This beautiful creation features a static sworm of actual dragonfly wings combined with honey locust thorns (image 3). The wings are lightly sealed to keep their delicate nature. I have drilled the tops of the thorns and glued on posted eyelets. The thorns range in color — honey reds to rich brown.

These organic treasures were found by me on my hikes along the Mississippi river and while gardening. Dragonfly wings are found on the ground, after the insects full life span.

I stumbled across a sapling with these super sharp and formidable thorns. After googling and cross referancing leaf patterns, I learned it was a Honey Locust tree. These trees were utilised by the Cherokee people for the making of bows and gamesticks. The seed pods were a minor food source, crumbled as a sweetening agent. The thorns may have also been used as pins and like nails.

The base chain is a thrift store find that I have upcycled. [Reuse, reduce, recycle and upcycle as much as possible my friends!] It has a lovely golden color and the links are approximately one half inch “honeycomb” shaped cells.

The thorns make a lovely sound clinking together with the other many pieces of this creation while walking and or dancing. Interspersed throughout are small faux pearls, medium fresh water pearls, tiny faceted crystals and vintage glass Mardi Gras beads. This piece refracts the light like crazy and is very light weight. The sharpest edges off of the thorns have been clipped and filed.