The story of the “Ghost Bracelet”
Written by the author Skye Moody and Kevin Crane
“Having visited China many times over the past 32 years, I feel a special relationship to the land and people. In 1985, an elderly Chinese antique dealer in Guilin, who always had something wonderful waiting for me every time I visited him, sold me ten hand-cut, very old carnelian stones, the most beautiful carnelian stones I’d ever seen. They were strung on simple white cotton string. I paid US $26. for them, a fortune as far as my Chinese friend was concerned. In Hong Kong, I had 8 of the stones restrung into a bracelet with knotted black silk and a lovely gold clasp. I wore the bracelet daily, often even at night while I slept. The stones felt like a part of me. Then, eighteen years later, in 2003, I gave the bracelet to a firm for re-stringing. The bracelet mysteriously “disappeared”. I was devastated. In 2005, I met Kevin Crane, and when I told him my sad tale and showed him the two carnelian stones that didn’t end up in the bracelet, he blinked his eyes a few times, then said, “I have an idea.” In Kevin’s brilliant mind had formed the vision that would become the “Ghost Bracelet”, which I now wear every day and cherish. Have a look at artistic genius.” -Skye Moody
The Ghost bracelet in hand carved black Jade, Carnelian and 18 Karat yellow gold.
“When I first encountered the Stones it was clear that we were looking at some very ancient and time worn Chinese stones. They felt good when you held them in your hands. My vision was to see the missing bracelet remade as new. We could have easily copied the remaining Carnelian beads and carved her a set of new beads as replacements of the missing stones and recreated a bracelet very similar to the one that Ms. Moody had lost… However; the new beads would not have had the history and energy of the missing gems. It seemed to be more powerful and fitting to honor the missing beads by carving the replacements in black Jade and make them become a “ghost” of what had been lost.” -Kevin Glenn Crane