Tag Archive | butterfly

Animal jewellery part 2

It’s been a while since I last did a blog post on the animal jewellery in my Etsy shop, and I have some new pieces.

First off, it’s frog time! The first frog spawn appeared in our pond on Thursday (29 March 2018) – quite a bit later than last year (7 March 2017) but the Beast from the East and the Mini Beast from the East put everything back quite significantly. In honour of our froggy friends I present:

Edwardian turquoise and red stone frog brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

1987 solid sterling silver frog brooch, London hallmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Art Deco celluloid cicada brooch, decorated with gold paint, probably French. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

1989 sterling silver scarab pendant. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Spider brooch with faux turquoise body. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Lion rampant ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

1989 sterling silver lion’s head ring, Sheffield hallmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Volmer Bahner red enamel butterfly pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

David-Andersen green enamel butterfly stud earrings. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

David-Andersen orange enamel butterfly stud earrings. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Victorian yellow glass ladybird brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Sterling silver owl brooch, in a Charles Rennie Mackintosh style. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Sterling silver bird pendant and chain by Magnus Maximus Designs. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

830 silver dolphin cufflinks, made in Denmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Sea beast / porpoise / dolphin / mythological creature ring in 850 (or possibly 950) silver. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Sterling silver fish brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Danish fish link bracelet in 830 silver. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Sterling silver fish brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Ram’s head bangle in 900 silver. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Danish leaping deer or gazelle brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Swedish pewter hare pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Zoomorphic Celtic brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Zoomorphic Celtic bar brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Zoomorphic pewter serpent brooch by Eivind G Hillestad of Norway, in a Viking  style. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

The full range of the animal jewellery in my Etsy shop can be seen here.

Sunday stroll: Ashcombe

Yesterday was a glorious summer’s day, and we went on a walk we’ve done a couple of times before, on byways and footpaths through the grounds of the Ashcombe Estate, near Tollard Royal in south Wiltshire. Ashcombe House was once the home of Sir Cecil Beaton, and he wrote a wonderful book about his life there. Click on photos to enlarge.

1:25,000 map of the area. Each blue grid square is 1 km x 1 km.

Google Earth image with route marked. We started at Tollard Royal at the bottom of the image and walked the route anti-clockwise direction, going up the straight byway at the start of the walk.

Going up the long straight byway. A byway is open to all traffic: we met a couple of cheery off-road motorbikers.

Lovely vista of Ashgrove Bottom, one of the many dry valleys (coombes) on the chalk downland.

The path is still climbing, and on the left and centre you can see the tops of the wooded coombes in which Ashcombe House nestles.

Lovely meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense). It’s a much more vivid blue than this – the colour never comes out right in my photos.

Still climbing.

If you just squint you can see a part of the roof and dormer windows of Ashcombe House in the centre of the photo, surrounded by the woods. It is in the most wonderfully secluded spot.

Looking down on the woods. To me, there is no finer sight than the English countryside in summer.

Not that you’ll be able to spot them, but there are two red kites (Milvus milvus) in this photo. The red kite has only colonised this area in the last 15 years or so.

A common spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), just starting to go over.

Another common spotted orchid flower, slightly differently coloured (they are quite variable).

Ferne House, just to the north of the Ashcombe Estate, with its double avenue of trees. Despite looking like it has sat in its grounds for centuries, this mansion was built in 2001 for Lord Rothermere. It was designed in a Palladian style by architect Quinlan Terry.

Ferne House and grounds. I’m fascinated by the groups of trees that have been planted – squares, circles, crosses, triangles and even what might be a love heart! This is the highest point of the walk, and is only a few metres lower than Win Green, the nearby highest ground with a trig point and fabulous vistas over south Wiltshire and north Dorset.

Starting the steep walk down through the woods to Ashcombe Bottom. You can see here how Ashcombe got its name – valley of the ashes. There were also some beautiful beech trees in the woods, and luckily no sign of the dreaded ash die-back disease we’ve been hearing so much about recently.

It was a lovely surprise to see so many nettle-leaved bellflowers (Campanula trachelium) in the woods. The ransoms/wild garlic (Allium ursinum) leaves were dying off but the aroma was still pungent – delicious!

Walking down Ashcombe Bottom. Along with the estate trees (with their stock-proof cages) it was lovely to see the hawthorn bushes (Crataegus monogyna) on the hillside: such a classic part of chalk downland life.

Heading back to Tollard.

A rather crappy photo of a gorgeous comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) with its ragged wing edges.

Journey’s end: the beautiful wildlife pond at Tollard Royal.

Such a lovely walk: we saw some many wildflowers and grasses, including goatsbeard (Tragopogon pratensis), quaking grass (Briza media), pyramidal orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis), common spotted orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), common valerian (Valeriana officinalis), field scabious (Knautia arvensis), nettle-leaved bellflower (Campanula trachelium), meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense), chalk milkwort (Polygala calcarea), lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum), wild carrot (Daucus carota), greater knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa), hedge bedstraw (Galium mollugo) and many others. The one plant I expected to see and did not was the harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), an absolute classic flower of chalk downlands.

We saw ten butterfly species: small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae), small white (Pieris rapae), grizzled skipper (Pyrgus malvae), marbled white (Melanargia galathea), peacock (Aglais io), red admiral (Vanessa atalanta), comma (Polygonia c-album), meadow brown (Maniola jurtina), speckled wood (Pararge aegeria) and gatekeeper (Pyronia tythonus). We weren’t really looking out for birds so much, but saw red kites and buzzards, plus a female blackcap and heard a beautiful male blackbird’s song in the woods. A blue damselfly settled on the drive in front of us as we walked along Ashcombe Bottom. It’s a wonderful walk in beautiful countryside, and we shall be doing it again before too long.

Animal jewellery

I love nature and wildlife so I’m always happy when I get my hands on some animal jewellery. I have some new pieces in my Etsy shop as of yesterday:

Vintage sterling silver frog stick pin. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

Vintage sterling silver frog stick pin. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage handpainted lapwing pendant in sterling silver handmade surround with chain. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

Vintage handpainted lapwing pendant in sterling silver handmade surround with chain. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage sterling silver and blue glass dolphin brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

Vintage sterling silver and blue glass dolphin brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

They join the animal jewellery I already have: click on all photos for more details.

Vintage horse and bear pendant and chain, based on a Viking-period design. Finnish.

Vintage horse and bear pendant and chain, based on a Viking-period design. Finnish. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage Art Deco enamel and silver sailfish brooch.

Vintage Art Deco enamel and silver sailfish brooch. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage puffy fish charm bracelet.

Vintage puffy fish charm bracelet. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage cloisonné enamel brooch, Ancient Egyptian Horus or Ra-Horakhty falcon, Egyptian Revival pin.

Vintage cloisonné enamel brooch, Ancient Egyptian Horus or Ra-Horakhty falcon, Egyptian Revival pin. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage silver butterfly brooch.

Vintage silver butterfly brooch.

Vintage Scandinavian silver leaping deer brooch by A Klokker, Denmark.

Vintage Scandinavian silver leaping deer brooch by A Klokker, Denmark. (NOW SOLD).

Art Deco scorpion brooch with glass jewels.

Art Deco scorpion brooch with glass jewels. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage silver and enamel peacock brooch from Thailand.

Vintage silver and enamel peacock brooch from Thailand. (NOW SOLD).

Elegant vintage Danish sterling silver clipon earrings.

Elegant vintage Danish sterling silver clipon earrings. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage enamel and silver butterfly bar brooch.

Vintage enamel and silver butterfly bar brooch.

Vintage 830 silver bird ring, Danish silver openwork ring, eagle, hawk, raptor or dove, Scandinavian silver.

Vintage 830 silver bird ring, Danish silver openwork ring, eagle, hawk, raptor or dove, Scandinavian silver. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage sterling silver fish brooch.

Vintage sterling silver fish brooch.

Vintage enamel and silver red cardinal bird brooch.

Vintage enamel and silver red cardinal bird brooch. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage lion and unicorn heraldic brooch.

Vintage lion and unicorn heraldic brooch. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage sterling silver brooch with birds and grapes, French by H Teguy.

Vintage 800 silver brooch with birds and grapes, French by H Teguy.

Vintage mesh metal purse with dragon design and blue cabochons.

Vintage mesh metal purse with dragon design and blue cabochons. Okay, it might be mythological but it’s still an animal ….