This is a silver tone copper torc I braided yesterday. The braid is a 4 strand square braid. I haven’t made one of these in a long time, and I will be making one in silver and gold-filled wire for a client soon. So I needed to practice so that my hands remember how to do this. It’s a 2 person job, so Shai helped me. There are jigs you can make to make it easier, but I find there’s nothing like an extra set of hands.
A couple of days later, I decided to put agate beads on it to create a sort of modified “thistle” design.
And here’s another one I made from gold tone wire and a sparkling glass bead.
With this one, I went with a two tiered look.
…and this one is supposed to look elegantly regal.
Here, I did some experimentation with “Viking knit”. In the end, I decided to make at least part of the piece braided with some wire wrapped stones and some beads.
Aside of being cute handmade gifts, they are great protection talismans. You weave your good intentions towards the wearer into each crossing. To be activated, they must be given as a gift. Then whoever your ancestral Gate Keeper deity, be that Eshu or another or by another name, is awakened within it. It becomes stronger each time it is passed to another. No give-backs by the way. It pains me to say that some people have given these kinds of things and then later taken them back, thinking that it would still be active. It won’t be.
