Clara Nartey

Hey Creative Friend, here’s another piece in my ongoing Gem Series. I’m having a lot of fun researching them, creating, and then sharing their stories with you. This time, I want to introduce to you – “Emerald”. Emerald is the fourth and final piece in the set that was included in my show “All Things Being”

Textile Art | Free Motion Quilting | Thread Painting | Machine embroidery
Emerald (Detail), Clara Nartey, 2022, Inks and Threads on Cotton, 40″x30″

Although this is the last one I’ve created thus far, it wasn’t the last one I started. Since I had some issues with my machine, I had to set it aside for a while as I worked on the other pieces. However, I’m very pleased with how it turned out.

Emerald| Textile Art | Free Motion Quilting | Thread Painting | Machine embroidery
Emerald (Detail), Clara Nartey, 2022, Inks and Threads on Cotton, 40″x30″

Emerald, unlike the other gems that I’ve created so far is a well-known gem. It’s the world’s most popular green gem. It was discovered as a gem by ancient civilizations in Africa, Asia and South America.

Emerald | May Birthstone | Textile Art | Free Motion Quilting | Thread Painting | Machine embroidery
Emerald (Detail), Clara Nartey, 2022, Inks and Threads on Cotton, 40″x30″

Its color ranges from blueish green through green to yellowish greens as you can see in this piece that I’ve created.

Headdress | May Birthstone | Textile Art | Free Motion Quilting | Thread Painting
Emerald (Detail), Clara Nartey, 2022, Inks and Threads on Cotton, 40″x30″

The World’s Most Popular Green Gem

The top three most valuable colored gems are Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby , with Emerald being the most valuable of them all.

May Birthstone | Textile Art | Free Motion Quilting | Thread Painting | Machine embroidery
Emerald (Detail), Clara Nartey, 2022, Inks and Threads on Cotton, 40″x30″

In this piece, like in all my other works, I paid particular attention to the hairstyle. I chose to use a headdress which is a common hairstyle among people of African descent. In years past, it used to be that the headdress matched the fabrics in a woman’s clothes. In recent years, it’s no longer so. You’ll find women wearing headdresses with just about any outfit; not necessarily African print fabric.

Artwork Label | May Birthstone | Textile Art |

Emerald, like the other gems in the series is also a birthstone. For people born in the month of May, this is their birthstone.

Emerald | May Birthstone | Textile Art | Free Motion Quilting | Thread Painting | Machine embroidery
Emerald, Clara Nartey, 2022, Inks and Threads on Cotton, 40″x30″

Warmest Regards,

Clara's Signature