Edinburgh: The Heather Gem

I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting advances in the arts and this trip was no different.

Compressed Heather

Along the Royal Mile, we unearthed a beautiful solution to reaping heather, a Scottish plant famous for it's purple bloom. The gems are handmade from the stems of old heather, too old to provide any nutrition to wildlife, and are compressed, cut into shape, and lacquered.

While most pieces were cut small and formed into earrings, I wanted a large piece to admire both sides. It was tough to pick just one. I want a lamp or something large and sculptural out of this work -it's gorgeous!!