The Poetic Pieces collection is an awesome concept in jewellery, which encourages the best in people. Let it help you keep what’s important in life front and centre, or gift it to somebody you care about.

To view the entire Poetic Pieces Collection, view our online catalogue here – follow the links there to find your most convenient stockist.

Be Inspired!

On December the 5th 2013, Nelson Mandela passed away, leaving as his legacy a free and reconciled South Africa and a world inspired by his determination, tenacity and commitment.

In Nelson Mandela’s honour, we’ve added one of his renowned quotes to the Poetic Pieces collection.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

This quote clearly sums up the attitude that helped Mandela stay focused on his dream, despite the apparent impossibility of his circumstances. Imagine, at the age of 44, being imprisoned for life in a country that views you as a lower class citizen, yet 30 years later rising to become the liberator of your people and then the first democratically elected president of South Africa.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done” is a reminder to stay determined and committed to our dreams and goals. Nelson Mandela exemplified how this is done, to the extreme.


Find this quote available on 2 pieces of jewellery in the Poetic Pieces collection:


P-4S-25

A sterling silver disc measuring 21 mm in diametre, strung from a 45 cm natural silk black cord and finished with a sterling silver clasp.


B-7-25

A fully adjustable bracelet comprising an inscribed piece of sterling silver, strung on a natural silk black cord.


To purchase either of these jewellery pieces,  contact your local Blue Turtles stockist (you can find your most convenient stockist here)

To request a full Poetic Pieces catalogue, lease click here.

Stay inspired!

Yet in embracing our modern lifestyle, there’s been a cost…
Despite all we now have to make our lives easier and more convenient, we strangely find ourselves almost always on the run, racing against the clock and driven by deadlines. We need everything to be faster and shorter, so we can fit more into increasingly hectic schedules.

AFP Photo

Our technologies advance relentlessly, so we find ourselves in a perpetual state of upgrade. We’re mentally digesting vast amounts of information – more in a year than our ancestors dealt with in a lifetime – yet we’re actually thinking less.
Our modern world’s motto is “connectivity”, yet we’re perhaps more disconnected than ever before.


When our economy doesn’t grow, we feel like we’ve failed, so we never dare to sit still and let things just be as they may.




The food we eat is increasingly engineered, manufactured and refined – no longer simply grown. What was acceptably sustaining us and every living thing on the planet since the beginning of life on Earth is no longer considered “efficient” enough.


Despite all our advances over the last 200 years, each day we’re informed of yet another detrimental effect our modern lifestyle is having on our society, our health and our environment – more environmental destruction, more disaffected peoples, more allergies, mental and behavioral disorders, neurological diseases and cancers. Our bodies and minds are ill at ease, not to mention the state of our planet.

We clearly need something we’re not getting, and getting something we really don’t need …we’ve lost touch.

Think about it, for millions of years we’ve evolved in harmony with Nature – as a part of nature. Then suddenly, with the advent of industrialization and the tools of technology, we started to buck that trend, arrogant in the belief that we can now control nature. As a consequence, we’ve lost track of, and in many cases, even upset the natural cycles that have always been and still are an intrinsic part of us.

But the solution may be quite simple…

Ever noticed how spending some time in nature recharges our batteries and makes us feel calm? When we take the opportunity to interact with nature – whether it be a trek in the wilderness or tending the garden – we experience a sublime sense of calm and well-being…a connectedness!

Henry David Thoreau

That’s the whole point of this quote by Henry David Thoreau – artist, inventor, naturalist, activist, disobeyer and child of the universe.

Thoreau understood that human life is intrinsically interwoven with our natural world. So he sought to let nature guide him to better understand his own fundamentals, and his place in the world.


In his book, Walden; or Life In The Woods, an account of his time spent living on the edge of wilderness, Thoreau wrote;

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.”

Walden Pond at sunset

Yes, Thoreau’s personal experiment with nature was deliberately extreme, but the principle is clear – it’s when we surrender to nature’s influences that we experience what’s real.


So, what is so deeply satisfying about this experience of what’s real?

Perhaps it’s spiritual – our souls get to reconnect with the all-pervasive Oneness. Or perhaps it’s biological – just like sea turtles can traverse oceans and instinctively return to the same beach where they were born, perhaps we humans also have a complex relationship with the forces of nature, which is too subtle to be aware of in our busy, noisy and crowded daily lives, but still impacts our well-being.
Perhaps it’s both of these things.

So, lets all take some cues from nature. Lets all make our selves a little more vulnerable. Lets feel the impact of too hot, too cold or too wet, and get to know it for what it is. Lets plant gardens that are in harmony with the prevailing conditions, and observe/feel the impacts of the changing seasons. Lets limit our consumption to what the seasons provide, and appreciate more deeply how and why things are always changing. Lets spend more time on beaches, mountains and in forests, once again feeling and observing the changing seasons.

Other than that deep sense of calm and wellbeing, we’ll likely feel healthier for it. We’ll also take some pressure off our environment and allow it to heal, and it will in turn provide us with more of what it has always provided since the dawn of time.

Please share your thoughts with us, and ways you know to resign ourselves to the influences of the seasons. Let us know the benefits you’ve experienced.

This quote is part of Blue Turtles’ Poetic Pieces collection and is available as pendant P-7-5, a versatile and unisex style of pendant.

To request a full catalogue of Poetic Pieces quotes and styles, click here.

Why is it so natural for us as children to believe in magic and fairies, yet when we grow into adults they become nothing but fantasy and make-believe (for most of us, anyway)?

If, as adults, we truly believe that fairies are nonsense, then why do we tolerate our children’s interest in them? Shouldn’t we be discouraging them, rather than building them up for the great disappointment to come?

…Aren’t we strange?

In J. M. Barrie’s story Peter Pan, a fairy dies every time a child says that he or she doesn’t believe in fairies. The pivotal moment comes when Peter, in the presence of a lifeless Tinkerbell, chants the words, “I do believe in fairies! I do! I do!” It starts as a painful longing, but evolves into a conviction. It becomes infectious, first affecting those closest to Peter, and finally spreading across Neverland, and even as far as London. Before too long, everybody, young and old, is declaring, “I do believe in fairies! I do! I do!” Magic happens and Tinkerbell comes back to life!

J.M. Barrie’s gift to us in this scene is the inspiration to bring back to life the things we used to believe in. The potential outcome is a changed life – or even a changed world!

Ask yourself, what liberating dreams have you let go of over the years? Did you once aspire to something, but stopped believing you could achieve it? Did you once have hopes for a better world, but you’ve conceded defeat to all the pillaging Captain Hooks out there?

In these innocent child-like words is a powerful message: Believe! Have conviction! Speak up for what you believe in, and allow yourself to be an inspiration to others.

Perhaps you simply miss the fairies from your childhood? You’re surely not the only one…why else do you think so many of us still let our children believe in them?

These inspiring words by Peter Pan are available inscribed on a pendant (item number P-4-2) and bracelet (B-7-2), part of the wonderful Poetic Pieces Collection – an inspiring collection of over 90 quotes and words of inspiration inscribed on more than 50 styles of sterling silver jewellery.

Request a catalogue by clicking here!

(If you’ve been touched by this article, please share it with anyone you know who once believed in something)

Einstein was remarkable not only for his huge intellect (he is considered one of the most prolific intellects in human history), but for his spirituality and the enigma of his almost other-worldly simplicity. In the words of his colleague, nuclear physicist Robert Oppenheimer, “He was almost wholly without sophistication and wholly without worldliness . . . There was always with him a wonderful purity at once childlike and profoundly stubborn.”

We live in a time when many of us are no longer open to what cannot be proved beyond doubt with empirical evidence. There’s no place for miracles or magic within such a worldview, which is why we can take heart in the musings of a highly qualified scientist such as Einstein, who once said, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

Einstein’s quote about the power of imagination is truly profound, as it alludes to the power that he perceived the human mind to have – the power to shape our own outcomes!

Thank you, Albert Einstein, for your contributions to both science and human potential.

Einstein’s quote is available inscribed on earrings E-3-55, pendant P-6-55, ring R-4-55 and key ring KC-2-55

Request a full Poetic Pieces catalogue here.

Pendant SP-1-4. Click to enlarge

Henry David Thoreau was an American author and poet who lived from 1817 to 1862. He was very passionate about natural history and wrote about the joys of a simple life, epitomized by living close to nature.

His works, particularly Walden, influenced the evolution of the Environmentalist movement.

He also developed his philosophy on civil disobedience, which proved to be an inspiration for later greats such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, both of whom themselves, incidentally, relentlessly and famously pursued their own dreams!

Thoreau’s motivating admonishment urges us to strive for what our hearts desire. It’s all too easy, with the pressures and stresses we experience, to lose sight of what we really want. Don’t let it be so! Be confident! Follow your dreams! Live the life you have imagined!

Thank you, Henry Thoreau.

Thoreau’s inspiring words are but one of a cast of many quotes from the inspiring Poetic Pieces Collection. Thoreau is available as bracelet B-1-4, earrings E-2B-4, pendant SP-1-4 (pictured above, with crystal beads) or key ring KC-2-4

Request a full Poetic Pieces catalogue here.

There’s a lot to be said about Nietzsche. He questioned and challenged the value and objectivity of truth. He developed the concept of “Life-Affirmation,” an honest questioning of all doctrines that drain life’s expansive energies, however socially prevalent those views might be.

He also developed the concepts of “The Will to Power” and the “Ubermensch”, or ”Overman”. In a nutshell, these philosophies put forward the idea that the struggle to survive is a secondary drive in all beings, less important than the desire to expand one’s own power, and that in addition to this, we humans are but a stage in evolution – that something more evolved than us is yet to come, and will eventually replace us.

Amazing stuff! In the context of Nietzsche’s life’s work, we can understand now why he said that what doesn’t destroy us makes us stronger. It’s also apparent that Nietzsche meant this quote to refer to something much bigger than himself.

But we don’t have to consider his words in the context of all of humanity, as he probably did – we can certainly personalize them and draw strength and inspiration from them in our own lives. We know for a fact that people have worn these words on a Poetic Piece in the face of personal challenges – from illness to loss, to natural disaster (if you’ve done so, we’d love to hear from you).

Nietzsche’s words are available as a pendant (P-3-3), bangle (B-1-3), ring (R-3 or R-3-ST) or charm (Ch-3-3).

View these and other inspiring pieces from Blue Turtles’ sterling silver Poetic Pieces Collection by requesting a catalogue here.

To find your local stockist, click here.

Thanks to http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/ for information on Nietzsche.

He was born into a warrior family, his father a soldier who died when Confucius was only 3 years old, leaving him to grow up in poverty.

Despite economic disadvantage in his early life, Confucius went on to become the Minister of Justice in the Chinese state of Lu, and eventually to teach his philosophies on personal and governmental morality.

Confucius’ teachings are contained in a set of writings known as the Analects of Confucius. Essential to these teachings is the idea that cultivating our own judgment is more important than a rigid set of moral laws by which to live. He did not construct a systematic and formalized mode for living, he instead encouraged his students to think for themselves – to study the world around them and make informed decisions, using political events and moral problems from history as a guide to finding solutions.

From this quote by Confucius, we can see that he understood the relationship between the head and the heart. He understood that the heart, when unhindered by the machinations of the head, instinctively knows the moral solution to our problems, and guides us accordingly.

This quote is a reminder to us to stay focused on our own truth, and to not be led astray by the influences the world has on our thoughts. Stay true to our own hearts, for our own good, and the good of the world!

Confucius’ quote is part of Blue Turtles’ Poetic Pieces Collection, and is available as either bracelet B-1 or pendant P-1.

You can request a full Poetic Pieces catalogue by clicking  here.

She was born in Alabama USA in 1880 and at the age of 19 months she fell ill and lost both her sight and hearing.

Imagine facing the world totally deaf and blind – unable to relate to anything or anyone around you by sound or sight. Helen must have felt locked away and lost to the world, until the teacher her parents hired for her, Anne Sullivan, began tracing the letters of the alphabet on her hand. In this way, Helen learned how to communicate and the doors to the world were flung open for her.

Helen went on to become a college graduate, author, public speaker and political activist. She has no doubt inspired millions the world over with the amazing story of her determination.

Indeed, who are we to live ordinary lives?

This amazing quote is available to you from the Poetic Pieces Collection as either ring R-1, pendant P-1 or key ring, KC-1. Request a full Poetic Pieces catalogue here.

The teachings of the Buddha revolve around becoming such a human being, and the process of becoming one is grounded in understanding and living by Truth.

In understanding Truth, the Buddha discovered what are termed the 3 Universal Truths:
1.     Nothing is permanent. Everything changes (“Anicca”)
2.     There is no self – no “I” or “me” (Anatta)
3.     Clinging to impermanent things causes suffering (Dukkha)

These 3 Universal Truths further lead into what the Buddha termed the 4 Noble Truths:
1.     Life is suffering
2.     Suffering is caused by craving, desire and ignorance
3.     There is a path to ending suffering – the removal of desire and ignorance
4.     The Middle Path (a life of moderation, without extremes) leads to the end of suffering

This quote is available in the Poetic Pieces Collection as a bangle (B-1-39) and pendant (P-8-39).
To view the full catalogue of quotes and styles in the Poetic Pieces Collection, click here.