What Came First? Chicken or the Egg?

In this case the chicken!  As a lifelong creator and learner I've taken quite a few workshops in my life.  I like to experiment and try new things.  The older I get the more time I have to do so and the greater benefit to my brain and art I think.  Years ago I took a class on electroforming and promptly came home and took some small plastic chickens and gave them a coating of copper.  Then they found themselves in a jar since I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but they made me smile every time they caught my eye.

Fast forward to maybe a few years ago when I found this unusual boulder opal that resembled a cracked egg to me.  Then a few more years and voila!  While rummaging through my stone stash and other odds and ends, in a kind of Concentration game moment (aging myself?,) I put them together and knew they were a perfect match like bacon and eggs.  (sorry...)

I found it interesting and serendipitous that they were of similar base size, but it wasn't until the basket idea popped into my head that I knew I could get them out of the muffin tin and into a joyful artisan pendant.

Optimist

Copper electroformed chicken, Boulder Opal, leather, sterling silver

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."  Winston Churchill