Michele's 2008 UK Diary

Dear folks,

Wonderful to be home. Have just had first hot shower since Monday morning. Cold water only in Bangkok this time. Am eating real bread with Vegemite, YUM. Before we left Bangkok, Kevin and I went to what is claimed to be the largest jewellery store in world; the Gems Gallery, specialialising in Thai stones. A truly impressive place. They take you through the workshop showing stones being cut and then set into jewellery about 20 craftspeople each an expert in a different aspect of cutting, making and setting. Then into a ginormous glittering room with every conceivable design but all featuring local stones. Kevin fell in love with an orange Sapphire which is now my birthday present (we nearly ran foul of customs bringing it back ) Can't wait to show it to you. About to make Kevin a real cup of tea.

Michele

mfw beaded jewellery

Michele's 2008 UK Diary

Sometimes the gods smile on you and yesterday was such a day. The week had alternating days of Museums and out of the way meanderings in search of unusual jewellery materials. The weekend was reserved for the markets. There we found a beautiful example of a ring I had been seeking. A Victorian sentimentality where the first letter of each stone reads out the word DEAREST. Kevin met a collector of unusual pocket knives who was about to sell his collection much to Kevin's delight. We then met a couple who delighted in referring to us as the Colonials and by chance spotted their walking cane with a mineralogists hammer for its handle, just perfect. To top it all off we met a dealer in antiquities with a fine collection of Neolithic, early kingdom Egyptian and Roman artefacts and beads. What a day!!!.

Michele

http://www.mfwbeadedjewellery.com

Michele's 2008 UK Diary

Another day, another museum! The British Museum must be the premier museum of the world. All sorts of treasures lie within its walls. This close up shows the detailed bead work being carried out in the 7th and 8th century. These millefiore were found in a woman's grave in Norway.

Regards

Kevin

http://www.mfwbeadedjewellery.com

Michele's 2008 UK Diary

1st May 2008

Well, we are off to another Museum, this time the Victoria and Albert Museum, with its emphasis on decorative and applied arts in history.

This is a fine example. It is a column capitol from Spain dating from 1370-80. It has a clear Islamic style and would originally have been painted in gold as well as blue.

Kevin

http://www.mfwbeadedjewellery.com

Michele's 2008 UK Diary

As we continued on through the Museum of London, there were so many treasures that it was hard to take it all in. This is a photograph of a string of Baltic amber which dates from the 1st or 2nd century AD. The thing that is remarkable is that it is still on its original string!

Kevin

http://www.mfwbeadedjewellery.com

Michele's 2008 UK Diary

A second visit to the Natural History museum, saw us in the "Vault". Here lie some of the treasures of their collection. I have pictured here a large aquamarine crystal (pale blue) which is completely enclosed in a crystal of morganite (pale pink), from Paprok in Afghanistan. This is one of the finest crystals of its type in the world.

Enjoy

Kevin


http://www.mfwbeadedjewellery.com

Michele's 2008 UK Diary

Harrods food hall is everything they rave about and more. In fact the whole of Harrods is a palace of plenty and splendour. After wearing our feet out walking all day, we retreated to Harrods for Cream Tea, along with half of the other tourists in town. It did not feel crowded though because of the scale of the place. Their cheese counter is the length of David Jones food hall in Sydney, divided into countries of origin. Stained glass ceilings, enormous ornate chandeliers, carved and gilded columns and don't get me started on the chocolate hall. No photos as it would have been intrusive and bad manners. Their range is staggering. We had gone in search of a particular micro Jigzaw puzzle and came away with two. You could spend a week in there it is truly a shopaholics dream.

Michele

http://www.mfwbeadedjewellery.com

Michele's 2008 UK Diary

The Museum of London is not as famous as its sisters, "The British" or the "V&A", but it should be! It contains objects directly related to the London area from prehistory, through Roman, Saxon, Medieval, Renaissance to modern times. It is organised in time periods, with a balance between interpretation and objects.

Directly related to our bead quest, this photo shows beads that were recycled from Roman Glass in about AD50-70. This was about the time Queen Boudica burnt Londinium to the ground. They are tribal design and reflect either the persistence of pre Roman tribal values, or opportunistic recycling after the Roman defeat.

Kevin

http://www.mfwbeadedjewellery.com

Michele's 2008 UK Diary

1st May 2008

Back to the Natural History Museum again, it is just so fascinating. The building itself is a constant wonder and the exhibits spellbinding. We found out about The Vault whilst drooling over a precious jewels case from the visitor next to me otherwise we would have missed it. Diamonds of every imaginable colour and cut, huge stones with stories of intrigue and power as well as curses. Diamond dust from the beginning of the universe. Just extraordinary! We will have to return as we have barely seen a fraction of the exhibits there.

Regards Michele

http://www.mfwbeadedjewellery.com