Atargatis, the Mermaid Goddess

I finally got a piece done after about a month of not creating anything. This piece was inspired by the story of Atargatis. The first known mermaid stories appeared in Assyria, ca. 1000 BC. Atargatis, the mother of Assyrian queen Semiramis, was a goddess who loved a mortal shepherd and in the process killed him. Ashamed, she jumped into a lake to take the form of a fish, but the waters would not conceal her divine beauty. Thereafter, she took the form of a mermaid — human above the waist, fish below.

I love the colors and textures of this one. It features a gorgeous abalone and pearl pendant. I've used white druzy pearls, peacock keishi pearls, whole abalone shells, fine silver hill tribe molten nuggets and sterling silver bali beads.