Coryographies Book Jewellery

Last year the kids bought me my very favourite item of jewellery, a bookcase necklace. I adore it. It tells people something about me as soon as I meet them, and I don’t mind people knowing that I like books! When I wear it, it always gets comments, and as I’ve a suspicion that it might be popular with my readers here, I got in touch with the designer, Cory, and asked her to feature, and she’s being extra lovely and is offering up a give-away prize, too, for one of my readers. So, let me introduce you to Cory and her work at Coryographies

coryMy name is Cory, and I’m a Canadian living in Oxford with my English husband. I’m nerdy and love creating things. I’m a PhD student studying archaeology – my jewellery business pays the bills!

sushi platterI worked in an office and a colleague was making jewellery from dollhouse miniatures and selling them on Etsy. I thought it was a cute idea, and wanted something creative to do in the evenings. I bought a load of Fimo, watched a load of Youtube videos, and began making my own designs. In fact my first designs were miniature sushi platters. I was experimenting was making little bento boxes out of wood, when I got the idea of making a bookshelf. The first bookshelf necklace was born! It sold from my Etsy shop really quickly, got featured on the front page, and a half-dozen people messaged me about ordering one! I was so surprised, but happy people liked it. I love books and being around books, and after that all my designs became book themed!

I think it surprises people how small the bookshelf necklaces are (1.5 inches tall). I try to make them really detailed. They’re also extremely light, since they’re just wood and clay. I varnish them with Fimo’s glossy varnish, which after a lot of trialling different varnishes, is the most durable and long lasting varnish. It doesn’t yellow, and I have customers who have been wearing their necklaces for three years now and they are still going strong! The necklaces get lots of compliments, so it’s fun to wear them out and about. People instantly know you are a book-lover!

The very first bookshelf necklace, from back in 2011! They really have changed over the years… I look back and think they’ve improved a bit…!

first bookshelf necklace

This is my desk (at the tidiest point it’s ever going to get – specially posed for the photo, I’m by no means actually tidy with my crafting!!)

desk

Here are some empty bookshelves, ready for their books!

empty bookshelves

Here are some bookshelves, waiting for their finishing touches. A bit more gold paint, and then the varnish…!

bookshelves waiting

I’ve started making more earrings, and last Christmas these earrings became my new bestsellers, and it has remained this way all year – I’m working as hard as I can to have a big stock of these for this Christmas! They are cute and tiny and lightweight, so I think they are popular because while the bookshelves are a bit more of a statement, these earrings are a bit more subtle and can be worn anywhere.

book earrings

My best selling bookshelf necklace is actually my Harry Potter Bookshelf Necklace! It’s fun, and I have made the other houses for people as well – Gryffindor is of course the most popular 🙂

harry potter bookshelf

And this is my newest bookshelf necklace – my French Lavender Bookshelf Necklace! It has a little sprig of lavender tied with a bow on the middle shelf.

lavender bookshelf necklace

My favourite book of all time is Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. It is about a modern human who is raised by Neanderthals during the Palaeolithic – I think I owe my interest in Palaeolithic archaeology in part to that book! It just fascinated me that prehistory stretches back so much farther than civilizations and written language and agriculture. I also loved how the heroine in the story was so strong and curious – I really admired her while growing up, and the book remains very important to me because of this.

Being around books has always made me happy, my husband and I have quite a collection. So it makes sense that Coryographies has turned so book-themed. I think one of my favourite things about my job is that I meet a lot of other book-lovers. Academics, librarians, teachers, authors, book-review bloggers… all brought together because we love the smell of paper and the exciting feeling of being lost in a story! I can’t see myself ever ending the business, even with a future career. It’s just too much fun to stop!

Thanks so much, Cory! I so love your products, and it’s great to learn more about you and your business. Cory can be found here – Etsy, FacebookTwitter, Blog & Pinterest

And I am so delighted to say that you now have a chance to win a pair of those best-selling book earrings there! Yes, to be in with a chance, just answer the question and use the rafflecopter to enter. Give-away’s open to UK residents only and ends at midnight 30th November 2014. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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182 thoughts on “Coryographies Book Jewellery”

  1. Pingback: Daily Giveaways | giveawaysrus

  2. Can’t see a question but those earrings are soooooooooo lovely., I’m guessing the question is about favourite books…..I have a couple-The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer and The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 🙂

  3. I love Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. My mum has just finished reading them, and she loved them too! These earrings would make such a perfect Christmas gift for her…

  4. Miss Tracy Hanson

    Slightly obsessed with The Night Stalker by Chris Carter – I’ve read it over 10 timea already this year. 🙂 Love his other ones too but that’s definitely the favourite.

  5. I can see why these cleverly created bookshelf pendants and earrings are popular; they are so different! I know my daughter and her friend would probably love the Harry Potter themed one.

  6. ohhh wow what to choose i love reading but if i had to pick one to reread right now i think i would choose the harry potter books

  7. I love lots of books. I guess my favorite would have to be the Little House on the Prairie series. I’ve read it multiple times since being a child.

  8. It has been since I was a child: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I would just love those earrings but I’m really hoping I can order a necklace before Christmas for my best friend because it’s perfect for her but Cory’s (happily, because her work is great) too busy to take orders before 1 Dec.

  9. Its very hard to pick one book! My favourite series of books is The Discworld books by Terry Pratchett – I guess one of my favourite ones is going postal but it is very hard to choose – I do prefer the later books in the series tho (and I also like his non discworld books too – highly recommend nation and dodger:) )

  10. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel but i love all the books i have read them all about five times each. I was a bit disapointed with the last one beacause i wanted to find out where ayla came from. But they are still my favourite books ever. My daughter has a book blog and i would love to get her these earings do you sell them thank you

  11. So hard to decide that I need a short list! Currently either “Cross-Stitch” (aka “Outlander”) by Diana Gabaldon, or “Memory” by Lois McMaster Bujold.

  12. These are so lovely. My favourite book is Gobbolino the Witches cat. I read when I was little and have read it to my two sons

  13. i have all the Harry Potter series, all the Earths Children series i think they are my favorite i have read them about 4 times , like you i find Ayla so strong and as you read the stories you are there with her through every adventure. Your earings are fantastic my family would say they were made for me

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