Oak and fossil coral

On a recent trip to Portland Bill in Dorset, we found some small acorns and cups and brought them home. I made moulds from the cups and have created these acorns using silver clay for the cups and leaves and Polymer clay for the acorns. I have quite a few of them around the house now in various states and have started assembling them into jewellery. Here is Acorn necklace mark 1. I have just taken it apart again to 'tumble' the leaves and will reassemble it with slightly smaller jump rings and decide what sort of fastening it will have.

They kept sailing back to Circe's island and they buried Elpenor. Circe gave them food and addressed them "Hearts of oak, did you go down alive into the homes of death? One visit finishes all men but yourselves, twice mortal!"  from the Odyssey by Homer, Book 12, lines 25-7

This necklace is modelled after one dug up some time ago in the UK. The original was made in the so called 'Dark Ages' and its stone was bevel set. My stone is a piece of fossil coral (the stone's colour looks darker in the photo so you cant see the beautiful detail). The coral is fixed to the pendant base with sterling silver wires. The necklace is made from 'Sea Bamboo' beads.