The Amaterasu suncatcher

Again, I took ages to produce anything these days. This cold seems to love me! Oh yeah, I cannot get rid of it. Still, improving slowly.

These days, I have decided to make some suncatchers with Swarovski crystals. Why is that? Just because we are ready to move to our new house and, hopefully, I will have some skylights where I will be able to hang some nice prisms! Also, it's a way to celebrate Summer, or rather, Spring.

I used one large Energy Gate prism by Swarovski, very nicely cut, along with Swarovski Clear AB bicones and vintage round faceted crystal beads, as well as some Miyuki Delica seed beads strung into a bail for the prism itself. And I called it Amaterasu. Amaterasu is the Sun Goddess, possibly the most important Shinto deity and her name means "the one who illuminates Heaven". Easy to see why I have chosen that name, I guess!

It is a very simple, decorative piece. I just used stainless steel silver-plated wire, one Energy Gate with the Swarovski logo etched in one of the facets, several crystal AB faceted beads and Swarovski Clear AB bicones, as well as one Tibetan silver ring to hang it.

Some details:


Details are all about light being refracted, shadows and transparency. On these pictures we can see the faceted beads and bicones with that lovely AB coating...


More of the crystal faceted beads, along with the Miyuki Delicas I used to make a bail for the Energy Gate prism.


The pictures may look a bit weird (grainy actually), and that's because I have used a greyish silk background, so, the fibres of the fabric are very visible and sometimes magnified by the prism. I like these pictures since the crystal cut can be fully appreciated, so precise and so sharp.