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McCLELLAND BARCLAY was both an illustrator and a designer. Born in 1891, he painted and made sculptural utilitarian pieces and decorative objects for the home, as well as wonderful jewelry. His design sense was magnificent, and his rhinestone jewelry is well known and collected. I prefer his Arts and Crafts influenced sterling jewelry pieces are which beautifully made but hard to find . Sadly, he died in World War II. Most of his sterling jewelry was made in 1942 and 1943.

His sterling jewelry has a lovely matte finish and the simplicity of design keeps it fresh and current even 70 years later, a real classic. His sterling jewelry is not plentiful, and matched sets are really hard to find. I collected these for the past 15 years and am delighted to be able to share them with my customers.
 

See McCLELLAND BARCLAY sterling jewelry in our gallery HERE.

McCLELLAND BARCLAY sterling jewelry for sale can be seen by clicking HERE.

SNAKE JEWELRY... it is one of those "love it or hate it" things. Personally,  I just love it and have collected it for years!

Since St. Patricks Day is near, this is a great time to revisit snakes. While the story of St. Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland is now thought to be myth and not reality, the snakes affiliation with witchcraft and the Pagan does live on. It represents the exotic and mysterious in its sinuous shape and movement, making it s perfect subject for jewelry. 

The SNAKE or serpent was the symbol of royalty and deity in early Egyptian society. In ancient Crete it guarded the Godess mysteries, and  in some Native American tribes it stood for fertility. Victorian jewelry often used an entwined snake to symbolize infinity and eternal love. Over the years the snake has also come to symbolize sexuality, rebirth and wisdom.

While serpent motif jewelry goes far back in history, its popularity really spread starting in the 1840s and peaked between then and the 1860s (Understanding Jewellery, Bennett, pages 88 & 104). But as far as I am concerned, it is timeless and unique in both its art and symbolism.

 

The SNAKE jewelry gallery can be seen HERE.

And SNAKE jewelry FOR SALE can be seen HERE.

NEW ADDITIONS

Morning Glory adds recent acquisitions weekly and you can always see them here: http://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/