Going back to my roots

I was born in the Netherlands and I'm proud to be Dutch, even more so being a 'Zeeuws meisje'.

But I do love living in Belgium with my Belgian boyfriend for life :-)

Both my grandma's still wore the traditional costume and my dad still has a custome which he wears for special occasions. (Hhmmm must suggets to him to wear it 30th of April when the Ducth queen Beatrix is coming to their hometown to celebrate queensday.) Unfortunatly I never knew one grandma and my other grandma passed away a few days before my tenth birthday, but here 's a picture with her, my brother, my little sis and me. 

I'm the one holding the apple, must have been one special apple, as it HAD to go with us in the picture. (Remember how pictures were still rather special in those days.) And yes, I know, I look like a little boy :-) 


There are many variations in the costumes depending on the region within Zeeland and the religion, Catholic, Protestant, my grandma's wore the Protestant costume from Zuid-Beveland. Because this was the costume used for the commercial of the butter brand 'Zeeuws meisje' this is best know Zeeuws costume. There are many different costumes in Zeeland because the habitants of the different islands which make up Zeeland, were much to themselves in the olden days, due to lack of bridges and such. On this site (in Ducth) you can find the different costumes, click on the names in the bottom left hand menu. One element which has been used in modern jewelry already is the 'Zeeuwse knop'. If you watched the commercial, it is what the men wear on their collar. But since it has been used in rings, cufflinks, pendants, brooches, bracelets and so on, either new or repurposed. There is even a plant is which is called 'Zeeuws knopje. 


Anyway I got one of the rings since I was I kid and now I used it to make a mold in silicon. The mold I used to make replicas in porcelain and clay. With these replices I than made ceramic and porcelain jewelry.

  I am working on others creations inspired by elements from the Zeeuwse folklore, but more about that later. It's not jewelry, it got a soul and it is sharp.......