Use the Muse Contest Winner...

This just in... I'm a winner!  I won Best Handmade Component in the Use the Muse Contest for my design, "Timeless Romance."

This is what the esteemed judges had to say:  

"This struck us as one of the most sophisticated designs.  We could tell from the photo that the piece would have incredible movement.  We loved all the metallic accents and were so impressed to find out that Andrew had created them himself.  We are awarding this prize for his bronze clay findings and gold-leaf embellished compass."

Here's the artist statement I wrote:

"When I make jewelry, I like to tell myself stories.  I ponder questions about the wearer and their life.  As soon as I opened the package containing the Use the Muse Contest components, I was struck by their timeless qualities.  A story started brewing; developing as the piece did.  In some cases, I couldn't find the quite what I was looking for, so ended up making some of the bronze components out of Bronze Clay.  I also wanted the compass to have two sides, so that it could be concealed while the Traveler was in different time periods.  The brass filigree was an awesome way to disguise and hold the watch crystals that using resin I embedded gold leaf and watch cogs in.  The story of this piece is:  Separated by oceans of time, a lonely wanderer searches out her beloved.  Her gift, the ability to step through time, is also her curse.  An accident parted her from her lover – now lost through the ages.  Only her love and a compass that navigates time can reunite them."

I feel so honored and lucky.  Looking through the other submissions, I saw tons of talent and creative ideas.  It must have been a very hard decision for the judges, as there was just so many wonderful and delightful things to see.  Please check out the rest of the submissions in the BIG Reveal to see just what kind of competition I had!

(OH!  And I won just what I wanted!  New Magma and Air Opal Swarovski Crystals!)