A little more detail…

Blackbird Recycled 100 year old silver sixpence – sing a song of sixpence

He has been lovingly and meticulously hand cut from a 100 year old silver sixpence.  Each pendant is carefully handcrafted to order, using only these recycled silver coins. The coins themselves are the perfect medium for this beautiful design, inline with a love of nature using these coins is the perfect ethical and green solution. No new silver is destructively ‘mined’ and old, uncollectible pure silver coins are saved from the ‘melting pot’ of bullion merchants so some of their history and story live on.

Once the design has been freehand sketched on to the coin it is carefully hand cut and carved using traditional hand saws, chisels and files. This traditional process allows me to have a close connection to each piece, ensuring the end result is personal and unique. The distinctive Blackbird beak and eye ring is made from a wee nugget of 24ct gold meticulously inlaid by hand.

Handmade and recycled in Cambridge, England.

Size : Approx 19 mm diameter.

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing;
Wasn’t that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?

The king was in his counting house,
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.

And shortly after that,
there came a little wren,
As she sat upon a chair,
and put it on again.

Sing a Song of Sixpence” is a nursery rhyme with multiple interpretations, ranging from historical events to playful symbolism. One popular theory links it to pirate lore, with the “sixpence” representing a pirate’s wage and the “blackbirds” being the crew. Another suggests it represents King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, with the “blackbirds” being monks and the “pie” symbolizing the monastic properties. Some interpretations even connect the rhyme to the moon and sun, with the blackbirds representing hours in a day.

Pirate Code Theory:
Sixpence: A daily wage for pirates, perhaps including a “hip flask of rye whisky” as suggested by a newspaper article.
Blackbirds: The pirate crew, possibly dressed in black.
Pie: The pirate ship, where the crew is “baked” (hiding) until ready to ambush.
Sing: The act of the pirates surprising another ship.

Historical Interpretation (King Henry VIII):
King: King Henry VIII.
Queen: Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife.
Maid: Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife.
Blackbirds: Monks from the dissolved monasteries, potentially carrying deeds or other valuables (the “pie”).
Nose Snapping: May symbolize the beheading of Anne Boleyn.

Lunar and Solar Theory:
King: The sun.
Queen: The moon.
Blackbirds: The hours of the day (24).
Bread and Honey: Represent the waxing and waning of the moon.
Clothes Hanging Out: The clouds.

My own understanding of the nature of signs, symbols and folklore encoding of messages so that they survive through the ages leads me to believe that none of these aforementioned code theories are correct. Each one has a piece of the puzzle, pointing out elements of the esoteric symbolism. They also all add to the fantastic wonder, joy and curiosity of the ‘nursery rhyme’ which in itself mirrors the same feelings stirred up by watching the blackbird.

If you are interested in my interpretation let me know and I will do my best to explain!

I have based the design around a lucky silver sixpence as this also has powerful cultural tradition which complements the design perfectly.