One of my favourite bits of Bristol Museum has always been the jewellery gallery. It is absolutely tiny and very poorly lit, I presume to preserve the jewellery, but it is full of quirky pieces. It might help explain how I ended up making jewellery actually!
These are cigarette cases made in Japan for the tourist market. They are made from base metal with metal inlay which I think was gold. The designs on these were really delicate and pretty, most of them had scenes of Mount Fuji or similarly tourist-y subjects.
There was a lot of bog oak jewellery with really interesting patterns, which I found really inspiring. Some of the designs reminded me of the work of Robin Tanner, who produced stunning etchings of images from nature.
A lot of this type of jewellery was worn as mourning jewellery during Victorian times, because of the black colour, so there were several crosses.
These brooches have little carved churches and castles on them which I thought was cute, maybe they were souvenirs from different places.
I think having acorn earrings made from bog oak is amazing, and they're so adorable! I might look a bit odd with acorns hanging off my ears though...then again I spend most of my time looking or seeming odd, so I shouldn't let that stop me!
This bracelet has always fascinated me, I think it is carved on the inside to give the impression that the fish are caught in it. I think if I ever get round to experimenting with resin jewellery I'll have a go at a similar effect, because I love this.
I also adore this tiny hand brooch, although part of me also finds it rather creepy. But I like miniature things and it's very delicate and elegant. Something else to attempt to recreate I think.
These little stamp and money brooches are so beautiful! This is another idea I want to try, I have some incredibly pretty Japanese stamps with cherry blossom on which I think I'll turn into jewellery.
Lots of oriental themed jewellery.
There are lots of slightly odd or unusual items in the museum. This randomly placed stained glass window reminded me of all the architectural bits and pieces at the V&A. I like the vibrant red and blue together.
A visit to Bristol would not be complete without seeing some Bristol blue glass.
Even a blue glass xylophone!
When I was little I wanted to live in this gypsy caravan. I was obsessed with gypsy culture after reading far too many Kizzy books and even tried to learn the Romany language. I still think it would make a good retreat in the garden!
This is the best picture of the interior I could get, it had perspex over the entrance. It's quite amazing that there is a stove inside the caravan! I would have thought a stove in a completely wooden structure would have been dangerous.
If I did live in the caravan, I think I would need this pot. It would go very well with the decorations on the caravan, I like the floral pattern.
These are Assyrian reliefs. They were quite spooky! There is also an Egyptian gallery which has lots of Egyptian reliefs, statues, and mummies, but I am too superstitious and easily scared to go in there alone. Or at all!
This is a huge Chinese bell, it is covered in Chinese writing and has a sort of dragon creature on the top. It is taller than me, which made me feel quite small and insignificant!
This is the view of the rear hall, I think the architecture is so beautiful. The lamps are a lovely feature too. You can see a dinosaur skeleton on the other side of the balcony, there used to be a giant elk skeleton but I think it has been moved as I couldn't find it. I'm amazed this picture and the one below actually came out, I had such bad vertigo while I was taking them! I wish I wasn't so scared of heights.
This box plane was made for a film called "Those Magnificent Men And Their Flying Machines", and is in the front hall of the museum now. I think the way they've displayed it is brilliant, when you are stood on the balcony it looks like it's flying right at you.
And finally, these are the Chinese dragons over the entrance to the "Sea Dragons" exhibit, which shows fossils of aquatic dinosaurs. I always liked these dragons, even before I was old enough to be aware that I liked Asian art, although I think I found them quite scary when I was very little. You can also see Banksy's Paint Pot Angel which he left after his exhibition. I like the juxtapositions such as that which Bristol Museum has, it makes it more interesting and atmospheric. Overall I think the museum reflects the feel of Bristol in general-slightly random, with lots of contrasts between old and new, expensive and cheap; representations of different ethnicity's, plenty of art and other creative objects, masses of history and some hidden gems which you wouldn't miss for the world. My massive love for Bristol may have slightly spilled out there...
These are cigarette cases made in Japan for the tourist market. They are made from base metal with metal inlay which I think was gold. The designs on these were really delicate and pretty, most of them had scenes of Mount Fuji or similarly tourist-y subjects.
There was a lot of bog oak jewellery with really interesting patterns, which I found really inspiring. Some of the designs reminded me of the work of Robin Tanner, who produced stunning etchings of images from nature.
A lot of this type of jewellery was worn as mourning jewellery during Victorian times, because of the black colour, so there were several crosses.
These brooches have little carved churches and castles on them which I thought was cute, maybe they were souvenirs from different places.
I think having acorn earrings made from bog oak is amazing, and they're so adorable! I might look a bit odd with acorns hanging off my ears though...then again I spend most of my time looking or seeming odd, so I shouldn't let that stop me!
This bracelet has always fascinated me, I think it is carved on the inside to give the impression that the fish are caught in it. I think if I ever get round to experimenting with resin jewellery I'll have a go at a similar effect, because I love this.
I also adore this tiny hand brooch, although part of me also finds it rather creepy. But I like miniature things and it's very delicate and elegant. Something else to attempt to recreate I think.
These little stamp and money brooches are so beautiful! This is another idea I want to try, I have some incredibly pretty Japanese stamps with cherry blossom on which I think I'll turn into jewellery.
Lots of oriental themed jewellery.
There are lots of slightly odd or unusual items in the museum. This randomly placed stained glass window reminded me of all the architectural bits and pieces at the V&A. I like the vibrant red and blue together.
A visit to Bristol would not be complete without seeing some Bristol blue glass.
Even a blue glass xylophone!
When I was little I wanted to live in this gypsy caravan. I was obsessed with gypsy culture after reading far too many Kizzy books and even tried to learn the Romany language. I still think it would make a good retreat in the garden!
This is the best picture of the interior I could get, it had perspex over the entrance. It's quite amazing that there is a stove inside the caravan! I would have thought a stove in a completely wooden structure would have been dangerous.
If I did live in the caravan, I think I would need this pot. It would go very well with the decorations on the caravan, I like the floral pattern.
These are Assyrian reliefs. They were quite spooky! There is also an Egyptian gallery which has lots of Egyptian reliefs, statues, and mummies, but I am too superstitious and easily scared to go in there alone. Or at all!
This is a huge Chinese bell, it is covered in Chinese writing and has a sort of dragon creature on the top. It is taller than me, which made me feel quite small and insignificant!
This is the view of the rear hall, I think the architecture is so beautiful. The lamps are a lovely feature too. You can see a dinosaur skeleton on the other side of the balcony, there used to be a giant elk skeleton but I think it has been moved as I couldn't find it. I'm amazed this picture and the one below actually came out, I had such bad vertigo while I was taking them! I wish I wasn't so scared of heights.
This box plane was made for a film called "Those Magnificent Men And Their Flying Machines", and is in the front hall of the museum now. I think the way they've displayed it is brilliant, when you are stood on the balcony it looks like it's flying right at you.
And finally, these are the Chinese dragons over the entrance to the "Sea Dragons" exhibit, which shows fossils of aquatic dinosaurs. I always liked these dragons, even before I was old enough to be aware that I liked Asian art, although I think I found them quite scary when I was very little. You can also see Banksy's Paint Pot Angel which he left after his exhibition. I like the juxtapositions such as that which Bristol Museum has, it makes it more interesting and atmospheric. Overall I think the museum reflects the feel of Bristol in general-slightly random, with lots of contrasts between old and new, expensive and cheap; representations of different ethnicity's, plenty of art and other creative objects, masses of history and some hidden gems which you wouldn't miss for the world. My massive love for Bristol may have slightly spilled out there...
To see more Bristol Blue Glass, including some stunning pieces with solid silver fittings, you could visit Bristol Blue Glass South West at Fishponds Trading Estate, BS5 7EX. They claim to be the most prestigious maker of glass in the city, and their Silver Luxury and Silverleaf ranges are certainly unlike anything else I have seen. You can meet the master-blowers, and see the work in progress. They are open untill 4.00 p.m. each day, except saturday, when they close at lunch-time. They also do cranberry and ruby glass with silver, so you have your favourite colour combination on display as well!
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