Artist Spotlight: Part Eight

My spotlighted artist this week is CJ Grand of The Grand Design.  She's a very cool sci-fi costumer and jewelry maker who currently focuses on the Steampunk movement.

For those of you who don't know what Steampunk is, imagine a world in which steam power is still widely used, such as the 19th century or Victorian England, but with prominent elements of science fiction or fantasy, like the fictional technological inventions described by H.G. Wells or Jules Verne, or with real technological developments like computers occurring at an earlier date.  Steampunk can also include the "path not taken," such as analog computers or mechanical computers.

The result in practical terms is Victorian clothing combined with beautiful accessories and jewelry that are made from machine parts, technical bits, and all sorts of morphed and combined elements.  It is this jewelry you'll find at The Grand Design.

This necklace, above, for example, was made from a combination of upcycled parts and vintage jewelry.  And this one, below, is made from a British military button, watch parts, and watch gears, all mounted in a vintage pocket watch.

And these earrings are made from glass fuses wrapped in copper wire.

CJ didn't start with Steampunk, though.  As she states in her bio, she started buying stones and minerals to make unusual jewelry for herself, but found that she had more than she could wear in a lifetime.  Steampunk is her new obsession, but she still displays some of her stone jewelry in her shop.

For more about CJ and the many artists she features, check out her blog too!