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The Inspirational Lewis: Bob Siemon's Jewelry
08/14/05
Submitted By ddraigwen
Bob Siemon's Narnia Leaf PendantThe various works of C.S. Lewis--whether they be the fantasy of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy or deep examinations of faith such as Mere Christianity or The Screwtape Letters--while affecting each reader in their own way also have one specific emotion in common: inspiration (whether it be to become closer to one’s God or to discover magical new lands in both the real world and imagination). It would not be a great leap to say that even J.R.R. Tolkien was inspired by Lewis as they were both members of the great literary group The Inklings.
The upcoming Chronicles of Narnia have Disney thanking Lewis for not only writing the original material, but for doing so in such a way that an inspired scriptwriter can take the images formed from words in a book and translate them not only into lines but scenes for a movie that will carry the message of C.S. Lewis and also be enjoyable for the regular person on the street who has no inkling of the deeper messages that the series carries. It seems clear that Lewis himself was an inspired man in order to be able to write a series that was not only an exciting read for children but could also carry through the struggles of life to take on an even greater meaning when read as an Adult
One more public aspect of inspiration has been the many spin off products that have been born from his works.
There have been dozens if not hundreds of books that discuss his works and how they fit in to faith. There are college courses in many departments exploring his various thoughts on fiction, faith and God. And recently there was a PBS documentary titled “A Question of God” which looked at Lewis and Freud, two of the greatest thinkers on faith in the modern day, and how they each saw faith and God and how their thoughts on those subjects apply to the modern world.
Even modern fiction writers such as J.K. Rowling and Tim Powers openly speak of the influence C.S. Lewis has had on their works. The Harry Potter series,while being hotly debated within the Christian community, is still the best selling children’s fiction series in print…. One wonders if Ms Rowling will stop at seven books as she originally intended and mirror Narnia in that way.
Lucy's Vial PendantThe new Chronicles of Narnia movies from Walden Media and Disney are also inspiring artists to produce items for us, the avid Lewis enthusiasts, to buy. Not only are there the series of Weta Collectibles featuring polystone statues and other items, but also aids for teachers so that they can encourage the younger generation to become immersed in Lewis’s world and the messages within.
While Jasmine Watson has designed the jewellery for the movies, another jewellery designer, Bob Siemon, is doing something a little different, by trying to bring the inspirational message of Lewis to us via jewellery.
I talked to Natalie Clark the marketing manager for Bob Siemon Designs, to find out a little more about the collection.
Why faith/inspirational jewellery? How did the company get on its feet?
Bob Siemon Designs was started over thirty years ago by our founder, Bob Siemon. He began creating inspirational jewellery because people saw the jewellery that he created for himself and asked where they could purchase it. From the beginning it has been important to the company to provide people with the opportunity to express and share what they believe. The message of hope that caused Bob to create the first piece of jewellery still inspires us today.
How did you get the license from Disney? Did you approach them or
were there bids from other companies?
Because of the products that we produced for The Passion of the Christ we were familiar with the tremendous opportunity that partnering with a major motion picture release provides. Our license with Disney Pictures came as a result of this work and the relationships that were built through that process.
Tell me about the design process. Did you concentrate on the books
for your ideas or was it more movies based?
All of the designs for the movie were based on characters, motifs and symbolism found in C.S. Lewis' original masterpiece. In addition, the designs were created to help bring to life the story from the movie. For example, one piece of jewellery, the Vial Pendant, is based on a design that is owned by the C.S. Lewis Foundation. Other designs, such as the Sterling Silver Shield Pendant were made to resemble the movie's visual representation of the themes found throughout the original story.
Sterling Silver Shield PendantWhat do you hope that people will get from your jewellery?
As mentioned earlier, it is our mission to create jewellery that helps individuals share a message of hope and provide them with the opportunity to express and share what they believe. Since C.S. Lewis' story is one of hope and redemption, these products easily accomplish that goal. We hope that the jewellery will remind those who wear it of the beauty and mystery that is found in the land beyond the wardrobe and that, just like in the land of Narnia, in the end, goodness triumphs.
Check out Bob Siemon's website for more of his designs and remember to stay tuned to The Stone Table for the latest images of the Narnia line.
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