Magnificent Seven
When I was a child I didn’t like dolls, so my parents gave me toy soldiers and an Action Man instead. I mainly got Timpo toy soldiers, in particular the cowboys, indians and a couple of Romans. They are swoppets, which means the heads, guns, neckerchiefs, hats and torsos can be taken apart and swopped onto other models.
Studying for my Jewellery City & Guilds Certificate at Sir John Cass in Whitechapel, the first piece I made was a ring using three Timpo toy soldier heads (two 7th cavalry and a Sioux indian):
True Grit
I didn’t realise how hard making a ring like this would be. The ring shaft itself is a box, allowing the necks of the toy soldier heads to sit in the extension.
The brief was to make a ring using an object from your past. I loved my multi-coloured plastic toy soldiers, and I didn’t want to take them apart, so I went on to Ebay to by some body parts. Uh oh – nostalgia meets availability! Now I could buy all the Timpo I didn’t have as a child – the Vikings, Apaches, a cowboy about to draw his six shooter; the boxed roman chariot set; the divers and frogmen; Mexicans, Arabs, and French Foreign Legion; American Civil War figures with the very rare confederates, the white gloved cavalry; wild west scenery, cacti, camp fires and totem poles; the Eskimos; a cowboy lassoing a horse, trapper canoes, Wild West Freight Train Set The Midnight Special; a rare Captain Scarlet; World War 2 Americans, British and Germans; the cowboys on a raft, masked bandits and starred sheriffs, Crusaders and knights with visors that open and shut; the Prairie Rocket Great Train Hold Up Set, the Royal Horse guards; General Custer on his horse. It was wonderful! Oh yes, and some spare heads for the ring.
My other great joy is making unique jewellery, so put the two together and out pops a ‘Wanted” cowboy silver pendant. If you want me to make one for you, visit my Paola X website cowboy!
