Category: Uncategorized

We generally steer clear of politics here at Alchemy, but we couldn’t help but feel inspired by the latest candidate to throw their hat into the ring for the upcoming US Presidential elections. The only nominee to represent the interests of the undead, Mr A. Zombie has been attracting high profile coverage from such media outlets as USA Today and Fox News, in order to broadcast his post-mortem agenda. However, as his speech is mostly confined to worryingly hungry moans, articulating Zombie’s policies has largely fallen to his still-living (and doubtless very understanding) wife, Patti Morgan-Zombie. Such as his stance on unemployment, where Zombie vows to “strive to increase America’s workforce… even if it kills me. Again.”

Employing the living dead to deliver a serious message is nothing new. The classic horror flicks by zombie king, film director George Romero, have all featured a heavy dose of social and political satire beneath all the gore and gut-munching. Most controversially, ‘Homecoming’, the December 2005 episode of the Masters of Horror TV series, portrayed America’s war dead rising from their graves to vote a pro-war presidential candidate out of office. In the case of A. Zombie’s current presidential campaign, however, the aims are rather less lofty, as it’s actually a publicity stunt to try and convince the US Dish Network to reinstate the popular horror series The Walking Dead.

While none of us outside of the USA can vote for any of the Presidential Candidates, living or otherwise, we can still show our support for our undead friends in other ways. Here at Alchemy we can offer a wide range of accessories guaranteed to turn heads at the most exclusive graveyard soirees. For example, might we suggest the Nosferatu’s Hand belt buckle (B24) as a suitably ghoulish style statement? Or for something a little more elegant and eerie, the Dead Man’s Cuff (A61) bracelet will enchant every discerning necrophile, the ideal accessory for that chic Chanel shroud…

You can buy yours, and other Alchemy Possesions by searching for your local Alchemy Dealers here!..http://www.alchemyengland.com

This Monday will be October 1st and October for many of us can only mean one thing… Halloween. What does Halloween mean to you? Does it mark the dark season, or is it just simple fun for the kids. A time to dress up, decorate, carve pumpkins and scare the living day lights out of their friends by telling the scariest stories that their little minds can imagine, or maybe all of these things?

Halloween or All Hallows Eve, as it is sometimes referred to, began way back when Pagan rituals around harvest time included festivals honouring the dead. Of which in some faiths are still practised today.

These days Halloween has become a time for celebration all around the world. These celebrations include collecting sweets and gifts from neighbours houses or as it is commonly named trick or treating! Apple bobbing, making toffee apples and wearing the most grotesque costumes possible! Here is a particularly strange ritual dating back to the 1900’s. If an unmarried woman sat in darkened room in front of a mirror on the evening of Halloween, the face of her future husband would appear. However, if they were destined to die before they married a skull would appear!

Whatever way you choose to celebrate, have fun and enjoy. We, here at Alchemy, would love to see pictures of you in your darkest dress. Please send them to us, you never know you may be featured on our Facebook page. Don’t forget the finishing touch though……. Your favourite piece of Alchemy!

Check out some of our spooky selections below! All of which are available to order by visiting our recommended dealers page at www.alchemyengland.com/buy

Alchemy have been established for 35 years. Having began in 1977 in a one-roomed flat in England, as two young, alternative culture model-makers and artists, hand-making generic rock music badges from scrap metal and selling them to fans by mail. In less than a year We had taken a nearby small shop with a workshop above, and were supplying shops and distributors with quantities of the merchandise. Production techniques became more sophisticated and staff were needed to expand production, and by around 1980 We began making exclusive badges and necklaces for headline rock bands on tour.

In 1984, the biggest breakthrough came with a new, small collection of simple, gothic & heavy-metal style pewter jewellery called Alchemy Metal-Wear. Nothing like this had ever been seen before except for a few silver skull rings, and so Alchemy set the new trend and standards for alternative jewellery. Alchemy became so popular, so rapidly, that more staff were recruited and exports to Europe began.

After 35 years, We have expanded our collections to suit all ‘alternative’ tastes and have over 600 items in the Alchemy1977 catalogue. W are still designing and making our extraordinary pieces by hand in our workshops in England, and now sell to over 50 countries.

The Alchemy1977 Brand:

Alchemy1977 is now recognised across the world as the style-innovator of the alternative cultures, the high-end designer brand; the ‘Gucci of gothic’ and the ‘Cartier of rock’. Music gods such as Ozzy Ozbourne and Alice Cooper have been patrons of Alchemy1977 over time, as well as many upcoming bands of today like Five Finger Death Punch and Lacuna Coil, etc.

Alchemy’s British team of specialist designers, artists and model makers is second to none, and every jewellery design is developed around a thoroughly conceived and/or researched theme, often historical, mythological, legendary or metaphysical.

Alchemy Studios, the creative arm of the production company, is prolific and diverse in its extraordinary output. Every year the team produce at least 150 new jewellery/accessory items for its alternative collections, 80 pieces of artwork and design and produce around 100 custom made products for many prestigious clients.

The Alchemy brand has grown to be highly respected amongst aficionados everywhere, from Los Angeles and Paris to Dubai and Hong Kong, and typically, owners of Alchemy pieces treasure them for eternity.

Last month marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Sophie Lancaster – the 20-year old British goth who was killed in because of the way she dressed. Her murder continues to have an impact on the alternative scene with her mother Sylvia launching the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and giving talks to raise awareness of image-based prejudice. There’s even a stage named after Sophie at the annual Bloodstock Open Air Festival in Derbyshire.

Yorkshire poet Simon Armitage was so moved by Sophie’s death that he teamed up with Sylvia Lancaster to create a radio performance called ‘Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster’, which was based on his poetry collection of the same name. The performance has just been adapted for stage and is now running at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre until 29 September.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was created as a lasting legacy to Sophie, fighting for the respect and understanding of subcultures in our communities, campaigning to have the UK Hate Crime legislation extended to include people from “alternative subcultures” or “Lifestyle and Dress” If you have not already please visit and like The Sophie Lancaster Foundation Facebook page and show your support for the fantastic work of the foundation.

http://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/

The legendary ‘Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards’are back for the eighth year running, and as ever include spectacular nominees, featuring the greatest celebrated rock icons! The award ceremony was first established by ‘Classic Rock Magazine’, in the year of 2005. Since then it has captured the attention of lovers of Rock bands, events, films and songwriters.

Here at Alchemy, we are proud sponsors of the awards! Infact we actually handmake each award. This year the category we are sponsoring is: Reissue Of The Year.
Previous years winners in this category include; Queen (2011) and Rolling Stones (2010). This year in the line-up it features the likes of legends such as The Who, Pink Floyd and Whitesnake.

The other five categories you are eligible to vote for are as follows;

Best New Band of The Year
Album of The Year
Film/DVD of The Year
Event of The Year
Best Band of The Year

The awards will be taking place in London at ‘Roundhouse’ in November 2012.

Get involved by casting your votes now, before it’s too late!

You can vote by clicking the link to take you to the Official Classic Rock website .. http://awards.classicrockmagazine.com/

Those who share our passion for medieval history doubtless also share our excitement at the news that archaeologists believe they’ve discovered the bones of King Richard III. We’re particularly thrilled because the discovery’s been made in Alchemy’s hometown of Leicester. We have a special soft spot for Richard, one of the most controversial figures in English history, reviled as a deformed, evil tyrant by his opponents, hailed as a just and honest ruler by his supporters. He died fighting his rival Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, though the location of his body has remained a mystery. Until, perhaps, now…

Richard had the posthumous misfortune to have the greatest writer in English literature briefing against him, in the shape of William Shakespeare, who depicted the King as a scheming, bloodthirsty hunchback in his play Richard III (c. 1591). Since then this image has dominated portrayals, most famously when Laurence Olivier donned the hump for a 1955 film version of the play. Though we confess we rather like the over-the-top performance of the horror star Vincent Price as Richard in the 1962 Gothic chiller Tower of London. In 1983, the comedian Peter Cook parodied the Shakespeare version by playing the King as a brave, nice man in the first episode of the popular BBC historical sitcom Blackadder.

Whichever version is closest to the real Richard III, hopefully we’ll know a little more about this fascinating monarch after the team from Leicester University conclude their investigations. There are already calls for the remains to be interred with appropriate pomp, though this is perhaps premature, as the DNA testing which will help confirm the skeleton’s identity will take several months. Famously, the insignia of Richard’s faction was the white rose of York, and some feel he should be buried in York Minster. It is, we confess, pure coincidence that roses entwined with skulls and bones is the chief motif in the Alchemy collection. But it’s one we’re proud of, and we hope you’ll excuse this exciting discovery as an excuse to show you a few designs we feel appropriate to celebrate this exciting archaeological discovery!…

Why not get your hands on Alchemy’s very own Skull & Rose inspired
buckle! You can order your Alchemist Rex Buckle (B13) online by visiting our approved list of dealers at: http://www.alchemyengland.com/buy

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

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

The last month has been a sad one for British acting, as two iconic figures from the golden age of the British screen passed away. Angharad Rees and Simon Ward became familiar faces to UK cinemagoers and fans of TV drama via a series of fine performances in a string of films and television serials of the Sixties and Seventies. Mainstream media outlets highlighted their roles in domestic TV productions, identifying Rees with the character of the passionate serving girl Demelza in Poldark, and Ward with parts like Bishop Gardiner in the recent series The Tudors, both BBC period dramas.

Yet cult film fans remember them fondly for rather darker performances, particularly for Hammer Films, the UK’s legendary Gothic horror specialist. In 1971, Angharad took the leading role of Saucy Jack’s daughter in Hands of the Ripper. It was a part which showcased her versatility, as a delicate English rose with some wickedly dangerous thorns. In 1969, the dashing Mr Ward made his film speaking debut as one of Baron Frankenstein’s most memorable assistants in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, playing a young doctor named Karl, blackmailed by the Baron into assisting in his fiendish experiments. Some, including the film’s distinguished director Terence Fisher, regard Frankenstein Must be Destroyed as Hammer’s greatest exercise in celluloid Gothic.

To commemorate the passing of these two irreplaceable performers, you might care to join us and watch a DVD double-bill of these two ripe vintage slices of Hammer horror. If you’d like to immerse yourself yet further in the worlds of Jack the Ripper and Baron Frankenstein, we might have just the thing. Those fascinated by the Ripper will adore our grisly but elegant Jack’s Tally pendant, while Frankenstein fiends should check out Igor’s Knife Switch, our eye-catching earring inspired by the Baron’s brutish assistant.

You can purchase both of the above items by visiting our recommended dealers page at www.alchemyengland.com/buy

London’s 2012 Summer Olympics will be the biggest event in the UK this year. It’s the third time that England’s capital has hosted the games and very soon almost 200 countries will be competing against each other in 26 different sporting activities. We’re are now just 2 days away from the massive opening ceremony, which will kick-start the competitive event.
 
The Olympic games originated in Ancient Greece where they were held every four years at Olympia in honour of Zeus, the king of their gods. They are believed to have begun around 776 BC as a much smaller event with fewer, male-only participants. Back then, you’d have been just as likely to see athletes taking part in chariot racing as wrestling! Naturally, times have changed and nowadays not only are women allowed to compete but we’ve also got inspiring events such as the Paralympic Games too.

 In honour of the Olympics’ origins, Alchemy invites you to explore two famous Hellenic myths through our English-crafted jewellery. The Gorgon’s Eye ring [R.153] and belt buckle [B.77] both pay homage to the snake-haired gorgon Medusa and Icarus Ex Machina necklace [P.556] is a steampunk interpretation of Icarus’ wax and feather wings as created by his dad!

You can order the Gorgon’s Eye Beltbuckles by browsing our recommended online dealers at

www.alchemyengland.com/buy

In one of the more unorthodox diplomatic initiatives of recent years, a French petition is being submitted to Her Majesty the Queen of England, demanding the Crown Jewels. The petition originates from Angers, a city around 300km west of Paris, which was once capital of the historic province of Anjou. This lies at the root of the demand, as Anjou was ancestral home to the Plantagenet dynasty, the family that ruled England for much of the Middle Ages. Such distinguished monarchs as Richard the Lionheart and Henry V, hero of Agincourt, all descended from the Plantagenet line.

That line was severed in 1499, when Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, was beheaded at the command of Henry VII, the first of England’s Tudor kings. Now the citizens of Angers want compensation for this 500-year-old injustice. With interest… This would be a considerable sum, but in recognition of the difficult times we now face, they are willing to accept a substitute. Namely the British Crown Jewels. A spokesman for Angers council confessed that, while their petition had ‘little chance of success’, it was worth reminding Britons of the ‘state crime’ of Edward’s ‘unfair and horrible death’, and encouraged tourists to visit the city.

The petition already has several hundred signatures, and though we at Alchemy wouldn’t support the campaign as it stands, we certainly do approve of visiting beautiful historic cities like Angers, which boasts a wealth of stunning medieval architecture. We also like to draw attention to – and inspiration from – Europe’s rich historical heritage. Such as with our ornate Plantagenet wine glass, the perfect receptacle with which to toast England’s most esteemed medieval dynasty.
To buy your very own visit www.alchemyengland.com/buy

An antique vampire-hunting kit, auctioned by the English firm Tennants last weekend easily exceeded estimates when it sold for £7,500 (around $11,500 or 9,500 Euros). Consisting of a mahogany case containing such slaying staples as a crucifix, stakes, a pistol and a rosary, the auctioneer’s valuer, Oonagh Drage, observed that it was “probably a novelty thing. It’s playing to people’s superstitions.” Similar kits have sporadically surfaced for sale at auction houses since the 1970s, and now occasionally appear on online bidding sites, but remain controversial.

While few experts believe that they were ever truly sold in the 1800s to protect travellers from the undead, some, like Ms Drage, suggest that they might have been marketed as Victorian Gothic novelties. Several well-informed sceptics – like Jonathan Ferguson, curator of firearms at the Leeds Royal Armouries – have cast doubt on the idea that any of the vampire-hunting kits are authentic antiques. Yet it was Mr Ferguson who made the winning bid on the museum’s behalf. “We’ve yet to establish a firm date for our kit, but we know it will attract a lot of interest from our museum visitors”, he said.

While here at Alchemy we wouldn’t like to be seen as promoting vampire-hunting – some of our best friends are undead – anybody looking to sport a crucifix motif is spoilt for choice by our range, featuring everything from the subtle Pugin’s Cross ring to the flamboyance of the Torquemada Cross-Tegere earring. Dedicated foes of the denizens of darkness might also like to consider the Eschat Pinn or Death of a Vampire – two pendants with stake motifs that should show even the bloodthirstiest ghouls that you mean business…