Description
Inspiration for my Queen Bumblebee Pendant
It is strange to look back now and think that bees almost didn’t make it onto my To Do Jewellery List at all. Least of all a Queen Bumblebee Pendant. Having stepped cautiously into the bee jewellery arena with my miniature bees, I immediately started getting requests for a bee ring. That was the first time I contemplated doing a full size Queen Bee. But I wasn’t brave enough, fearing that the larger model would be crude in some way. However, literally the moment I put down my wax modelling tool after finishing the Bee and Daisy Ring, I went outside to find two glorious Queen Bees on my washing. They had won their place on my list!
I chose to model the largest of our bees, the Queen Buff-Tailed Bumblebee, and to model her to scale. My modus operandi when modelling is to amass a portfolio of photographs to model from. Top views, views of the face, underside, side profile, etc, all help to create a 3-dimensional model in my mind from which I model. Just as I was sitting down to model my Queen Bee, photo portfolio at the ready, my children appeared. They had found a dead bee in the garden which happened to be exactly the right type – Queen Buff-Tailed Bumblebee. I was sad that my muse had gone before her time – but grateful to have her there to help me model. And now here she is, immortalised in silver.
What my customers say:
“Emma’s Queen Bee captures the true nature of this beautiful creature. The detail is incredible and I love the fact that the underside is just as intricate as the rest of it. When I wear her, people often comment on how lovely she is!”
Deborah, Kent, UK
