In 1923 the Soviet Union annexed the southern part of Finland known as Karelia. This caused deep sorrow throughout Finland; Jean Sibelius wrote a stirring piece of music called Karelia Suite - a passionate cry of loss.

In 2026 I visited the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum just outside Helsinki, often described as “rural Finland in miniature.” Many of the museum’s buildings have been relocated from across the country, including a group of wooden farm buildings that originally stood in Karelia before the annexation.

The ends of the wooden roof were an immediate inspiration for this brooch. I knew instantly that I would make a brooch using one of the metal detected finds I have collected over the years. The piece I chose is perhaps a Roman medical or cosmetic tool. The patina (probably copper in the alloy) worked perfectly with 18ct gold.

One of my ‘translators’, Carola Solcia, traced the roof details from a photograph we took at the museum. She then cut them out from a sheet of 18ct gold.

Dimensions approx. 14.5 × 1 cm

Metal detected find (bronze), 18ct gold, silver, stainless steel pin.