Forget-Me-Not Jewelry Holder, Ceramic Dish
As implied by their name, forget-me-nots are a sweet symbol of true love, fidelity, and remembrance. They are a lovely symbol of love across distance, and love across time. Forget-me-nots have also become a lovely symbol for cancer survivors.
Unlike most of my pieces, I actually didn't use any real flowers to create this piece. I wanted a storybook feel of flowers floating by in different sizes, so I sculpted tiny flowers in different sizes and then used them to create the imprints on the dish. Each flower is pressed individually from a handmade flower sculpture.
This ceramic dish is made from smooth porcelain-like stoneware clay, dried, bisque fired, glazed, and high-fired once more at approximately 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. The flowers are imprinted from tiny flower sculptures I creates and then handpainted with shades of blue and purple underglazes. The glaze is a glossy soft clear.
Real gold is applied to the rim and among the flowers, and the piece is fired a third time to bond the gold. It's a labor intensive process but gives this magical, fairytale garden result.
Measurements: Approximately 5 inches wide
Slight variations and organic shapes in handcrafted ceramics are what make them perfectly unique pieces of art.