Meet Wizz Stearne
Winner, Intermediate Category, Alchemy Challenge
Congratulations to Wizz, winner of the Intermediate Category in AMCAW’s Alchemy artist challenge! Her winning entry, Sorcerer’s Scroll, combines fine silver, cubic zirconia, and an amethyst bead in a pendant.
Her inspiration came from the name of the challenge. “When I hear the word Alchemy,” says Wizz, “it conjures images of Camelot and chemistry, witches and sorcery, myths and legends. Let me tell you a story…”
“This Codex pendant was recently discovered in a basement deep below a medieval castle. Legend has it, the lady who worked there was known to experiment with combining materials and chemicals. She called herself an Alchemist, the locals called her a sorcerer. It is believed she was working on a way to stop silver from tarnishing – and it looks like she succeeded as this pendant has not tarnished since the day it was made. Her recipe was written on a scroll and kept safely within the tube and her mystical “Element P3” suspended in the box below. She kept the secret on her at all times.
“Alas, the box is now empty and Element P3 has been lost. I have tried to re-create her anti-tarnish chemical, but with no success. Element P3 is the key. However, I did discover that when mixed correctly and consumed, it greatly aids the decision as the weather to patina or not to patina.”
Her original concept for the pendant was similar to her finished piece, but it was way more complicated with hinges and hidden compartments. “I decided to do something simple really well, rather than something overcomplicated and mess it up. But the idea of a witch in her basement creating potions was always the driving force. And being able to incorporate a cocktail was an added bonus!”
Wizz’s interest in metal clay started with a class she took with her mother. “Mum and I don’t buy each other physical gifts for Christmas and birthdays: we do something together. It’s usually something crafty. We’ve been willow weaving, silversmithing, copper foiling, and then we did a one-day workshop on silver clay. It was Mum’s idea and I wasn’t that interested – but once I started playing with it, I fell in love and continued to where I am today.”
Find Wizz online at misswizzjewellery.com and on Facebook at misswizzjewellery
