Meet the Lost Civilizations Winner: Barbara Nardoni, Advanced Category
Lost Civilizations Challenge
Introduction: The Advanced Winner
Barbara Nardoni won the Advanced category of the Lost Civilizations Challenge with her lovely bronze and sterling silver piece, “Harmonious Coexistence.” The juror called it a complicated feat of engineering married with excellent craftsmanship. Inspired by the lost civilization of Lemuria, whose wisdom is believed to be preserved in the depths of the unconscious and in the collective memory, the pendant is a powerful spiritual and energetic talisman. It was created as a reminder of the balance we carry within ourselves.
The four elements are brought together to encourage us to consciously balance their energies, because when harmony is established among them, it becomes easier to open ourselves to a connection with the unconscious, the ether and the divinity within us.
Each element is supported by sacred rays, represented by crystals woven into the symbolism of the pendant:
Air: pearl and amethyst
Fire: carnelian and citrine
Water: aquamarine and sodalite
Earth: tourmaline and red jasper
By balancing all these elements within ourselves, we move closer to the intention of harmonious coexistence among people, nature and all life on Earth. Therefore, the pendant carries the vision of heaven on earth — a space of peace, connection and conscious coexistence associated with the ancient memory of Lemuria.
Barbara’s Story
Barbara lives in a small town in Slovenia, near the capital city of Ljubljana. More than 10 years ago, while working as a professional product designer, she began making earrings from screws. She had always been fascinated by the shiny metal pieces in the warehouse of her husband’s manufacturing company, and that fascination led her to explore silver jewelry making. She discovered silver clay, attended a workshop and completed all the necessary certifications to become an instructor. On her own, she began learning more silversmithing and goldsmithing techniques, and today she combines silver, bronze and copper clay with traditional goldsmithing techniques and 3D CAD.
Barbara receives inspiration for her jewelry pieces, including this pendant, through channeled readings. She strongly connects jewelry design with invisible realms and energies, since part of her work includes energy light work and healing. She completed a master level in Lemurian Light Healing several years ago, and because Lemuria is one of the lost civilizations, she felt strongly drawn to participate.
The Lemurians are said to have lived in deep harmony with nature and aspired to create heaven on earth. They worked with etheric crystals connected to sacred rays, which Barbara represented in the pendant through physical crystals. Through the four main elements of air, fire, water and earth, the pendant energetically encourages harmony and coexistence among all beings and all that exists here on Earth.
Although she usually sketches and carefully plans every detail of a piece before making it, this time, immediately after receiving the vision for the pendant, she made only a quick sketch and went straight into the making process. She continued developing and refining the piece a little each day, trusting the process. Barbara plans to make another piece and possibly even a collection in the future. Next time, she wants to pay more attention to the chain to make the entire necklace feel more complete and refined.
Barbara learns the most from the custom jewelry pieces she creates for her clients and enjoys developing innovative, unusual designs. She says she doesn’t have a favorite piece because each one is a new challenge, and while she is making it, it always feels like the best piece at that moment.
Although she seeks out colleagues for advice, she is currently the only person in Slovenia actively building a community around metal clay jewelry making through workshops and certification courses.
This is her first AMCAW challenge, though she has entered a few in Slovenia. Barbara encourages others to enter challenges because stepping out of your comfort zone is good for your creativity and personal growth.
You can find Barbara here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbara_nardoni/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.nardoni/
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