Category Archives: Periodic Blackwork

First published on FB 09/04/2020 In 1808 John Dalton published ‘A New Theory of Chemical Philosophy’ in which he set out his atomic theory, the foundation stone of our modern understanding of matter. In order to represent the atoms of each element and show how they combine to make molecules and compounds, he devised aContinue reading “Atomic theory”

First published on FB 22/03/2022 It’s been a strange couple of weeks in which not a lot of stitching has got done, partly because there’s been a lot else to sort out, and partly because it feels a little like fiddling while Rome burns. Nevertheless I have a few already done but not yet postedContinue reading “Structural stuff”

First published on FB 28/02/2020 And another two alchemical symbols. These are for mercury and lead, two of the seven elements known in ancient times. It is obvious which planet and god the element mercury is associated with. The symbol represents the god Mercury’s ‘caduceus’ or staff with two snakes entwined around it. Lead wasContinue reading “Symbols of gods”

First posted on FB 14/02/2020 Two more alchemical symbols today – sulfur and arsenic. Alchemists used this notation in texts such as those by Basil Valentine.   Valentine himself was something of a mystery. His texts claim that he lived in 15th century Germany, in Erfurt, but there is no record of his existence. The textsContinue reading “Happy Valentine’s”

Originally posted 11/02/2020 Today’s element is copper, associated with Venus, the planet and the Roman goddess of love. You might think this would have been better posted in three days’ time but today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science and you will recognise the symbol as that used in biology to denoteContinue reading “Feminism/femininity”

First posted on FB 31/01/2020 with just its name. I worked out the design and stitched it on 31st January 2020 when I was feeling deeply upset at the prospect of losing part of my citizenship that night, and all that went with it. It drew many more likes, loves and comments than any previousContinue reading “Europium”

First posted on FB 24/01/2020 Two more elements – silver and bismuth. Silver has been associated with the Moon since antiquity, on account of its colour (and gold with the Sun). It was also thought that as the Moon was associated with diseases of the brain, that silver or its compounds could be remedies forContinue reading “Roof of silver”

First posted on FB 17/01/2020 A pair of elements today, selenium and tellurium, adjacent in Group 16. Before Mendeleev proposed his Periodic Table, other scientists had put forward similar ideas. In 1862, Alexandre-Emile Beguyer de Chancourtois proposed a helical arrangement with the elements in order of relative atomic mass and those with similar properties aligned vertically.Continue reading “Earth and moon”

First posted on FB 10/01/2020 Today’s element depiction is a personal one. Bell metal is a form of bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) that is notable for its high tin content: 22% tin rather than the usual 12%. This gives it greater resonance and produces the sound of church bells that we allContinue reading “Ring out those bells”

First posted on FB 07/01/2020 A day late for Epiphany, but here is my next element – gold, a gift of the Three Wise Men and one of the seven metals known in ancient times. Each of these metals became associated with one of the seven heavenly bodies (the Sun, the Moon and the fiveContinue reading “Heart of gold”