Mudbird 'Emerge' Silt necklace/pendant

Liquefaction (pronounced “lick-wi-fack-shin”) happens during earthquakes. The ground shaking that occurs during an earthquake can cause some soils to liquefy. This means that during an earthquake these soils will behave more like a liquid than a solid…

The Emerge range has been made in commemoration of the earthquakes that struck Christchurch from September 2010 to December 2011 and the damage that they caused.

The process of Liquefaction happened throughout the city, causing so much destruction. This silty soil has ruined thousands of homes and many suburbs of Christchurch have been lost to land damage, and residents have been forced to leave their homes and move elsewhere.

Like many, this silt also affected my property (3 times now!) and I decided to so something positive with this substance that has caused so much damage and so much loss. My main motivations with the Emerge range are to create beauty from disaster, and to help the present and future of our city. 30% of the proceeds of each purchase go to one of 3 appeals: Adopt a Christchurch Family, The Christchurch Earthquake appeal or the Red Cross Canterbury Earthquake appeal. You can select which is closer to your heart when you make a purchase. Please leave a note in the comments field - helping the future of Christchurch with the rebuild or helping families in need now.

To create each piece, I marble and mix the silt into white clay. The shape is then hand cut and the design is impressed into the clay. It is then pressed into a mould, dried, smoothed and fired. Then I apply glazes and fire a second time.

Each pendant is different and will not be the one pictured due to nature of marbling the silt in by hand. Some will have a heavier pattern, some will be lighter in colour - but they will all contain silt.


The handshaped Heart pendant necklace measures approx 2cm wide x 4.5cm high. I have stamped a small heart into the clay and glazed it red. The front and sides are glazed with a glossy clear crackle glaze and the back is unglazed.

Please NOTE: It is attached to a vintage brass ball chain. The chain measures 65cm long and it is easily shortened.

Thank you for your support in helping to rebuild and reshape the future of Christchurch.