Monthly Archives: August 2012

The popular saying “once in a blue moon” used to describe an event that rarely takes place, comes from the rare occurrence of two full moons in a calendar month. It is the second full moon which is known as The Blue Moon (although not blue in colour). Tonight (Friday 31st August) will see the second full moon of August and first Blue moon since March 2010.

Because the time between one full moon and the next is close to the length of a calendar month, the only time one month can have two full moons is when the first full moon happens in the first few days of the month. Most years have twelve full moons that occur approximately monthly. In addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains roughly eleven days more than the lunar year of 12 lunations. The extra days accumulate, so every two or three years (7 times in the 19-year Metonic cycle), there is an extra full moon.

The moon will be at its fullest – reflecting the maximum sunlight from our vantage point on Earth – this afternoon at 2.59PM. Although sadly there’s no point looking up for those of us in the UK, as the moon will be below the horizon at this point. However if you look up tonight when our solar neighbour makes an appearance, you’ll be seeing the first ‘blue moon’ since March 2010, and the last one until July 2015.

For a brief but mortally terrifying transience, the incredible forces of the full moon are inexplicably combined with an obscure but powerful, cabalistic seal of Saturn, unleashing the wholly unnatural and utterly dreadful phenomenon of the Werewolf. The resulting man come wolf beast, will savagely terrorise all before him, creating the next generation of ill-fated victims. Order your Wulven Belt Buckle (B74) online by searching our approved online dealers www.alchemyengland.com/buy

Did you know the modern calendar has been around for 430 years? Its official name is the Gregorian calendar and it was introduced in Italy by Pope Gregory XIII back in 1582, although the concept of charting dates has been around much longer. The Gregorian calendar was adapted from a grid originally developed during the reign of Julius Caesar. The grid included so many leap years that by the 16th century, it was 10 days out! The Gregorian calendar was gradually rolled out across Europe over the next 400 years.

We tend to take calendars for granted now but when they were first conceived, they were an important way of ensuring that religious worship fell on the correct day. Originally hand-written as a chart rather than printed, they also ensured citizens knew when to pay their rents and taxes!

Calendars play an important role for Alchemy too and we’ve been designing our very own for several years following Gregorian methods. Our latest Rune Faerie calendar [CAL13] is an intricately illustrated grid that begins on 1 September and runs for 16 months. It also includes the Elder Futhark runes that were used by the Germanic tribes between 2 and 8 AD.

The Run Faerie Calendar is available to order now!
Visit www.alchemyengland.com/buy to browse our approved online dealers and order yours Today!

The trial of Russian punk band Pussy Riot has recently been dominating both music and political news. Back in March, three members of the feminist collective were arrested by local authorities and accused of hooliganism. Their detention came several weeks after they performed a protest song at Moscow’s biggest cathedral, Christ the Saviour. Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich have already spent the last few months in prison. Human rights group Amnesty International has published a statement saying they find the trio “to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression.”

The trial of the three young women has attracted worldwide attention and gained support from politicians and musicians alike, including Faith No More, Anti-Flag and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The verdict was announced on Friday 17th August. The three women were found guilty of “hooliginism motivated by religious hatred” and jailed for two years.

Alchemy Gothic supports freedom of speech with the Anastasia [A60] bracelet and matching ring [R160]. This Swarovski crystal decorated ornate set pays tribute to the elaborate style of the House of Romanov and takes its name from the murdered daughter of the last ruling tsar, Nicholas II.

A phobia is an intense, irrational, repetitive thought about an object or situation that can, unfortunately, control people’s lives.

Arachnophobia is one common phobia that people would admit to having and is more predominant in women more then men, but the extent to this phobia can vary, with some people having a mild form of anxiety, while others will panic if they see a picture of a spider, let alone come into contact with one!

There are many treatments for phobias to help people control there anxiety. Behavioural psychologists use a simple form form of treatment, known as flooding. This is were the person is exposed to there fear until the fear itself fades away. This treatment has been proven to be very effective when the individual is exposed gradually to their fear over a period of weeks.

Not all of us have a phobia of spiders, so why not purchase some of Alchemy’s spider inspired jewellery. If you do suffer from Arachnophobia why not try and overcome your fear, Alchemy style, by wearing some of our statement jewellery, such as the stunning ‘Emerald Venom Pendant’ (P432).. Or brave wearing the ‘Black Widow Studs’ (E169)

You can order yours online by visiting our approved list of dealers at http://www.alchemyengland.com/buy

LondonEdge SEPTEMBER 2012

From September 2nd – 4th London Olympia will once again play host to alternative trade show LondonEdge. The biggest and best show of its kind in the world, LondonEdge catering to a group of the most creative and exciting ‘niches’ in fashion and accessories.

The rock n roll, cool and kooky styles of the exhibitors is met year after year with an exciting and familiar buzz and positive atmosphere. After 12 years, LondonEdge continues to welcome back regular exhibitors as well as embracing new from the UK, Europe and worldwide and this September will not prove any different.

Whatever your thing, LondonEdge welcome’s a broad range of gorgeous, commercial & trend-led styles including retro, vintage, rock, swing, rockabilly, street, 40′s, 50′s, pin-up, burlesque, punk, 60′s, 80′s, mod and more. This is one of the longest standing and consistent fashion trade shows in the UK offering an ever-evolving platform for these markets.

When it comes to the business side of things this is one of the only shows where business is conducted at the shows and buyers can write orders there and then providing opportunity to get work out of the way with no pressure to put orders in at a later date.

Due to be another fantastic show, LondonEdge attracts UK and international buyers and business from retailers all over the world. With a great mix of new and established brand’s there is always a great atmosphere whilst providing a new and entertaining show – not just for buyers but for exhibitors too.

With crazy catwalk shows, stage acts and walkabout performances, this show famously offers the ultimate feast of entertainment unlike any other trade fair.
Coming up this September will be a wild catwalk show combining entertainment with fantastically styled fashion previews, free haircuts and Betty Bangs & Rolls at Mister Ducktail stand, a LIVE car wrapping and live tattoo art at Pauls Chop Shop.

There are other new and exciting changes with LondonEdge this season so keep watching for further information by visiting www.londonedge.com

2nd – 4th September 2012, The National Hall, Olympia

Find Alchemy at London Edge! Come see us at Stand H30!

People have been using the power of positive thinking to attract what they want and the kind of life they want from the universe for centuries! Even the likes of Albert Einstein, Beethoven, da Vinci and Winston Churchill have used this method of positive thinking to change their lives for the better, and these are to name but a few!

“you create your own universe as you go along” Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Everybody on the planet is special and deserves a wonderful life and to have good positive things happen to them, but many people let life get them down, but ultimately we hold the key to our own happiness!
We all know about “the secret” which talks about changing every aspect of our lives and turning any weakness or suffering into strength , health and joy.

All of this is achieved through the simple changing of our thoughts and the way we think about things. There are no limits to what you can achieve and nothing is impossible. Thinking, feeling and visualising good things happening to us orders them through the universe and brings them to us.

The universe is our magic genie and our wishes are its command!
If changing the way you think and feel is something new for you then you may need something to focus your positive thoughts into.

The Prana Talisman is an excellent tool for this and can be kept close to you at all times to remind us of our goals and wishes, and to also remind us that we are amazing! To purchase one of these amazing Talismans you can visit www.pranatalisman.com

With Bloodstock nearly upon us, we thought we’d try and catch a few words with the festival’s founder, Paul Raymond Gregory. In addition to masterminding the UK’s best-loved heavy metal fest, Paul’s also an acclaimed artist, responsible not just for designing Bloodstock’s inimitable logos featuring S-tan the Derby Ram, but also for painting album covers for the likes of Molly Hatchet, Dio, Blind Guardian, and Saxon. Despite catching him at his busiest time of the year, Paul was kind enough to spare us a few minutes and share a couple of behind-the-scenes insights on the mighty Bloodstock…

I get the impression that a passion for Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels led you to art, that led you to album cover design, that led to metal… Is that roughly the road that led to Bloodstock as it were?
I’ve always had a passion for art and this is who I am first and foremost. For me, being a child of the sixties was great, as I was introduced to bands that were influenced by the Blues – The Rolling Stones, John Mayall, Eric Clapton etc. – which led me to discover Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Howlin’ Wolf and a plethora of other great Blues musicians. So, the point of my rambling is, I like the idea that one thing can lead to another if you can be arsed to connect the dots. As an artist my preferred genre is Fantasy. Again, Fantasy has had an influence on music and vice versa for centuries, so, for me, my art was bound to meet my musical tastes at some point.

What’s your current personal music taste? Anyone you’re particularly looking forward to this year? 
Blues, Rock and Metal, but not necessarily in that order. I won’t go the route of my favourite for this year, but will say I can’t wait

The atmosphere and line-up at Bloodstock are always great – I get the impression that this really is a metal festival for fans, by fans – is that the secret of your success?
Bloodstock is metal through and through, but if there is a secret, I’d like to know what it is so I could market it. The fact is ‘for fans by fans’ is the reason the festival has grown. We take what we do seriously, and even if it’s not the secret of our success, we certainly are a team of metalheads.

Dubiously metal acts like Pendulum have caused a lot of controversy on other bills – are you ever tempted to expand your musical remit?
We always look to develop the festival.

The cancellation of Sonisphere caught many by surprise this year – is Bloodstock still weathering the current economic climate well?
Not so much the economic storm – the weather has been more extreme than some metal acts and has seen the cancellation of quite a few festivals. As to your question, we’re still here and the weather’s looking great.

Bloodstock runs from August 9th-12th – for further details check out the festival site http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/pages/home As ever, Alchemy will be there, so visit our stand to check out our latest designs, throw some horns, or just say hello. See you there!