Llaeth

Llaeth, meaning ‘milk’, is such a gentle and cool, silky sounding word. It’s a sleepy, comforting word. I wanted to make a smooth, curvy, silky piece to echo it. I wanted an additional element to emphasise the comforting nature, and decided to scent the piece. Scent is hugely important to me, and is major influence on my mood and comfort.

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I formed a large dome of fine silver, and cut out a gentle curve from the top. This was soldered to a flat base, which I perforated with lines of holes (a nod to the fact I usually see a grid of dots when I close my eyes to sleep). Once filed and finished, I had a shallow hemispherical vessel, which I gave a satiny finish.

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I sewed reclaimed natural coloured sari silk to hang it, and on the advice of brilliant perfumer friend, Sarah McCartney, stuffed it with washed raw Welsh sheep wool. The wool can be scented with perfume, and will hold the scent very well. The perfume I chose is a delicious vanilla custard-based scent by Sarah’s company 1460 Tuesdays. When worn on skin, the Llaeth pendant will warm, releasing the perfume. Smelling vanilla has been linked with the production of endorphins, so it’s the perfect companion scent for this piece. The whole feel of the piece to me is of a gentle, comforting hug.