finishing & beadwork studio
about
Parrish Relics is a dream come true for me ~ creating wearable shrines that speak of Mythic Symbolism, a love of Nature, Ancient Folklore.
I hope that they go on to tell the wearer's own story of the things that they love & cherish.
At The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I studied Art History, Stained Glass, Architecture & Metalsmithing ~ Parrish Relics are symbols of everything that has inspired me along the way. A percentage of sales are donated to those who work to make the world a better place. #givingback
I create small batch collections & one-of-a-kind amulets, all hand-carved and cast in reclaimed sterling silver & bronze ~ sometimes paired with stained glass or found images ~ become little shrines to Nature, Architecture. Magic.
Finished by hand, patinas are layered for a time-worn presence. Unearthed treasures.
Please let me know if you have any questions after viewing this selection of current & past work. Would really love to collaborate & bring something special to life exclusively for your museum or gift shop. Thank you! ~ Jen Parrish-Hill
recent museum work
miracle window collection
Created for the Thomas Becket Exhibition at the British Museum. One of the Miracle Windows from the Trinity Chapel of Canterbury Cathedral was a highlight of the show, so I was inspired to design an Amulet based on the main clover shape in the central panel. Curling tendrils of floriated ornament wind around the clover. Set with jewel-toned stained glass reflecting the colors used in the original window.
This collection sold out early in the run of the Exhibition, a second order was placed which sold out as well.
burne-jones collection
Created for the Edward Burne-Jones Exhibition at Tate Britain. Found image Pictorial Amulets that celebrate the beautiful faces that Burne-Jones so lovingly painted in The Golden Stairs, matching opalescent earrings, sea-toned Stained Glass Arch pendants inspired by his Hope & Faith Stained Glass Window Designs in Oxford with Morris & Co.
This collection sold out before I was able to visit, but glad I got to see this Exhibiton and meet everyone at the Tate.
relics get around
Over the years you may have seen Parrish Relics on tv & films including Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, 30 ROCK, Criminal Minds, Ugly Betty (Betty’s “B”), if you were watching a Neil Gaiman play or Mythic film by Lisa Stock of InByTheEye, or visiting museum gift shops around the world.
Have been lucky enough to see my handmade work on giant billboards in Times Square.
current collections
All of the jewelry collections below are created in recycled sterling silver & bronze, antiqued with the patinas of age for a romantic, time-worn presence. Customizations can be made with stained glass color, imagery from your permanent collections, or special exhibitions. Prices listed are suggested retail.
the oak bower collection
a floriated oak is held within a sacred circle, each pendant representing the four seasons
Inspired by the symbol of Strength & Fortitude depicted in tales of Ancient Folklore, the Oak Bower Collection celebrates the stylized Medieval & Victorian depictions of this noble tree. Hand-carved & cast in recycled metals, layered in the antiqued patinas of age & finally set with jewel-toned stained glass.
10% of the sale of each amulet in this collection will be donated to the Old Growth Forest Network for #givingback
Inspired by the symbol of Strength & Fortitude depicted in tales of Ancient Folklore, the Oak Bower Collection celebrates the stylized Medieval & Victorian depictions of this noble tree.
Hand-carved & cast in recycled metals, layered in the antiqued patinas of age & finally set with jewel-toned stained glass.
Earrings that echo the leaf and acorn elements of the oak bower window amulets complement the pendants or can be worn alone.
>summer oak bower earrings in aqua glass & antiqued bronze $68.
spring : peridot green stained glass & antiqued bronze $288.
summer : aqua stained glass & antiqued bronze $288.
autumn : amber stained glass & antiqued sterling $368.
winter : iridescent stained glass & antiqued sterling $308.
new~ hart of the oak bower
a stag or hart is held within a sacred circle of oak branches and floriated ornament, representing a wish for kindness ~ that we may see that we are one with nature and turn away from destruction towards restoration.
Adapted from ~ Albrecht Dürer's "Ornament with a Deer Lying in a Circle of Oak Branches"
From $158.
sanctus natura
a tribute to the sacredness of nature.
"THE GROVES were God's first temples." William Cullen Bryant ~ A Forest Hymn
Two branches of antiqued sterling silver or bronze entwine to form a gothic arch, symbolic of sacred architecture around the world. $8. of every sale of a sanctus natura amulet is donated to One Tree Planted for #givingback
Available for customization in glass & imagery.
From $200.
view full collection
the mediaevalis collection
Inspired by the icons & architecture of the Age of Chivalry
10% of the sale of each amulet in this collection will be donated to the We Are Here Venice for #givingback
the sacred heart
Inspired by the iconography of a sacred, burning heart ~ a fire of love.
A hand-carved and sculpted frame heart and stylized flames. Cast in recycled bronze, antiqued with two-toned patinas of age, golden flame and finally set with stained glass.
<incendium amoris textured ruby beaded chain $322. & divinum lumen iridescent garnet in bronze $302.
venetian gothic
Inspired by the Gothic Architecture of Medieval Venice
A hand-carved and sculpted frame echoes the romantic arches of the city. Cast in recycled bronze and sterling silver, antiqued with the deep patinas of age, and finally set with Jewel-toned hues favored by the Medieval stained glass artists back in the 12th century for an adornment that pays tribute to the architectural beauty of centuries past. Curated found images are set under clear or iridescent glass, held within the frame. from $290 +
> Il Barbagianni The Owl by Valentine Cameron Prinsep in sterling, aqua & cobalt waves stained glass in sterling, spring green stained glass & peridot in bronze
floriated clover amulets
Inspired by the Miracle Windows of the Trinity Chapel in Canterbury Cathedral
Hand-carved and sculpted frame echoes the window's curves and curling tendrils of floriated ornament winding around the clover. Cast in recycled sterling and bronze, antiqued with the deep patinas of age, and finally set with Jewel-toned hues favored by the Medieval stained glass artists back in the 12th century for an adornment that pays tribute to the architectural beauty of centuries past.
aqua vitae
iridescent stained glass with antiqued bronze $362.
viriditas
moss agate, stained glass with antiqued bronze $382.
persephone
garnet, stained glass with antiqued sterling $338.
medievalis earring collections
Clover Cross & Fleur Earrings that compliment the Sacred Heart, Venetian Gothic & Clover Collections. Available in sterling & bronze, with bead options to complete any set.
Sterling from $82. -Bronze from $72.
the garden tapestry - venetian gothic window amulet & clover earrings - a tribute to Morris & Co, Nature.
the tapestry collection
Flora & Fauna found in the Lady & the Unicorn Tapestries at the Musée de Cluny in Paris, brought to life in a playful jewelry collection. Available in recycled, antiqued sterling and bronze. Created to give back to charities that are important to me ~ helping native plants and fur-bearing animals through donating a percentage of each sale.
lapin, renard et fleur pendant
The sweet fox from the Lady & the Unicorn Tapestries at the Musée de Cluny in Paris looked a little lonely so I brought the shy rabbit over to greet him with a flower.
Sterling $142. - Bronze $132.
10% of every sale of the lapin, renard et fleur amulet is donated to the Fur Free Alliance
10% of every sale of a pair of joyeux mille-fleurs earrings is donated to The Native Plant Society of the United States
joyeux mille-fleurs earrings & trois fleurs amulet
I've always adored the animals and flowers of Medieval French Tapestries (and later in the work of Edward Burne-Jones & William Morris), they all seem to float from the background with a buoyant and presentational charm.
Sterling $72. (without bead $62.) - Bronze $62. (without bead $52.)
trois fleurs amulet coming soon
the illuminata collection
New: a tribute to the gothic arches of Medieval Architecture, the ivy of illuminated manuscripts, mysterious reliquary vessels. One-of-a-kind ephemera/found images under textured or iridescent glass.
"Jen Parrish-Hill lives in accordance with Ruskin's advice, going to nature in all singleness of heart. Her home, Frog Hollow, sits nestled within a lush green forest where her particular brand of alchemy is conjured and spells are woven, creating Parrish Relics, jewelry that speaks to the soul."
~ Stephanie Graham Piña for the Pre-Raphaelite Issue of Enchanted Living Magazine
on the bench
What I am currently working on...
le petit chat
inspired by a tiny gilt wood sculpture at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
fleur-de-lis & le petit chat amulets
tiny heart pictorial amulet
ephemera under domed heart cabochon (Lady & The Unicorn Tapestry detail)
finishing studio balcony view
metalsmithing workshop
morris willow festival tent
frog hollow