickly distinguish which side to wear, Dave as used a symbol at the bottom of each ogham--an "up turned curve" symbol to indicate a smile, and on the reverse side a "down turned curve" symbol, for a frown.

This bone pendant hangs from a Hill Tribe silver jump ring and 30" black satin cord. The cord is easily removable if you have a favorite chain you prefer to use. A gift box is included with your purchase.

We hope you have many good days filled with Irish blessings, but on the days you don't.....well, you know ;)

Personalized Celtic Ogham Scrimshaw on Fossil Ivory Pendant

This Personalized Celtic Ogham Fossil Mammoth Ivory Pendant is a new item for us!

In the pendant photographed above, Dave has scrimshawed the name "Beth" into fossil mammoth ivory. The name "Beth" on this display piece, is written using the Celtic Ogham alphabet.

Our 1 inch long fossil mammoth ivory pendants can be personalized with almost any name. Each pendant hangs from a ball chain and will arrive in a gift box. If you are interested in having a personalized pendant, please visit our Etsy shop for more information.

We've Been Featured!

What a wonderfully pleasant surprise! Shimbarz, an artist on Etsy, has featured our Fossil Ivory Steampunk pendant in his beautiful treasury!

Thank you, Shimbarz! We really appreciate it :)

Fine Silver and Blue Mammoth Ivory Pendant

Made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

A handmade cabochon of rare blue fossil mammoth ivory has been set into a fine silver pendant to create this one of a kind piece. We used Precious Metal Clay (PMC), which is .999 fine silver, to create the pendant. We have given the silver pendant a rich patina to give it the appearance of an ancient relic.

This and two other new fossil ivory pendants can be found in our Etsy shop!

The Watched Clock

Dave has been wanting to try his hand at creating a Steampunk design using fossil ivory, and this mammoth ivory grandfather clock is the result!

This piece measures nearly 2 1/2" in length and 2" at it's widest point. The main body of the grandfather clock has been carved from fossil mammoth ivory, as has the inlayed round clock face. The clock's face has been scrimshawed by Dave. Vintage watch gears adorn the front of this unique, one of a kind piece. This piece has been signed and dated by Dave, the artist and can be found in our Etsy shop.

Sneak Preview!

It's almost time for our "Pathways to Transformation" show in Yachats and we've got a sneak peek of what you'll see from us at this show. We'll have our usual array of baskets, which I'll try and photo soon, and a new line of organically inspired earthenware pendants. We will also have a large collection of Celtic Ogham earthenware pendants!

Tools of My Trade

Everyone knows that Dave works with a variety of tools: lathes, drills, sanders and an assortment of other carving tools, but I don't often mention the tools of my trade.

I'm currently working on a new line of earthenware pendants that features an organic theme and pictured here are a few of my current "tools" as well as some newly formed pieces waiting for their turn in the kiln.

All of MY tools were cut fresh today from our yard :)

Grizzly Mountain Arts on Big Cartel!

We are proud to announce the opening of another online shop!

Grizzly Mountain Arts is now selling their ceramic pendants on Big Cartel. These are the same earthenware pendants sold at our art shows and at other online venues.

Big Cartel--Bringing Art to the Cart!

The Overflowing Cup

Jo created "The Overflowing Cup" from earthenware clay. It measures about 1 3/4" in length and 1" in width. It has been accented with a brass bead. The cord is a wonderful faux suede material that doesn't "shed" on your clothes like real suede does and is very easy to tie so your pendant can compliment any neckline. If faux suede is not your favorite material and you prefer to wear your pendant on a chain, you can easily remove it.

This earthenware pendant is one of six new pendants added today to our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy.com shop.

New Earthenware Pendants

Jo finally got around to listing some more of her Earthenware Pendants in the Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop.

These new pendants are Celtic, Mayan and nature inspired, and are accented with a variety of Tibetan yak bone, African "vaseline glass" and Tibetan inlayed Bodhi seed beads.

As always, these were made with love on Grizzly Mountain!

Celtic Ogham Jewelry

We've just added some new Celtic Ogham Pendants to our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop! Fossil ivory and earthenware clay have been used to create our Ogham pendants as has Tibetan Bodhi seeds, inlayed Tibetan Yak bone and African Krobo beads.

Ogham, is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to represent the "Old Irish" language. Ogham is sometimes referred to as the "Celtic Tree Alphabet".

Dreams of Newport--The Sandy One

This is a "sandy" version of my previous ceramic starfish pendant. This pendant measures about 2 1/2" in diameter and hangs from a faux suede cord.

This pendant is currently for sale in our Etsy shop for $10. Please click the link below to visit this item in our shop.

Dreams of Newport

Dreams of Newport

Newport, Oregon is one of our favorite places to visit. We tried living there shortly after retiring, and like I said, it's one of our favorite places to visit!

For me, finding a starfish on the side of a rock in a tide pool is just about as good as it gets. The "Dreams of Newport" pendants that I have designed reflect my adoration of this species.

This earthenware clay pendant measures about 2 1/2" in diameter and has been glazed and fired to give it a rusty, earthy look. If you'd like to learn more about this piece, please visit our Etsy.com shop. The clickable link below will take you directly to this item.

Dreams of Newport Starfish Pendant on Etsy.com