Melanie Tomlinson Hokusai Japanese Bird Brooches

Melanie Tomlinson has designed three Japanese bird brooches for the British Museum  Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave exhibition.  This is her fourth collaboration with the museum and all three designs are sold exclusively by them.  I have reviewed her brooches on a previous blog post but wanted to write a blog post about these three pieces as they are so unique and well though out, using metal and a hand printed design inspired by the artist, Katsushika Hokusai.  

The cuckoo brooch is £45 (£40.50 British Museum members), measures 7cmx6cm and is made from hand painted metal.  I like it, but not as much as the Japanese Robin which is my favourite.

The Japanese robin has been re-imagined in to this adorable brooch.  As with the other two brooches, i is £45(£40.50 for members of the British Museum) and is made from hand painted  metal. it measures 7cmx6cm and I would wear this both as a brooch and use my necklace converter  to make it into a statement necklace.  I think this brooch looks cute and cuddly. 

The hawfinch (same details and measurements as the other two brooches) has a cheeky little glint in it's eye.  It looks as though it is eyeing the wearer suspiciously!

All three bird brooches are eye catching and unusual, a talking point and a wearable memory of  the exhibition itself.

Available from:
Cuckoo Brooch
Hawfinch
Japanese Robin

British Museum: Egyptian Cat Pendant

This is a novelty cat pendant for children available from the British Museum (£2.99).  The cat is based upon the famous Gayer-Anderson Egyptian sculpture in the British Museum.  This sculpture is most probably an interpretation of the cat-goddess Bastest.  

The necklace and pendant are made out of gold plated pewter.  The chain measures 16",  the pendant 1.3cm x 0.3cm.  It comes attached to an informative little card that explains what the necklace represents and is attractively packaged.  This pendant is very good value, it would make a great bring home gift from someone visiting the museum.  It is within most children's pocket money price range, isn't gimmicky and would provide  great reminder of an interesting day out at the museum.

Available from: British Museum

British Museum: William Morris Heart Necklace

I bought this necklace from the British Museum for £14.99. It is also available on their website.  The heart necklace is printed with a bird and floral pattern inspired by the 19 Century artist William Morris.  This artwork is part of the famous strawberry thief range which Liberty use as a print for a variety of items.

The chain is silver plated and 18" in length.  The heart itself measures 3cm x 2cm.  It came in a little black gift box and well wrapped in a jiffy bag.  It is an elegant little pendant that would look great with a white t-shirt and jeans or a smart suit.  I found the clasp quite fiddly to fasten as it is smaller than a lobster clap but once it was fastened it felt secure. the British Museum have some really lovely jewellery items which are reasonable in price so they are a well worth a browse.

Available from: British Museum