Parrish Relics in The Sentimentalist Magazine

An Interview with Jennifer Parrish. Written by Kambriel.
Reprinted with kind permission from The Sentimentalist

Amongst the ruins, gently unearthed is a small, time-blackened, carved wooden chest which has survived sealed and untouched through the ages. Inside, long-forgotten, ornamented treasures remain. They are relics of a Byzantine priest or perhaps tokens of an everlasting love. Luminous jewels glow evocatively, innately connected with the emotions of centuries of the human spirit. Exotic and ancient fragrances perfume the air with a magical spell. Jennifer Parrish is the artist/creator behind Parrish Relics, her Massachusetts based company which produces some of the most compelling handmade amulets and ornaments haunting the modern world.

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SENTIMENTALIST: What first inspired you to create jewelry, and how did you begin?

JENNIFER: Sculpture has always been a great release for me. When I was young, I would feign illness so that I could stay home from school to make clay animals. Once I began high school, seeing my love for unusual jewelry, the wonderful art teachers' suggestions led me to continue on to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.

SENTIMENTALIST: It seems each of your pieces has a life, a history all its own. Can you explain how they come into being?

JENNIFER: I have always held a fascination for ancient ornamentation, all seeming to have a purpose, as an amulet or as a ritual object, a spiritual symbol. My work has evolved from that same need for a ritual, an escape from the present world. Influenced greatly by music--The Changelings, Mors Syphilitica, Dead Can Dance, Mediaeval Baebes--all having the ability to transform the present into a more beautiful, magical place. This place, I think, is where the subconscious brings joy into form, life into an inanimate object.

SENTIMENTALIST: Some of your jewelry incorporates an element of scent. What draws you to use these aromatic substances?

JENNIFER: Scent can be so powerful as to evoke a feeling or memory. I use Amber and Frankincense resin because they both have an old-world presence that is wonderful to have around your neck all day long.

SENTIMENTALIST: What are some of your favorite materials/gemstones to use? So you consciously consider the special meanings/powers behind certain stones when creating a piece?

JENNIFER: My favorite stones to work with are Carnelian, Moonstone, Garnet, Amber, Amethyst, Quartz, Agate, and I've recently been enamoured with Citrine. Each necklace seems to dictate which stones I use, deciding for themselves. My attraction to these stones is not just for their natural beauty, but also for the legends of their power. As with the Vessel and Reliquary Amulets, which contain roots like Ladyslipper, Vetivert, and High John the Conquerer.

SENTIMENTALIST: Your creations evoke an ancient feel, many seem to have appeared magically from centuries past. Would you share with us some of the eras you are inspired by and why?

JENNIFER: I am heavily influenced by Byzantine, Medieval, Renaissance images, of Gothic Architecture and the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites almost to obsession! I think this comes from my belief that having an affinity for certain time periods may be a memory of past lives--a fragmented, but intense longing--an inner struggle to recognize ourselves.

SENTIMENTALIST: What/Who intrigues you?

JENNIFER: Each night I read from a jewel of a book that I found in the oldest bookstore in Boston, Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones, written by his beloved wife Georgiana. It is a beautiful, musty 1906 edition that brings clear visions of life in Victorian England, written in such delicate language and absolute love that it is almost heartbreaking. I am reading it more slowly than I have ever read any other book, not wanting it to end.

SENTIMENTALIST: Many of your amulets have a deeply religious feel and look to them, yet they seem to cross the confines of any specific religion. Does their symbolism carry any special meanings for you?

JENNIFER: To me religion is all encompassing and very personal. Not political churches or power-driven religion, but just about feeling the strength in nature and in beauty, finding the path in life that we are meant to travel. The symbolism used in my work reflects the passions and longings of spirituality, the quest for a higher consciousness, inner peace.

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This interview is dedicated to
the memory of beloved Vienna.

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