Tag Archives: jewelry designer

Negative Space to a New Level

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The use of negative space should be a consideration in jewelry design.  When earrings hang from ears — suspended in space — how are they interacting with that space around them?  How does the shape of a pendant appear against the backdrop of skin.  Filigree, of course, a style that has appeared throughout the ages, is all about making shapes out of negative space.

Lorena Martinez-Neustadt brings negative space to a new level with her line of jewelry (available on Etsy in the shop Gemagenta).

The first two pieces below, designed to be two-dimensional renderings of three-dimensional things, like faceted stones, are so clever.  Lorena made the wise choice to leave some of the piece undisturbed.  Perhaps, to suggest a glare off of the stone or even just to let our imagination do some of the work.  Either way, it strikes me as well-considered design element.  In a way, by leaving some of it “blank,” she is using negative space in two ways.  (Does that equal a positive?)  Those little omissions are also what set Lorena’s “gem” pieces apart from some other similar concepts that have shown up in the mass produced market in the last few years.

Faceted Brilliant Pendant - by Lorena Martinez-Neustadt

Faceted Emerald Pendant - by Lorena Martinez-Neustadt

Beyond these gem pieces, Lorena’s collection has a consistent use of negative space that feels fresh.  I especially love these:

Lingerie Elongated Pendant - by Lorena Martinez-Neustadt

Lingerie Ring - by Lorena Martinez-Neustadt

The designs are lacy, yet clean.  Inspired by lace and lingerie without overdoing the concept.  The pieces are flattering against the skin and appear to be very wearable.

The Effect of Bracelets

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There is something more personal about jewelry that is worn on the hands.  Perhaps that is because the wearer can see it do what jewelry is designed to do — to be in and interact with the world.  You can see how your bracelets move and how your rings break the light.  I am sure that seeing your jewelry behave as mobile art changes how you feel about those pieces.

While rings are by far my favorite type of jewelry, bracelets have a special place in my heart as the first type of jewelry I tried to make as a child — friendship bracelets and bracelets made out of coiled wire, to be specific.

Bracelets are very expressive and different bracelet styles contribute different things.  Cuff bracelets add a visual break and can foreshorten the arm — much liked cropped pants do for the leg.  Bangles can be musical and dramatic as they orbit around a wrist adding movement.  Then, there are chains with focal points and charms. They swing and sway and add length to arms and hands.  In addition, each type can change a great deal depending on materials.  A leather cuff, for example, is very different in overall effect from a beaded cuff.

Blue Keum-Boo Cuff -- by Judy Parady

Twisted Sterling Silver Bangle Bracelet with a Gypsy Set Blue Sapphire - by Two Trick Pony

Woodland Love Charm Bracelet - by Mark Poulin

These fine examples of fun bracelets can be found here: Blue Keum-Boo Cuff — by Judy Parady; Twisted Sterling Silver Bangle Bracelet with a Gypsy Set Blue Sapphire – by Two Trick Pony; and Woodland Love Charm Bracelet – by Mark Poulin.

A Favorite Purchase from Adin

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If one is a jewelry enthusiast like I am, you may have had the experience of cruising the internet for something that captures your attention — something that you have never seen before.  One day, back in 2001, I was on such a search and found this piece:

Antique Ring from Adin

To this day, I have never seen anything like it.  It wasn’t expensive as the stones are glass and there isn’t much weight to it.  But, it is an antique from the 1800s with white and yellow gold and the stones are nicely flush-set.  I wear it more days than not and, for as long as I have had it, I still find myself puzzling over it’s design.  It’s sort of in the shape of a signet ring but not really.  If the stones were arranged vertically, that would be more expected — but, no, not here.   It’s small, delicate and light but the bold, unusual design makes it seem bigger somehow.

Beyond the enjoyment that this ring has given me over the years, the experience of buying it, also gave me one of my favorite places on the internet to drool over gorgeous antique gems — Adin.  The real brick-and-mortar Adin is in Belgium and I dream of going there someday.  But, in the meantime, I can entertain myself for hours with the stunning website that has hundreds of antique pieces that, for my eye, appear to be fairly priced.  There is also an incredible range in price in their merchandise.  This piece, at least, also came with a certificate of authenticity.

While I am talking up Adin, allow me to share a nice story that happened to occur in the worst of circumstances and that has given this ring meaning beyond a frivolous internet purchase.  I purchased my ring online a few days before that fateful day in September 2001.  I had been communicating back and forth with a customer service representative about the re-sizing of the ring due to the different sizing scales between America and Europe.  Then, the world changed.  I was no where near harm’s way but the Adin customer service rep was thoughtful enough to send me a brief email to say that she hoped that my loved ones and I were all safe.  I was really struck by the kindness of that — especially, since everything seemed so unhinged.

I don’t know if Adin sent out such an email to all their American customers or if it was simply a personal message from a kind person.  But, it doesn’t matter to me either way.  When I look at this ring, it reminds me of connections among strangers and how the world is so small, really, and how much small kindnesses can mean and how they endure.  It reminds to behave accordingly.

Antique Ring from Adin

Nice Metal Work by Francine Ruth

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As I have mentioned, I am in the early stages of learning metal work and jewelry making.  One of the unintended effects of this education, is that I notice the quality of metal work on jewelry more than I previously did.  I turn my nose up a messy solder or uneven prongs around a stone — even though I am still working on doing these things properly myself.  I find I also try to guess what techniques were used in pieces that I am admiring.

I noticed Jewelry by Francine on Etsy today and felt compelled to mention her work for two reasons.  First, she is making beautiful pieces and using an impressive array of techniques.  The stone setting is well-done, the enameling is judiciously used, and the designs are well-composed.  Secondly, I had to give Francine Ruth a shout-out because she’s from Cleveland.  My husband is a born and raised Clevelander and I, myself, have done two tours of duty in that fair city.  Always nice to see lovely artisan pieces coming out of Cleveland.

I love the polka-dots on the bracelet and earrings.  I can imagine these being great jewelry staples — professional, casual, quirky yet understated.  I am not familiar with the technique, Keum Boo, which was used to make these pieces.  (I’m sure I’m showing my newbie status now.)  The effect is striking.  I like how the technique appears to allow the addition of another metal to a piece while being able to keep it flush.

These pieces can be found here:

Tiny Bubbles Earrings, Keum Boo Bracelet, and Tile Me a River Necklace

Nicely Done Found Object Jewelry by Jacobsen Design

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I love the idea of found objects and I’ve used them a bit in my assemblage art.

Specimen I - By: N. Powell

Clock - By: N. Powell

It can be a slippery slope, though.  At least for me, when I am contemplating found objects, I start to have square-peg moments.  My mind continues to insist that this little something-or-other belongs in a piece of art — even after the object has told me to go to hell.

But, back to jewelry.

I think it is something special when found objects are used well and appropriately in jewelry.  I happened to notice this collection by Jacobsen Design on Etsy.  I think this stuff is very cool.  Here’s a sample:

Green Frequency Crystal Bracelet - By: Jacobsen Design

I think Jacobsen Design has made some attractive and, yet, funky jewelry out of found objects, which largely appear to be small electronic parts.  I think the pieces work so well because there is a nice eye for color and scale being applied here.  The objects that were found are right for some cool jewelry — no square pegs here.  My one concern, if I had one, is about the pieces’ durability as the jumprings don’t appear to be closed.  That being said, the pieces are priced low (most around $12) and there very well might be a very good reason that the jumprings cannot be soldered closed due to other materials used.

Great concept by Yellow Owl Workshop

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I’ve been eying these super-cool necklaces by local San Francisco company, Yellow Owl Workshop, for some time.

I’ve seen these pieces around town and, last weekend, I spotted them on a display at Madewell at the San Francisco Shopping Center, which I would think is a great thing for Yellow Owl Workshop.

I just have to comment on this clever idea of crests and flags.  I think, as an idea, it could have all gone terribly wrong and awkward but it didn’t — it works beautifully.  I think that design is saved by the scale.  It had to have been tempting to overdue it in terms of size but, thankfully, they resisted.  The pieces really shine, though, because of the colors and the hand-drawn quality of the images.  It is also a nice touch that the bale is cut into the shape and the chain is tied on.  (As a general proposition, I really like the casual connection of jewelry to its functional component — a pendant to its chain, a bauble to its earring wire, etc.)  As a side note, I have to applaud the glass vial packaging.  All in all, I love them.  Nicely done, Yellow Owl Workshop.

I’m not much for floral design but …

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I’m not much for floral design, especially in jewelry.  However, when I see some of Klara Markova’s work on Etsy, I have to sit down and catch my breath.  Klara’s work is so creative and detailed.  You can almost hear the breeze rustling the silver, flowered vines that accent so many of her pieces.

She appears to mix fabrication, enamel, and found objects and she does it really well to bring forth a unique vision. She has definitely presented some interesting pieces and I find at least two of them worth a comment.

I mean, seriously, look at this Poppy Doll necklace:

Poppy Doll by Klara Markova

I spend so much time looking at jewelry that it isn’t often that I see something so different and quirky that it stops me in my tracks.  It’s adorable and yet talisman-like.  Are those wings?  I have no other way to say this … but the Poppy Doll necklace has a nice thing-ness to it.  It’s just a beautiful little item that I can imagine fiddling with as it swings around my neck.

Here is another of Klara’s pieces, the Little Castle necklace, that just blows me away:

Little Castle Necklace by Klara Markova

The addition of the skyline (or castle, I suppose it is) here gives it the same vibe as the Poppy Doll necklace … it’s a piece of a scene that you get to carry with you in the form of stunning jewelry.  I love that.  Visually, it’s beautiful but it is also something more difficult than that — it’s clever.

Klara’s collection on Etsy is a good size and very reasonably priced for the work that has clearly gone into each piece.

Gorgeous use of stones (and words) by Michelle Lenáe

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Michelle Lenáe posts some beautiful work for sale on Etsy. Of her work, these earnings in particular caught my eye.  These long, dramatic earnings boast prasiolite stones, which is a green-quartz. Stylistically, there is a little clever mixing of metaphors here. Although the ball-chain is made of gold, it is still a ball-chain which makes me think of less refined jewelry.  But, nevertheless, the earrings culminate in a delicate, sparkly stones. Somehow the materials marry together well. I think it is the attention to detail and that the end result is clean and professional.

Other thoughts …Earrings like this are called “dusters.” This got me thinking about how descriptions affect how we feel about an item we are viewing. For my money, these earnings are dramatic and classic but it is the name of the style that captures my imagination. Once I have the word “duster” in my head, I have images of movement … the beautiful faceted gems skimming my shoulders and playing in my hair. The word and the images that it conjures up make these earrings immediately more desirable.

Michelle Lenáe has an Etsy collection that is mid-range in size. The prices are generally higher end for Etsy but, for handmade jewelry, in precious metals and unusual stones, I find her items to be moderately priced.