Helsinki Rock Church Built Inside a Giant Piece of Granite

interior shot of the Temppeliaukio Rock Church in helsinki finland from the balcony during the day

Photograph by Matthew Duncan

 

 

Temppeliaukio Church aka ‘the Rock Church’ is an incredible building in Helsinki, Finland. It was designed by brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and was consecrated in 1969. The Lutheran Church is one of Helsinki’s most popular tourist attractions with over 500,000 annual visitors.

The church was built inside a massive block of natural granite. The architects chose the central location in 1968, when it was just a rocky outcrop rising about 40 feet (12 meters) above street level. The walls of the building were blasted from the inside and topped with a large copper dome. Natural light floods the interior through 180 vertical glass window panes that connect the dome and granite wall.

The building is lauded for its amazing acoustics (thanks to the granite) and is a popular venue for music concerts. Located in the heart of Helsinki (60.173036° N, 24.925404° E) the church is a must-see destination for lovers of architecture. Please enjoy the gallery below of this breathtaking building.

 

[Sources: Sacred Destinations, Wikipedia, Rough Guides]

 

 

 

Temppeliaukio Chruch

 

 

 

Temppeliaukio Kirkko (Rock Church), Helsinki,Finland

 

 

 

Temppeliaukio Kirkko / Rock Church

 

 

 

Helsinki ///// Temppeliaukio

Photograph by wchwrn on Flickr

 

 

 

Helsinki ///// Temppeliaukio

Photograph by wchwrn on Flickr

 

 

 

Outside and Above the Church

 

 

 

exterior shot of the front door entrace to the Temppeliaukio Rock Church in Helsinki Finland

Photograph by Ranger One

 

 

 

Temppeliaukio Kirkko (Rock Church)

Photograph by zoe J on Flickr

 

 

 

Temppeliaukio

Photograph by achedeuzo on Flickr

 

 

 

...fay

 

 

 

IMG_1115

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Top 50 ‘Pictures of the Day’ for 2012

 

*Update: The Top 100 ‘Pictures of the Day’ for 2012 have just been published. Click here to check out the most up-to-date post!

After the positive reception from last year’s “Top 50 ‘Pictures of the Day’ for 2011“, we promised to highlight the top 25 ‘Pictures of the Day’ at the end of every quarter, eventually culminating in an epic Top 100 for 2012.

It’s hard to believe we’re at the halfway point for 2012. With that, here are the Sifter’s Top 50 ‘Pictures of the Day‘ for this year. If any image really intrigues you, be sure to click the title link or picture itself. That will take you to the individual post page where you can find out more information.

Please note the photographs themselves were not necessarily taken in 2012, they just happened to be featured as a ‘Picture of the Day’ this year 🙂

Enjoy! And stay Sifty my friends!

 

 

 

 

 

seahorse checks out divers watch and own reflection underwater

Photograph by Don McLeish

 

 

 

 

picture at the start of a 1km long snow tunnel with person facing camera lighting up the tunnel with a fire torch

Photograph by Michael Zelensky

 

 

 

 

the-honeybees-final-sting

Photograph by Kathy Keatley Garvey

 

 

 

 

thousands of kung fu fighters arranged in concentric circles for heritage day demonstration

Photograph by China Foto Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOUNT-RAINIER-CASTING-A-SHADOW-ON-CLOUDS

 

 

 

 

First Contact

 

 

 

 

Photograph by Liss Ard Estate

 

 

 

 

???

Photograph by bbe022001 on Flickr

 

 

 

 

Photograph by FLORIAN SCHULTZ

 

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

 

 

Gásadalur

 

 

 

 

Photograph by RHYS DAVIES

 

 

 

 

Photograph by MICHELLE LEE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph by GIL NARTEA

 

 

 

 

Photograph by PLEIADES-HR SATELLITE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pavement - Form Follows Groove

Photograph by HORST KIECHLE

 

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph courtesy of Jónína Óskarsdóttir for NASA

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wish for a clear day

Photograph by T.-C on Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph by BRET WEBSTER

 

 

 

Photograph by HO-YEOL RYU

 

 

 

Photograph by ALEX THOMSON RACING

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph via timz45 on Reddit

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph via Paean on Reddit

 

 

 

Photograph via Iglu-Dorf.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph by DIGITALGLOBE.COM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph via loki010 on Reddit

 

 

 

first-rising-sun-of-2012-above-mt-fuji

 

 

 

 

 

 

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18 Really Amazing Computer Stations

 

I recently came across a fascinating sub-reddit called ‘r/Battlestations‘. It consists of pictures of people’s computer stations. Some are for work, many are for gaming, all of them are awesome in their own way. From clean and minimal to an insane 15-monitor setup these computer desks run the gamut.

After spending a couple hours going through these pictures, my own setup is feeling pretty lacklustre. Time to step up my monitor game! Which computer station setup is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to head over to http://www.reddit.com/r/battlestations/ for hundreds and hundreds more!

 

 

 

quad screen computer setup battlestation two landscape monitors stacked flanked by two portrait monitors

Photograph and Setup by Lrnflk on Reddit

 

 

 

 

five monitor computer setup all monitors set up in portrait style full wrap around view

 

five portrait computer monitor workstation set up

Photographs and Setup by inappropriate_input on Reddit

 

 

 

 

dual monitors mounted directly onto the wall with backlit blue led lights

Photograph and Setup by mrjoey35 on Reddit

 

 

 

 

three monitor setup all landscape mounted to wall no cables showing

 

side view of three monitor setup showing the back of the monitors and how they are affixed to the wall

 

three monitor set up for racing game with steering wheel and pedals

Photographs and Setup by FightingInternet on Reddit

 

 

 

 

dual computer station setup in the same room all cables and wires are hidden from view

Photograph and Setup by fperkins on Reddit

 

 

 

 

computer station setup with six monitors three on bottom three on top

Photograph and Setup by heartbraden on Reddit

 

 

 

 

apple setup ipac macbok imac iphone

 

 

 

 

clean minimal computer station setup with standing speakers and dual monitors side by side

 

 

 

 

six monitor setup with two rows of three monitors each stacked on top of each other

Photograph and Setup by teheranaway on Reddit

 

 

 

10. mtrx3

 

clean computer station desk setup one laptop propped up and one monitor

Photograph and Setup by mtrx3

 

 

 

 

seven monitor setup with two rows of three stacked and one monitor portrait style to the side

Photograph and Setup by lrvick on Reddit

 

 

 

 

one large monitor in the middle flanked by two portrait style monitors on each side

Photograph and Setup by Geglamash on Reddit

 

 

 

 

three monitor computer station set up with custom built cpu underneath

 

 

Photographs and Setup by Shazim Mohammad

 

 

 

 

dual monitor setup one landscape one portrait clean desk space

Photograph and Setup by clint_davis on Reddit

 

 

 

 

backlit led monitors three setup

Photograph and Setup by PsalmLove on Reddit

 

 

 

 

four monitor set up with three across and one very large monitor above

Photograph and Setup by GrayFawkes on Reddit

 

 

 

 

six monitors all tiled inwards computer station setup four landscape two portrait style

Photograph and Setup by PoKnow on Reddit

 

 

 

 

15 monitors three rows of five stacked eve player 15 accounts

Photograph and Setup by Zhek Kromtor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mind-Blowing 3D Pencil Drawings by Nagai Hideyuki

 

Nagai Hideyuki is a 21 year old artist from Tokyo, Japan. His recent series of 3D artworks using only paper and pencils have been spreading like wildfire online. And for good reason, his drawings are truly incredible. His typical set up involves two sketchbooks. One placed upright against a wall while the other lays flat on his desk. This simple set up is the environment for his anamorphic art.

What’s really neat is that Nagai switches up the angles so it’s not always the same viewpoint (these artwork only work when viewed from a specific angle). Most are from a 45-ish degree angle with a handful from a head-on perspective. Another cool trick is the incorporation of props like erasers and toy cars into his work. This inclusion of actual physical objects breaks down a barrier between his art and the ‘real world’.

You can find Nagai online on his personal website, deviantART and Facebook. Be sure to check out his entire portfolio! We’re looking forward to more awesome work from this up and coming artist!

 

 

1.

 

3d drawing with color pencils and two sketchbooks perpendicular. artists hand visible for reference

 

 

 

2.

 

3d art with pencil on two sketchbooks

 

 

 

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3d art with colored pencils

 

 

 

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head on perspective of 3d pencil art two sketchbooks perpendicular

 

 

 

5.

 

drawing various shapes to look 3d on paper

 

 

 

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3d pencil art on one sheet of paper

 

 

 

7.

 

3d art using just a pencil and paper with artists hand to reference

 

 

 

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3d scene using only pencil and paper

 

 

 

9.

 

3d art with pencil looks like hand is reaching out to offer you something with actual object placed in hand

 

 

 

10.

 

head on angle of 3d drawing with pencil

 

 

 

11.

 

3d art using actual toy car for enhanced effect

 

 

 

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3d pencil art head on view

 

 

 

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14.

 

3d art of character drawing 2d art on a wall

 

 

 

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3d art of hand touching artists hand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 Awesome Stairs with Slides

 

What’s the best way to enhance a staircase? By adding a slide of course. Don’t believe me? Here are ten examples that should help convince you 🙂

 

 

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indoor spiral staircase made of wood with a slide integrated into it

 

 

 

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indoor staircase with slide for kids right beside it

 

 

 

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beautiful wooden spiral stairs with a slide integrated

 

 

 

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outdoor staircase with metal slide right beside it

 

 

 

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Child sliding down the stair slide

 

 

 

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outdoor staircase with metal slide right beside it

 

 

 

7.

 

Slide :: with :: Stairs

Photograph by InkHong on Flickr

 

 

 

8.

 

spiral wooden staircase inside a house with a built-in slide

 

 

 

9.

 

indoor wooden staircase with built in slide

 

 

 

10.

 

Big Slide or Not Avisable for a Two Year Old

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Orsos: The Moveable Floating Island

rendering of a man-made floating island that is moveable and looks like a boat

 

Orsos Islands is a luxury floating island that has the ability to be moved and re-anchored. While it has the vague resemblance of a boat, it’s more of a fancy platform than anything. Orsos Islands is the brainchild of Gabor Orsos and his Austrian-based company has begun manufacture of the prototype in Germany and Hungary and aim to show it to the public by the end of 2013.

The images you see below are obviously renderings, but the concept is intriguing as it stands as an alternative to a villa or hotel. With accommodation for up to 12 guests, the possibilities for the tourist industry to employ some of these places anchored close to small islands or having several out on the water from mainland could be interesting.

With a rumoured price tag of $4.6 million US it’s unclear which market this caters to. For now, we’ll just enjoy the concept renderings below and the information available thus far. For more details be sure to visit the official site: http://orsosisland.com/

 

 

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Orsos Islands: Man-Made Floating Islands

 
– The Island is over 20 meters wide (65+ ft) and more than 37 meters in length (121+ ft)
– There is approximately 400 square meters of space on each floor (4,305 sq ft) and up to 1000 square meters of total living space (10,764 sq ft)
– Accommodation for up to 12 guests and 4 crew members

 

Energy
– Based on an autonomous power supply based energy system
– Powered, both day and night, by a noiseless wind energy system, as well as more than 120 m² of solar panels
– Heat recovery from sea water is the basis for heating and air conditioning

Water
– Recycled water only leaves the Island in drinking water quality, to protect and sustain nature and to ensure the environmental friendliness of the Green Island
– An intelligent computer system monitors and controls the entire energy management process
– In order to guarantee the maintenance of the power supply and security of ORSOS Islands the Island is equipped with two diesel engines

 

 

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Orsos Islands: Technical Specs

 
LOA: 37,20 m
LWL: 28,50 m
Beam: 21,00 m
Beam (hull): 16,48 m
Generators: 2 X 30 kw
Fuel capacity: 6.000 liter
Freschwater capacity: 12.000 liter
Guests: 12
Crew: 4
Construction: Hull – Steel
Superstructure: Aluminum and Composite
Classification: Germanische Lloyd
Naval Architect: SMC-Danube
Design: Csikos Terv

 

 

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6 Amazing Color Spectrums Made from Thread

 

Gabriel Dawe was born in Mexico City where he grew up surrounded by the intensity and color of Mexican culture. After working as a graphic designer, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 2000 following a desire to explore foreign lands. In search for creative freedom he started experimenting and creating artwork, which eventually led him to explore textiles and embroidery—activities traditionally associated with women and which were forbidden for a boy growing up in Mexico.

Because of this, his work is subversive of notions of masculinity and machismo that are so ingrained in his culture. By working with thread and textiles, Dawe’s work has evolved into creating large-scale installations with thread, creating environments that deal with notions of social constructions and their relation to evolutionary theory and the self-organizing force of nature.

After seven years of living in Canada and gaining dual citizenship as a Mexican-Canadian, Gabriel moved to Texas to pursue graduate school at the University of Texas at Dallas where he worked on an MFA in Arts and Technology. His work has been exhibited in Dallas, Houston, Montreal, Toronto and Barcelona. [Source: GabrielDawe.com]

 

 

1. Plexus No. 9

 

color spectrum made from different colored thread art installation

 

 

 

2.

 

color spectrum made from thread side angle

 

 

 

3.

 

color spectrum made from thread closeup

 

 

 

4. Plexus no. 5

 

color thread art installation by gabriel dawe

 

 

 

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color spectrum with thread in corner of gallery

 

 

 

6. Plexus no. 4

 

plexus 4 art installation made from thread

 

 

 

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9. Plexus no. 3

 

 

 

 

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13. Plexus no. 7

 

Artwork by GABRIEL DAWE

 

 

 

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Artwork by GABRIEL DAWE

 

 

 

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Artwork by GABRIEL DAWE

 

 

 

16. Eye ii

 

Artwork by GABRIEL DAWE

 

 

 

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Artwork by GABRIEL DAWE

 

 

 

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Artwork by GABRIEL DAWE

 

 

 

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Artwork by GABRIEL DAWE

 

 

 

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Artwork by GABRIEL DAWE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Beautiful Double Exposures by Andre De Freitas

 

Andre De Freitas (aka Megatherium) is a photographer and illustrator from Lima, Peru. In his own words, Andre describes himself as follows:

I studied in Full Sail University and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Animation. But oddly enough, the concept of stillness captured my imagination, and I focused more on illustration. Instead of just drawing, I tried to imagine myself taking photos of my subjects. That way the illusion of stillness would be a little more believable, almost like a photograph. After that, my insertion into the world of photography was almost based on instinct. [Source]

In a recent interview for Fameless, Andre states his influences as: Ryan Pfluger, Damon Loble and Ryan Schude. He’s most into fashion and portrait photography as well as cinematography and comic books.

In the wonderful series below entitled Double Exposures we see Andre’s beautiful photography on display. Be sure to see the entire series on his website along with some really impressive illustration work such as his Zombie Portraits series.

 

 

 

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double exposure of woman's silhouette with city in background

 

 

 

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double exposure of woman looking out onto city from tall building

 

 

 

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colored double exposure of woman with trees in background

 

 

 

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Award-Winning Beach House Surrounded by Trees

 

Under Pohutukawa is an award-winning beach house designed by Herbst Architects. It was recently honoured as Home NZ Magazine’s Home of the Year, 2012. The design is a breathtaking open-concept living space with beautiful wood finishings throughout. The beach house is located in Piha North in New Zealand.

Below you will find a gallery wonderfully shot by Patrick Reynolds along with a great video tour and interview with the architect by Home NZ.

Awards:
– NZIA Auckland architecture award 2011
– “HOME NZ” Home of the year 2012 winner
– NZIA New Zealand Architecture award 2012
– NZIA New Zealand Architecture medal finalist 2102

 

First spotted on: ArchDaily

 

 

 

1.

 

front of beach house in new zealand surrounded by mature trees

Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

2.

 

open concept living room dining room beach house new zealand

Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

3.

 

shot of outdoors and kitchen beach house new zealand

Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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beach house lots of wood view of exterior

Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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beautiful living room with fireplace and hanging light at night beach house

Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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view of living room looking down from above aerial pov

Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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floor plans for under pohutukawa house by herbst architects

Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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continued floor plans for under pohutukawa house by herbst architects

Design by Herbst Architects | Photograph by Patrick Reynolds

 

 

 

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Incredible Jewelry Made from Old Sterling Silver Forks

 

Nick Greco is an artist that makes wonderful jewelry from old sterling silver forks. In the gallery below, you can see that he manages to use all parts of the fork for different looks and patterns. Most impressive are the beautifully manipulated fork tines which bend and curl in ways you won’t believe.

From rings to bracelets and necklaces, it’s remarkable how many variations of jewelry Nick can make from a single fork. For any purchase inquiries or custom one-offs, please contact Nick at Carytowncat@gmail.com or reach out to him on Facebook

 

 

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intricate ring made from sterling silver fork

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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ring with curved tines from sterling silver fork

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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ring made from decorating sterling silver fork handle

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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necklace made from sterling silver fork

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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ring made from sterling silver

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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bracelet made from handle of sterling silver fork

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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four rings on every finger of hand made from sterling silver fork

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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necklace made from tines of sterling silver fork

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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rings and bracelets made from sterling silver forks

Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

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Artwork by Nic Greco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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