"Statement jewelry" that speaks of His purpose...

I don’t wear much jewelry – sometimes not even earrings in my pierced ear holes…but sometimes, when I am getting into that creative place, I "see" jewelry...rings, bracelets/cuffs, and necklaces...

I love cuff bracelets!  I love to layer them up my wrist and forearm! I like the "tribal" feel of them...made with rougher materials, metal,  One day as I was considering the very tangible draw to wear a cuff, whether I wore any other piece of jewelry or not, I did a little research.  Did you know that people have worn bracelets of some sort since the beginning of time?  Jewelry tends to be a type of identification and/or self-expression as this quote from an online e-zine reveals:

 "...today, jewellery at any level can be and is used to portray an image, how we feel, or where we belong. It's part of the statement we make. It's no coincidence that the mega fashion trend at the moment in our increasingly diversified, individualist society, is statement jewellery..." Rachel Parkin

"Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment." Pearl S. Buck.

The dictionary definition of self-expression is, to express one's own personality, feelings, or ideas, as through speech or art. As we can understand from the quote above, it's the communication in the expression that is the vital part. Ideas felt, but not expressed are merely unfulfilled ideas.1

What I really delighted in was to find that there is a connection to warfare* for cuff jewelry – you see God calls all His children into spiritual warfare – we have a foe that wants only to “kill us, steal from us, and destroy us” (John 10:10); He trains our arms for battle (Psalm 18:34) and our weapons for this war are unique (2 Corinthians 10:4).

I know I have been called to spiritual warfare (as all children of God have) - each hard thing in my life has trained and prepared me...I have questioned, resisted, and not understood...but I have been prepared!  I am like Paul, I've not finished this race and the prize is yet before me - but neither am I a new Christian.  I have said the "yes" to be what He has called me to be...and I have been in the arena of war.  It isn't easy, but it is who I was woven together to be, and I believe (after 8 days of my January listening) that I will need to share this part of me, because it is inseparable from my calling as a counselor AND as a creative!  (Are you thinking about the book "The War of Art" by Stephen Pressfield?!)

 I've begun to design some cuffs, and more are in the works for this year...you can find some already listed at my shop here.  Each one is unique - and I wear them myself...

 My cuffs are part of my "Sealed" collection... a reference that this jewelry is a visible statement that we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and set apart by God for the work He has prepared for us, whatever that work might be...Ephesians 1:13







*History shows us that bracelets became increasingly popular with men during Grecian times – soldiers wore defensive bands of leather often decorated with gold, silver, and other gemstones on their forearms. They were called Bracels, from the Latin term for arm, “Brachium“. The Grecian women realized that these accessories would look good on them, so they began wearing smaller versions – called Bracel-ets. The idea became popular and the fashion spread far and wide.  A bracelet is also a small brace or bracer (an arm-guard used by archers).  (Adapted from: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Mark_Clayson)