—Olórin—

My work has always been deeply inspired by my love for fantasy literature. The works of JRR Tolkien have always held a dear place in my heart. Before writing the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent years crafting the world of Middle-earth for his characters to live in. He wrote entire languages and mythologies for Middle-earth using Norse mythology for inspiration. This pendant is an ode to one of my favorite characters ever written.

When Tolkien first began crafting the languages that would be spoken in his Middle-earth he drew heavily upon the already established alphabets of the runes of Elder Futhark used by Germanic tribes and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. Even the name Gandalf was taken by Norse mythology, specifically from the poem Völuspá.

Gandalf was one of the five Maiar sent to Middle-earth. Although he was not the leader of the Istari, the order of wizards, when he arrived in the Havens of Mithlond the elf Círdan the Shipwright entrusted him with Narya, the Elven ring of Fire. His possession of this ring lead to a strain in his relationship with the leader of the Istari, Saruman the White who was deeply jealous.

Over the course of his adventures in Middle-earth Gandalf accompanied twelve dwarves and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins while on their. quest to take back the mountain stronghold of Erebor. It was on this quest that Gandalf became the new owner of Glamdring, which was once the sword of Turgon king of the elves of Gondolin.

In this piece Glamdring is shown amid hand sculpted scroll work and is adorned with Elder Futhark runes on the blade. The channel setting features thirteen stunning rhodolite garnets, one stone for each dwarf in the original company. There is an additional rhodolite tube set above the rest for the party’s esteemed burglar Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Rhodolite garnets were chosen specifically to highlight Gandalf’s connection with Narya and the red stone said to be set in its face. To represent the Grey Wanderer himself, an Iolite is set surrounded by 28 SI diamonds. Iolite is also known as the Viking Compass. Thin slices of Iolite were used by Nordic sailors as polarizing filters to see the sun and navigate cloudy weather. This stone guided Vikings and explorers on their quests, just as Gandalf guided his companions on their quest for Erebor and later in the quest against Sauron in the War of the Ring. The sides of this setting are also adorned with Futhark runes representing characteristics of Gandalf and his service to the Secret Fire of Narya.

This piece was entirely hand fabricated and hand sculpted from flat silver sheet. No casting was used in its creation. It measures 63x20mm and includes a 24in sterling silver Acanthus chain

"Many are my names in many countries. Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkûn to the Dwarves, Olórin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten, in the South Incánus, in the North Gandalf; to the East I go not.” -The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien