A few months back my mom and I visited Blue Heron Design, a small fair trade jewelry and trinkets shop owned by my neighbor, Casey Blystone’s mother. If you have not been I recommend you stop by! It is in downtown Lee Summit, really easy to get to and fun to look around! (Go to the link I’ve provided for directions and additional information)
While we were there we were enticed by some pieces called Shimmerwings, which were pendants and earrings made from tropical butterflies and moth wings encased in a sterling silver setting. I made sure to take an informational card and here is what is reads:
Our butterflies are collected after dying naturally at the end of their full life cycle in the Equatorial Rainforest. The delicate butterfly wings are skillfully prepared and set in Sterling Silver. This environmentally sensitive program provides income for local families while encouraging conservation and a sustainable lifestyle. Shimmerwings are durable and the colors will remain vibrant, however please avoid exposure to water.
They were absolutely gorgeous and hard to resist. My mom bought one for me and I bought one for her! I’m not sure if the creators of these pieces have an actual website. However, I did find one that has these available for purchase.
To visit this site simply click here.
I wanted to photograph my necklace for sometime but never had a solid idea of how to present it. Today I had inspiration while shopping for groceries. My piece is a pendant crafted from the dazzling green and black Urania leilus moth found in Madagascar. The unique thing about these pendants is that they are reversible so you can change which side you want to wear. Each piece is unique. Here is a picture taken from the web of what this moth normally looks like.
Here is my artistic representation of my Shimmerwing pendant. I hope you like it and maybe you will want to visit Blue Heron Design and pick one up for yourself!! I have gotten many compliments on it. This is the type of jewelry that is hard not to notice!
Charlene Champion Photography 