Raven Digitalis's talismanic necklace

This is an intense piece, a talisman that I had intended for a young pagan priest. I wanted to make a necklace that would enhance those qualities that make a good priest: magick power, emotional wisdom, intuition, clarity, protection, healing, and leadership were some of those factors.

I used labradorite, Picasso marble, peridot, onyx and a greenish yellow stone that was unknown to me at the time. It's a variety of serpentine, now one of my favorite power stones, that contains minute quartz crystals and flecks of black magnetite (lodestone).

I chose the pendant because I had been told it was the "Hand of God" and to me represented both service to the Divine and magick power.

 This talisman really took on a life of its own, and felt more powerful when I finished it than I expected. I stared at it for a while, taking in its energy-specific nature, and realized that this was a piece that most people in the Craft wouldn't be ready for. I knew some priests who could handle it, but this necklace was clearly not for any of them. I almost took it apart to tone it down, but I meditated on it, and the name came to me: Raven Digitalis.

That caught me off guard. We have mutual real-life friends and were networked on Myspace and Facebook (funny thing- he sent me a Myspace request, and I saw his book GothCraft on shelves at Barnes and Noble a day or two later, not realizing the connection until I noticed the author's photo and thought it seemed extremely familiar), but we had never met. It was a strange thing to have to explain, but being a fellow practitioner he didn't think it as weird as some people would. And he gave me the world's best testimony:

"OH. MY. GOD. I just got the necklace and am wearing it now. You weren't kidding; this is a powerful piece of work! I can't believe how "made for me" it is -- I don't usually feel so attached or drawn to pieces ... this is something special that has a particularly potent energy I haven't quite grasped yet. What a gem. I will treasure this for life;  thank you again!!!"

My passion for Steampunk Jewelry

I first got into making Steampunk jewelry as a casual admirer of the subculture, but annoyed by the lack of creativity I was seeing in the realm of jewelry. Here were these amazing costumes and props, but people were stringing a gear on a chain and calling it a necklace. "I can do better than that!" I thought, but didn't persue it immediately.

In a direct departure from my previous work with gemstone beads, I started experimenting with found-object pieces. I had accumulated a lot of components and broken chains that I wasn't comfortable using in talismans because I wasn't yet familiar with the energetic qualities of metals.

 And then I found a book called Steampunk Style Jewelry. I decided to go for it. While the book showed a big step forward from a gear-on-a-chain, and some real talent like Catherinette Rings, I had ideas that hadn't been touched on.

A lot of my inspiration comes from the Moss Mansion Museum in Billings, where I worked as a tour guide from age 14 to 21. I had a lot of time to study the various facets of Victorian-era styles, culture, and technology up close. I strive to replicate the kind of richness and detail that made me fall in love with the era.

 My work is still evolving as I learn new techniques and processes. It's possibly the most creative art form I've ever worked in, combining jewelry arts with a science fiction ingenuity and Victorian whimsy, which may be why it's one of my favorite pastimes.

 Every jewelry piece or prop I make is One-of-a-Kind. Occasionally I will be inspired to make similar pieces, but none are identical. This blog is intended to collect the stories behind some of my art pieces.

Making Talismanic Jewelry

Much of the jewelry I make is designed around an intention, an energy I wish to call forth, or a mythological concept. Sometimes I will pick up a particular gemstone and immediately be inspired, and it may "tell" me what stones it wishes to be paired with to achieve a particular energetic nuance or synergy. Other times a pendant will tell the story, and I find the right stones to build its spell. I've stored half-designed pieces for months before, waiting for all the right p to come together. And sometimes I have all the pieces, but the timing isn't right, so I wait until the appropriate mood or astrological timing.

Gemstones have been attributed with magic powers since antiquity, such as amethyst bringing peace and rose quartz drawing love. There are a number of resources on the subject. I have worked with stones long enough to have an intuitive understanding of gemstones' energies, but I still like to hear other opinions, especially since I often have a hard time putting it into words. Individual stones' properties will vary within a variety, due to mineral inclusions from different mines, or color. And quality has an effect on how much energy the stone produces.


When stones are combined, they have a power greater than the sum of their parts. This is called gestalt. Generally, similar energies between different types of stones are amplified and dissimilar energies fade to the background. The whole talisman takes on a single, intense, complex energy matrix rather than working as a bunch of little energy chunks. Incantations and other ritual acts performed while making the talisman are woven energetically into the energy matrix. They can also build up "psychic dust," so cleanse occasionally with a smudge wand or your favorite method.

I cannot guarantee that you will see obvious results. But don't be surprised if results are more intense than expected. Effectiveness increases with frequency of wear. Breaking of any magickal item releases the energy in a potent burst. I have seen remarkably synchronous moments when a talisman chose to unexpectedly release that could not have been planned better. (I stand behind my work if this ever happens. Please collect the parts as best as possible.)

 Even the pattern techniques are designed to enhance the magic. I usually create palindromes within palindromes. It's sacred geometry in 1-dimension.

 Even if you don't go for all the metaphysical stuff, my talismans are all one-of-a-kind (ooak) and use stones that are likely to appreciate in value. They have stories that cannot be told in the space of a price tag, so I created this blog to collect some of those tales.