I decided that I would gather my horsey jewelry and see what might look nice in the bridle rosettes case. What I put in there needed to be things that had sentimental value and were not really used or worn anymore.
First up was my spirit animal necklace.
A gift from my mother way back in the 1990s, it was made especially for me by a Native American friend of hers.
It's made from deer hide and is very soft. Plus, Mom asked them to put Appaloosa spots on it for me!
I discovered that I still had the card that was tucked in the box when she gave it to me.
It explains the parts of the necklace and who made it.
My students loved to look at it and would ask questions about the accoutrements that hung from the thimble.
My favorite trade bead is the watermelon bead. You can barely see the red on the end.
The cone of horsehair is a treasure, too.
My Hartland Collector's Club pin is going into the bridle rosettes display case.
I started this charm bracelet when I was fourteen. You can see a horse, a horseshoe that represents my 4-H Horse and Pony Club, and another horseshoe for when my horse, Nick, got his first pair of shoes.
See the mailbox and the typewriter? (The typewriter is upside down and to the right of the thin chain.) Those represent the model horse hobby. Back in the 1970s everything was done via snail mail, and so I used to get a ton of mail. From 1972-1975 I ran The All Breeds Model Horse Showers Association, a club for photo showing. I used to grind out the monthly newsletter using carbon paper on a typewriter that my parents gave me specifically for my model horse activities.
The top pair of earrings were favorites and I wore them all the time. I got them at an early BreyerFest from a seller on the concourse.
These earrings are super special to me and can make me tear up. When my very first horse, Amy, died in 1991, a friend made me these earrings using hair from her tail.
A pin my mom gave me in the 1980s. There are a lot of sentimental feelings attached to it. It looks pretty gaudy by today's standards!
A stretchy bracelet that was a gift from a former student. (I think.)
These horses slide back and forth along the bracelet. I wore it a lot in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
Currently I wear all of these, so they will remain out of the display case. The rock pendant was hand carved for me by a former student of my friend, Kathy. Because she is blind, she loves tactile things, and her gifts often reflect that. It is definitely a unique piece of jewelry.
These are also staying out of the display case because I wear them all. Horse Buddy Trinity gave me the hoop earrings last Christmas. The sterling silver barrette is from my pen pal, Sue Seese. In 1975 I flew out to visit her in California and we went to a silversmith to get some silver for her bridle. The silversmith gifted me with that barrette and I have treasured it ever since.
I found the circus pony pin in an antique shop in Gilman, Illinois in the 1990s for $3. The Arabian horse head was bought at a live show and is initialed "JDH/94." I don't remember who that is. The spotted mule pin was sculpted by Kristina Lucas Francis and produced by Pour Horse Pottery in 1999. Only fifty-three of the spotty mules were made.
I'm not yet done experimenting with various layouts of rosettes and jewelry in the display case, but I am pleased with how it is starting to look.
