Raven Bead

Day 62: I seem to be in a monochrome phase lately. I like monochromes, particularly sepiatone/albumen processing, but sometimes when one of these moods hits, I want to make everything monochrome. This is actually a compromise. The Raven Bead is a color layer. The bead is made of "imitation ivory" and the color rendition seemed richer than the albumen conversion and carried the detail of the carving better.

The bead was a gift from a friend many years ago. It is strung with green glass beads above the Raven and is counterweighted with two carved clay beads at the opposite end of the cord. A crow feather is tied in the center of the cord and the whole piece hangs at one corner of a picture frame. The scrollwork is the edge of the frame. Crows and Ravens fill many niches in my home, but this beautiful bead deserved a place of honor where it can be seen every day.