Egyptian Goddess

It all started quite innocently. I have always been interested in Egyptology and as a teenager; I used to devour books on Archeology, Art and Mythology. So it should come as no surprise that as a jeweler I would be interested in creating designs inspired by ancient Egyptian jewelry. I already have a piece in my collection named Cleopatra. Gold and the highly prized Lapis Lazuli are a distinctive combination that was favored by the ancient Egyptians. The idea led me to contemplate the very long era of Ra's worship (the Sun God). Within this polytheistic culture, one of his offspring, the Goddess Isis, represented the virtues of motherhood and childbirth. It is thought that the image of her holding her infant Horus gave rise to the iconography of Mary holding the infant Jesus.

I have no desire to delve into politics with my blog post, but it is part of life and a reflection of the moment. It has the ability to fuel creative inspiration or stunt it (under an oppressive regime). For now it remains unclear how this particular incident will affect my process. All I know is that I feel ornery. You can take a guess why I cannot name my new necklace after the Goddess Isis. Most people would immediately recognize it as an acronym (even though all the letters would be capitalized) for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Not a strong selling point. I wish that more thought were given when politically charged acronyms are coined by Judeo-Christians in power. It shows a lack of respect for history which includes ancient belief systems.

Some time ago, my wonderful husband surprised me with a bag of tiny glazed ceramic beads. I know that doesn’t sound too exciting, but these happen to originate from Egypt, circa 716 – 30 BCE (see photo right). I am still mesmerized that such delicate items survived for so long, and I continue to ponder how best to use them. Isis has re-awakened my interest, and that at the very least is positive!

In the meantime, I've made peace with Queen Nefertiti. I too can appreciate irony, as under her rule, the Egyptian's were forced into monotheism, which incidentally didn't last long. Ra returned and continues to shine in this necklace.





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