Saturnalia, Solstice, and Scotland…at Ravenscraft Jewelry

Yuletide Greetings, Magical Folk…

I am recently back from an epic and magical trip to Scotland to celebrate my 50th birthday. From visiting castles and haunted graveyards, to the Fairy Glen and Fairy Pools in Isle of Skye, to meeting up with long lost Scottish relatives (on 11/11 no less), to the moment when a rainbow appeared over ancient standing stones….there was no limit to the magic that unfolded on my inaugural journey across Scotland. On the day of my birthday, we were excited to join a Witches Tour, a historical walking tour of Edinburgh about both magical happenings in the city and the tragic Witch Trials in Scotland. We then followed this up with a visit to the Museum of Magic, Fortune Telling, and Witchcraft. I felt “like a witch in a magic shop”, as Willow Rosenberg would say.

As I always do when I travel, I picked up some crystals to make into jewelry for you. This time, not only did I visit several local crystal/esoterica shops, but I also visited a lapidary club in Edinburgh where I found some amazing locally-sourced gemstones and also toured their impressive facilities. These stones may in fact have been dug up, cut, and polished by the members who sold them to me!

The landscape in Scotland is enchanting and geologically diverse. I have never experienced anything like it! I took upwards of 900 photos overall, but I will share just a few with you below (click each one to enlarge). I’ll post more soon on my social media.

Please note that for the month of December, every item in my shop is 10% off! Details below. Also, a brand new pendant called The Muse is listed below.

Now for my annual reminder that some of the most lovely Christmas traditions are rooted in pagan winter festivities (Saturnalia, Yule, and the Solstice). Amongst the borrowed traditions are: decorating a tree in your house, holly, mistletoe, the yule log, gift giving, and of course the time of year that we celebrate. More and more people, myself included, are celebrating Christmas as a secular holiday, rather than a religious one, and giving due reverence to the ancient roots of these festivities.

I wish you all a festive and merry holiday season, no matter what you celebrate!

Scotland Photos

New Piece:

The Muse Pendant

In Greek Mythology, The Muses are a group of goddesses devoted to the inspiration of creativity, the arts, and knowledge. It was a common practice to call upon the Muses before starting a piece of artwork.

This two-part pendant is named The Muse, and is sure to inspire you in all of your creative endeavors. Containing both ruby zoisite and amethyst gemstones, this necklace features a pendant which is actually comprised of two separate stones set in copper, then connected via a handmade ring.

Ruby zoisite has been associated with boosting creativity and fostering inspiration, while amethyst has been associated with clarity, intuition, and the third eye chakra. A perfect amulet for painters, writers, musicians, and all other artists.

The top stone is a smaller round ruby zoisite stone set in hammered copper and adorned with a small copper bead and swirls. Below is the second part of the pendant, a larger amethyst stone, also set in hammered copper, accented with hematite and Czech glass beads as well as spirals and swirls.