Textured metal in jewelry can be a bit predictable. But, when it is good it is very, very good. The designers at the Etsy store, Mika Scott, do it very well. Their unexpected and bold textures take the next step and become essential design elements.
I have mentioned the wonders made by Midwest Alchemy in the past but that incredible Etsy store really deserves its own post. I am utterly amazed by the effect created by electroforming the metal around beautiful raw stones.
Midwest Alchemy helpfully describes electroforming for us on Etsy:
Electroforming, in the simplest terms, is the intricate process of controlling a metal deposit of copper and onto a conductive surface whether it be an organic or inorganic material. This process is similar to plating…but is done over a much longer period of time – and can be anywhere from 2 – 12 hours. Basically a thick “skin” of metal is built up into a rigid surface – which in this case is the ring or pendant form. Various patinas and finishes are possible after the initial electroforming process is complete.
I love that electroforming manages to make the rings look like they were chipped from a crystallized rock. They look like natural items that happen to be suitable to be worn.
Here is a sampling of Midwest Alchemy. It was hard to pick just a few — each one is as amazing the next. While I am at it, allow me to add that I love copper. I love to see it used in jewelry.
Hey, Midwest Alchemy, I’m a native Ohioian! “Midwest Ohio” where? Just curious.
Clever, tactile, real, polished and raw. These are all words that come to mind when viewing Vicki Pellegrini’s work in her Etsy store Alegra Jewelry. Her work displays a great sense of shape and scale. Every design has the kind of visual punch that only comes from good design — each piece is surprising but remains wearable.
In 2004, I turned 29. I found that birthday to be a good time to look back — even more so than the big 3-0 that was coming next. In order to process my life, I decided to escape, by myself, to London and stay in a “youth” hostel. (I figured perhaps it was the last time I could get away with that.) I had lived in London for a summer 10 years before that and going back seemed like a good reset for my life .
It was a wonderful, liberating trip. I am not sure what it says about me that I love to travel alone — but I do. Anonymous wanderer. I feel most like myself then.
Well, me being me, no trip would be complete without shopping for a piece of jewelry as a memento. Among my first days there (maybe the first day), I found the Argenteus store in Covent Garden and bought this ring:
This ring, made of silver and a tiny diamond, has been a fixture in my life ever since. I just love its suspended, single point of light. I had long since lost track of the jeweler (or should I say jeweller) who made this piece so, in order to write about it, I had to engage in some detective work. The maker’s mark on the inside is JJN. With the help of the oh-so-handy, Wayback machine, I found that several years ago Argenteus sold James Newman‘s line. While I don’t see my ring exactly in his current line, I am almost sure from his style (and initials) that I have rediscovered this wonderful designer.
I think that most of us want to feel good about what we wear. Generally, we want to feel as if the materials were responsibly harvested and that our lovely possession was made by people happy in their work who are well compensated. I was recently saved from buying something that, deep down, I would have felt bad about owning. It was an antique ring that happened to have a piece of (alleged) ivory in it. Well, when I went back to consider it, the store had gone out of business. It’s probably best.
But, I digress.
The use of recycled materials is one really good way to feel good about your jewelry. Kathleen Plate of Smart Glass Jewelry has certainly made a name for herself using beautiful recycled glass to make smart designs indeed.
So, don’t make my mistake — get this stuff instead!
So, I wonder, if have I encouraged anyone to buy a new piece of jewelry or make something? If so, perhaps that next question is: “What do I do with this lovely new piece?” If you are anything like me, you have faced the problem of jewelry storage more than once.
Enter Jessica Farmer, of the Etsy store Bluebirdheaven, with her ingenious solution. She makes beautiful, display-worthy jewelry storage pieces out, wait for it, vintage printer’s drawers. What a great idea!
You can have it all. You just need somewhere to put it.
In this blog, I have used the descriptor “hand drawn” a few times. By that, I mean that the jewelry designer has created a three-dimensional object — an unyielding form — that also manages to have the charm and spontaneity of a drawing. It can mean that the designer has tactfully left something looking less finished or added details in a way that seems so fluid and casual. For me, it is among the highest design compliments. While, of course, I didn’t make up the words hand drawn, I sort of feel as if I made up its use in this context — I suppose it was time to define it.
Laura from Octopus Studio has a line available on Etsy which displays the best of what it means for jewelry to have a hand drawn quality.
Hello All: Yesterday, I posted by 50th post! Just saying. Thanks for reading, sharing and re-posting!
So, on to today’s post.
Normally, I try to find a theme for my posts — bracelets, enamel, lost wax casting etc. Maybe, I am just tired but I’ve found this wonderful designer who I’d like to write about but I can’t find a unifying theme. So, rather than try to create a tortured context, I will just share some of the beautiful pieces of anatomi in her Etsy store.
Maybe it is the awesome selection of stones. Maybe not. I just like this stuff.
The first jewelry that I was able to make was made of string. I would spend endless hours trying to keep the string braided while I also managed to tie it around my wrist. It usually didn’t work. It would unravel as I fumbled to tie it with one hand. To this day, I have a weird allegiance to the world of fiber jewelry. Fortunately, it is a world filled with much better jewelry than I ever managed to make during Saturday morning cartoons.
There is some beautiful stuff out there these days. But, as with everything, there are a few who break the mold and make something unbelievable. Maria João Ribeiro has managed to do this and then some with her inventive, playful line. Her lovely work is available in her Etsy store, Kjoo.
I’ll be honest – I’ve sort of been putting off writing this post. Why? There is just too much to say and, somehow, it seems like the pinnacle of my blogging experience and it is just too early for that. On the other hand, the mental pressure is building up and I can’t hold in my love for Jeanine Payer‘s work much longer. So, here it goes.
When it comes to music, I am basically a lyric person. Ultimately, it is the words that move me and stick with me. Perhaps that is why the work that has made Jeanine Payer famous speaks to me so — it combines words with beautiful, delicate jewelry. Jeanine obviously has a great love of words which enables her to find the music in quotes that are worthy of being worn. Beyond that, though, she is a design genius. She brings subtly and taste to each piece — pure poetry.
I met Jeanine Payer once at the grand opening of Alexis Bittar‘s store in San Francisco. She was so kind to take a few minutes to talk with me and, truly, I was in awe. I recall that she mentioned that she wanted to work bigger and begin to stretch the aesthetic of her line a bit. (I felt so honored to have a discussion with her about her amazing line of jewelry.) Indeed, her fall 2011 line began to introduce some new elements.
Bread and Cake 