Hunting Dragons

With the days shortening and the air cooling I’m looking forward to the evening more often. My newest collection is inspired by all things dark.

I’ve been a collector of Whitby jet since I discovered it back in my teen years. My very first piece was this wired choker made of Vulcanite and Whitby Jet tied with velvet ribbons that I bought in England. I was smitten. From then on, not only was I hooked keeping an eye for an usual piece but I was also obsessed with learning about it. At that time research was limited to libraries or bookstore. The quintessential text of the time was Helen Muller’s Shire Edition Jet Jewelry and Ornament.

Muller blissfuly released a new book about ten years ago focusing on Whitby Jet. Both are slim volumes giving a great overview of jet.

Esoteric antiques were mostly learned about by word of mouth, examination of pieces. With the world of Victorian mourning jewelry it really helps to see the different materials used to make jewelry to get a sense of what to expect and their peculiarities. Growing up we had to rely on what you might find at an antique fair or jewelry shop. With the advent of eBay, the world changed. Now Victorian mourning jewelry could be viewed and reversed easily with a quick Pinterest search.

Mourning Jewelry has been around for a long time, but it surged into vogue when the beloved Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert died of typhoid fever in 1861. The demand for jet was high and because it was a natural product there were limitations on how much could be mined, cut and polished then set into jewels. This article gives a great insight into the period.

With the industrial revolution at full go, alternatives to natural products were invented. Vulcanite or Ebonite (the rubber version not the mineral) was discovered around 1851, giving the eager buyer of mourning jewelry other options.

The main “black” materials used in making Victorian “jet” or mourning jewelry were

Whitby Jet – A fossilized coal mined in Yorkshire. You can learn more about the history of Whitby Jet here:.

Gutta Percha – an early plastic latex rubber

Vulcanite or Ebonite – a hardened rubber product

Vauxhall Glass – Similar in look to French Jet, it’s a shiny black glass with a mirror backing that was often set in a japanned (blackened metal) frame. UK made black glass is generally called Vauxhall and other countries mirrored-back glass may be referred to French Jet.

French Jet – Black glass often beads, used extensively for clothing trimming – the non-shiny version is known as Crepe Stone.

Bog Wood – a fossilized wood found mainly in peat bogs of Ireland and England. More commonly known as Bog Oak in jewelry though pine, and yew are also found in UK peat bogs. This gives a great overview of Bog Oak history 

Wood – Ebony or other naturally black or blackened/stained woods.

Bois Durci – A colored sawdust/wood flour mixed with blood and a binder an then molded

Onyx Stone

Horn – horn a natural product pressed into a mold.

Shell – often tortoiseshell which is not “jet-like” but there are darker shells which fall into the category. Some are inlaid with metals called pique.

Enameled or blackened metal. 

Hair – woven into chains or earrings or under glass in lockets or rings.

You can learn more about the history of Whitby Jet here.

Lots of examples of pieces of the different types here.

Beyond the enthralling history, what I love about these vintage pieces is the handwork. In the jet it’s the smooth finishing and the design, but in the bog oak it’s the carving. When I discovered Bog Oak Abbey brooches for the first time, I was awe-struck by the delicate sawing. I have a small treasured collection of some very fine pieces and I’ve decided to share a few photos with you, and make a few of the treasures available in this shop update. I can’t wait to show you the pieces I’ve selected.

Always Hunting Dragons

Teasers from the Darklings collection available at 5pm PST

  Tubbs Fire Melted Pocket Watch – photo by J. Morgyn White

A few of you know that the Santa Rosa Tubbs fire destroyed the Hunting Dragons Etsy shop.

The business cards? Gone. The packaging? Gone. The raw materials? Gone. The tools? Gone. The jewels in progress? Gone. The pieces I had yet to list? Gone. . .

I’ve had nine months of healing and introspection. It’s hard to start over, and it’s harder to decide what a fresh start should look like. I’ve spent years curating a collection and to have it disappear overnight is—well, crushing.

I like to think of myself as a positive person. In that light, I wanted to re-launch HuntingDragons but to make it a phoenix rising experience. I had to wait until I was ready.

Here’s my vision to begin:

It’s going to being small.

A few exceptional pieces of vintage and one or two personal creations.

It’s going to be precious and thoughtful.

I see stories in material items. I’ve always loved a good story. Some may come with one, some I may create.

It’s going to be about unique and eclectic.

Don’t expect more of the same. I’m creating one-off pieces and offering once-in-a-lifetime finds. Think about hunting dragons…

It’s going to be personal.

Every piece I will offer had hands on it, either in creation, re-creation or the hands that pass through the years.

Mark your calendars for August 26th. I’m launching with the full moon energy.

If you would like a preview, I’d love you to sign up to the left for my newsletter. Either email at huntingadragon at gmail dotcom or sign up to the right.

Newsletter followers will have a shop preview a few days before the launch.

Interested in being teased?

Follow HuntingDragons on Instagram – Hunting Dragons or Facebook – Hunting Dragons.

See you in August, with full firey flaming feather wings stretched.

I’ve sworn high and low I would not fall to the great textile siren call, but a few years ago I decided it would be a mistake not to learn to knit. You know where this is going don’t you? My first experience  was on a plain purple wool on straight bamboo needles. I knitted a few inches and declared myself ready for a project. It so happened that summer I was in SoHo and able to make the…

The Hunt For The Perfect Daily Planner

I like to make plans, even I don’t always meet every goal. With the fresh energy of the new year, it’s easy to jump on the plans-for-the-new-year boat. Every year that I’ve started a planner I’ve ditched it part way through. Usually, March or April and then I pick up in August or September, and I’m done by October. Daily journaling takes up too much time in my chaotic life. I don’t have a chance…

Ropa Vieja literally means old clothes. The idea is that the shreds and tatters of beef resemble shredded clothing. I only attempt this dish in the summer when corn is fresh and sweet. It works well for a dinner party of four to eight. The toughest part is getting the hash perfectly cooked with browned edges. I parboiled cubed sweet potatoes and then air dried them. Then I roasted them in a hot oven for about twenty minutes adding the corn at the last of the cooking. I also added a tiny dice of red bell pepper to add color. You could alternately add a finely chopped piquillo pepper or some roasted red peppers.

The beef itself can be made a day ahead. You reheat the sauce and then add the cold beef to warm it through. It develops even deeper flavor as it sits longer. The poached eggs as well can be done ahead and dropped into an ice bath and then refrigerated.

Norman Van Aken’s Ropa Vieja Recipe

  Last night I attempted this version of Van Aken’s Ropa Vieja recipe from New World Kitchen. The NWK version is simpler but lacks some of the nuances to make more layers of flavor. A construct of slowly roasted beef shredded into a sauce and served over a hash of fresh corn and sweet potatoes then topped with a poached egg.

To get the poached egg right I used Alton Brown’s skillet method.

The wines? 

1948 Palacio de Arganza Bierzo Gran Reserva

1950 C.V.N.E. Viña Real Rioja Reserva Especial