Once upon a time...
In a world far far away (aka Scotland!), there lived a maiden who worked for the NHS for many long years. She enjoyed the connection with patients and colleagues this gave her and the satisfaction of helping people at difficult times in their lives. She spent many years making jewellery in her spare time. Experimenting and practicing late into the evening - burning, filing and sawing finger tips, melting metal and dropping tiny elements onto the floor never to be seen again. She created pieces of jewellery that had stories attached, conveyed meaning and sparked joy.
The maiden longed to live a more creative life.
Then one day, early in 2023, whilst living in her home in Oxfordshire, the stars aligned in such a way that the maiden's dream started to become true. Supported enthusiastically by those around her, she finally felt brave enough to share her jewellery with the world in the hope that it might trigger happiness, memories or conversations between people and their world.
Working mostly in silver, with elements of gold & colourful gemstones, she drew inspiration from the world around her. The people and their links with one another (past and present), their stories and ancient teachings. Nature - it's patterns and shapes. She attempted to translate the positive energy from the world around her into the pieces of jewellery she created.
This new way of living brought the maiden much delight and satisfaction. She wanted other people to be able to share this new joy. So she called her (ad)venture Sonas Mòr which means "great happiness" in Gaelic.
And she lived happily every after.
This is my story - do get in touch and tell me yours.
Meet the models...
Click on the pictures below to find out more about the models who help behind the scenes at Sonas Mòr Jewellery.
What is sonas mòr?
Sonas mòr [pronounced saw-nas maw-r] means great happiness in Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic). But sonas means much more than just happiness. It is a part of us.
In order to have sonas you need three elements (click on the pictures to find out more):
[pronouced:doo-gh-as] The connection we have to our homeland through the emotional and physical links to our ancestors and heritage that came from that land. It is also the responsibility we have to that land and history. We are the link between the generations that came before us and those coming after.
[pron:kee-an-allas] A deep longing for our roots - the land, people and heritage. Giving us a sense of belonging.
Pronounced: ky-em. An invisible protective circle which surrounds us in difficult times. It is born of our cianalas and filled with the emotions of our dùthchas.