Sunday, May 4, 2008
Adornments
Why do we adorn ourselves in jewelry?
People have been adorning themselves in various forms of jewelry as long
as people have been on this earth.
Why? There is no "practical" reason. It doesn't sustain us, does it?
It's interesting ... when women come into a jewelry party -- especially among
friends -- we transform. We may be coming from a bad day at work. Or running our kids around from soccer practice to playdate.
Or we have an appointment in an hour. We walk in in various states of daily stress
- see and talk to our friends - and begin to decompress.
We see the jewelry out of the corners of our eyes, but we
don't immediately engage.
But as our stress begins to fade, we start to size up the
room. We begin inching over, sipping our drinks, touching things
non committally. Then something catches our eye -- it speaks to us. And
we see something else. And we set our drinks down. And pretty soon, we're trying on jewelry with a mission, looking
for a mirror, quick! No matter what our mood was when we came in -
we're hooked.
Hmmm, I don't know. Could it be simply that jewelry makes us feel good?
I think it's more. I think jewelry allows us to express our individuality. And jewelry
cuts through the stress and allows us to feel as beautiful as we are, at least for the moments when we're trying it on.
I think we need jewelry - it is food for our souls.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Jewelry Parties are too much fun!
I don't care who you are - jewelry parties are fun!
A little (stiff) sangria ... great food ... good friends ... and lot's
of different, unique, unusual, handmade, magnificient, out of this world jewelry!
"How do I look in this red coral set?"
Is this a jewelry model or what?
Okay, things may have gotten a little out of hand...
THANKS DEEAN ... for hosting, and being so great!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Marketing Genius ... really
Never again will I leave a jewelry party without people signing the guest
book! Thanks Hope - you put that MBA to good use!
4:04 am edt
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Thanks Toni ..., and Tanya ..., and everyone!
Drove up to New Jersey on Saturday for a jewelry party - had an absolutely
wonderful time. (photos will follow...)
My neighbor Tanya is a New Yorker at heart, and is still struggling to adapt
to our quiet little Maryland community. I keep telling her she will. She has become a great friend - and a jewelry addict
in her own way.
Thanks to Tanya we lined up this jewelry party at her twin sister Toni's
place, in New Jersey. It was great. Great peaple - great family - great fun! I brought my 14 year old, Alessandra, and
her girlfriend - we stayed overnight at a hotel, and all had a ball!
Thanks Toni - for being suich a perfect hostess. Thanks Tanya - for making
it all happen. Thanks to the guys - for putting up with us all! And especially thanks to Ameer - for being such a good boy...
Monday, April 14, 2008
Wedding party jewelry
I have made an executive decision:
I will post a new section of the site, strictly for a "wedding party line"
of jewelry.
Over the last six months, I have worked with 4 brides to design jewelry for
their wedding parties. I have loved doing it, and I sense that the style has been similar in every case. Elegant, classic,
simple and understated. (Pearls, mostly...)
All turned out beautifully, and I am waiting for photos from the happy days
(hint)! But, I think I will step ahead and come up with some designs for a gallery. Keep watching - we'll see when I have
time to make the prototypes and post them!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The ugly truth
In snooping around the web, peaking in on other jewelry designer's studios,
I find myself wondering ... am I the only one whose workspace looks like a bomb went off? I see these beautiful designers
sitting in front of empty tables with their tools lined up and their beads and metals all put away and organized.
Ahem ... this is what my workspace looks like on most days...
I guess I just get lost in the process!:
I start my creative days by picking up a pallette tray. Here are a few:
Just like paint pallettes in a painter's studio - the colors are kept "wet"
so to speak, according to what I've been working on. I will add new things as the pallette changes.
I work with a tray on my lap, and of course - for some reason, the table
always ends up looking like what you see above.
I could have spent hours cleaning up and taking a beautiful picture of myself
behind an immaculately organized studio table - but that would have been completely staged. This is the ugly truth.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Evolution Schmevolution
Yesterday on PBS, there
was a special about mating among various animal and bird species. In so many of these species, the males have these elaborate
rituals to attract the females – with wild calls and dances and displays of color, etc. There are baboons who have these bright
red spots that develop on their chests, and they puff them out and beat on them while the females hardly look over at
them. Peacocks are the most obvious. While trying to attract a mate, the males jump around, shooting out their
chests and displaying their incredible plumage. The females are totally nonchalant --hanging around, hardly noticing.
As I watched the special, I kept looking over at my husband there sleeping, trying
to imagine him going to these lengths to attract my affections.
Hmmm.
Not likely.
In fact, I'm the one who wears lipstick. And I'm the one holding up earrings
or a scarf to match and outfit. I'm the one making sure I have a pair of flats to wear with that jacket. Shopping for new,
sexy pajamas to try to spark things up.
Just an observation, but, seems like evolution hasn't done us human females
any favors.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thanks Nancy!
Had a wonderful time yesterday -- first jewelry party of the season --
in Annapolis. Thanks Nancy! Thanks Liz! I have all new displays which went up easily. Lots and lots of jewelry.
Wonderful food and drink. People were really great!
Trying on jewelry in the party environment is so fun. I found myself
getting into with everyone else, oohing and ahhing! (You'd think I would have tried some of this stuff on before...)
Anyway - gearing up now for a busy Spring time full of handmade jewelry parties! Love 'em!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Maya
Sometimes being in the handmade jewelry business has the greatest rewards...
Yesterday my seven year old son came to me at my work table. He hovered around, which he
never does. I could tell he had something to talk about.
Finally, he says that there's a new girl at school. Maya.
Oh, that's nice, I say.
I know enough not to ask any questions about girls. He doesn't want to talk
about whether she's cute, or if she's his girlfriend. So I don't say a word.
But he continues to hover. He's looking around at all the colorful
gemstones and beads. Finally, he speaks again.
"I think I should make her a bracelet," he says, matter of factly.
Oh...
So I pull out the little girl findings, and get him set up with some colorful
beads in a shoe box top, and he makes her the cutest little bracelet you've ever seen. Today he went to school with it in
a little box with a bow on it. He carried it in his hands - he didn't want it in the backpack.
I just wonder if Maya has any idea how special she is!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Necklace lengths and extender Chains...
We all know that the fit of a necklace or choker is very important. If it
doesn't hang right ... we will not wear it!
It is also very personal, and each of us likes a different fit.
Women who have been buying jewelry online for any period of time probably
know their ideal length(s). But, I hear a lot of questions from people about this - they are concerned about making a mistake,
and buying something online that they will not wear. When they're in a store they have the benifit of trying it on, after
all!
FYI: I have put together a general overview:
The Choker - fits closely around neck. Tiny woman - 14-15 inches. Small
woman 15-16 inches. Medium woman 16-17 inches. Large woman 17-18 inches.
(If you're not sure ... measure with a seamstress' tape.)
The Necklace - fits comfortably to hang at the top of the chest - probably
on the neck in an open collar or over a turtleneck. Tiny woman - 15-16 inches. Small woman 16-17 inches. Medium
woman 17-18 inches. Large woman 19-20 inches.
The Long Necklace - fits to drap over clothing - over sweaters, etc, to hit
mid-chest. Tiny woman - 25-26 inches. Small woman 26-27 inches. Medium woman 28-29 inches. Large woman 29-30 inches.
Very Long Necklaces are those that can be worn to mid-chest - doubled, and
range from 48-50 inches.
As I said ... these are just approximations, and, sometimes we want to wear
a necklace at a different length for a different outfit, which is why I almost always add a 2 inch extender chain on necklaces
so that they can be worn at any length within a range.
The length of a necklace is always changable in my studio. I try on most
listings to have a dropdown box so you can choose a variety of lengths, but, if there is ever a necklace that doesn't offer
a length that you are interested in - CONTACT ME!
