Sea Goddesses: Summer Solstice

White coral necklace sketched with white nail polish, that is probably what I had in my bag at the time. Yemaja inspired this necklace she is a sea goddess.  In Africa she is known as Yemoja, in Brazil Yemanja, in Cuba Yemaya, in Haiti La Siren, in the USA Yemalla, in Uruguay Iemanja, in  the Dominican Republic Yemalla or Diosa del Mar (Sea Goddess).  She is also represented with Our Lady of Regla and Stella Maris.  In Italy she is known as the Black madonna of the Sea.  In some places she is synchretized with Diosa del Mar, LaSiren and Mami Wata, the later I believe is where Jamaica gets its "Riva Muma" folktales, "Riva Muma" (river mother) is a fresh water mermaid.  The African religions were an oral tradition hence the many regional variations on the name, in other parts of the diaspora like Brazil she is still honored, in Jamaica we are left with the myth of Riva Muma.
In parts of Brazil She is honored as the Ocean Goddess at the summer solstice.
Friday coming the Key Biscayne Goddesses in Florida will gather at the ocean to usher in the Summer Solstice.


TRINIMAICA-Trinidadian and Jamaican Designers-Caribbean Fashion Week 2011 Night 2

Trinimaica definition according to me is a Trinidadian and Jamaican collaborating in some kind of fashion. 
Trinidadian designer Nigel Eastman of Zadd and Eastman, used my black coral jewelry with combinations of  smokey quartz and hematite  on the runway to accompany his fabulous designs at Caribbean Fashion Week in Kingston.   Pulse super model Sedene Blake pictured centre walked the runway in one of my jewelry pieces.  Sedene Blake's clients include: Ports 1961, Valentino, Vivienne Westwood, Gap, Carolina Herrera, Banana Republic, Costello Tagliapietra, House of Holland, Custo Barcelona - an she is in my necklace! Kristie Stephenson for Story and Myth
Coral, loads of it is my guilty pleasure, I love piling them on and layering several pieces at the same time.  They are very warrior goddess to me, the more I pile on the heavier the necklace becomes and it feels like armature -its empowering.  You know if I had to I could really use it as a weapon as it could knock a potential attacker out.  As a saavy auntie it is not nephew or niece friendly for the hand held little ones, but it is a way to keep their attention on you. 
Coral Facts
Coral is more popular than ever for jewelry, despite trade and harvesting regulations related to the importance of this creature to the ecosystems of the world. Here is some information about coral, including a description of different colors, coral care, and some coral lore.
Coral is a natural gemstone derived from the skeletons of a marine animal related to jellyfish and anemones. Coral polyps live in colonies and some types of coral form reefs, which are home to approximately 25% of the species in the ocean. Coral is composed primarily of calcium carbonate and gets it color from natural pigments such as carotene. Coral is not used fresh from the ocean, but goes through a serious of processing steps before it is used for jewelry. These steps may include chemical treatment, tumbling, heating, sawing, and polishing.
Colors of Coral
In addition to coral substitutes, which include plastic, glass, and seashell, genuine coral is often dyed to resemble a more rare or desired variety. However, natural coral that is suitable for jewelry is found in many colors.
For more information please visit www.storyandmyth.com

Caribbean Fashion Week: Spinning & Weaving

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