Tag Archives: necklace

Wearable Sculpture by Katie Johansson

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Katie Johansson, as the creative force behind Dollybird Jewelry, is flat out fearless in her designs.  They are sculptural and bold.

This necklace in particular puts me in mind of modern art mobiles with its open metal structure and artistically placed stones.

Particle Necklace

Lapis Temple Ring

Katie’s creative use of materials in her line is admirable.  She selects unusual stones on a large scale for a huge visual impact and, occasionally, ventures away from stones and uses other objects as the center piece of the design.

Vintage Horsehair Earrings

Many of Katie’s designs are available in her Etsy store, Dollybirddesign.

Tiny Armour Says It Well

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I love it when people really get their own work.  Being able to articulate your point of view to yourself allows your work to have a consistent voice to others.   I think that can be said of Angi Glenn-Quincy.  She called her Etsy story “Tiny Armour” and describes her designs as  being inspired by “texture, geometry, mid century modern design, rainbow colors, and all aspects of nature.”  In her work of shapes and symbols, I see all of that and more.  The words that come to mind are “graphic design jewelry.”  For my money, the whole line hangs together all the better because she understands her own work.

As a side note, I have to commend the liberal use of brass.  As we know, the cost of precious metals has gone through the roof.  Brass allows Angi to offer affordable pieces to her customers.  But, aside from that, I love brass.  It has a beautiful, warm color and can take on a patina that gives it such character.

Pyramid Stud Bangle
Scallop Collar Necklace
Pyramid Stud Ring with Crystals

Good Fortune

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Did you ever see the show, The Riches?  It didn’t last very long but, in my opinion, it should have.  It had a group of great actors including the hilarious Eddie Izzard and the talented Minnie Driver.  In short, the show is about a family of grifters who find themselves impersonating members of a wealthy family.  For a time, it appears that they are going to get away with it and Minnie Driver’s character muses, “What are we going to do with all this good fortune?  What are we going to do with all this good fortune?”  Under the circumstances, it’s a funny question for the character to ask but, really, it’s a good question for most of us.

Make no mistake, I’m a lucky lady.  I have a wonderful husband; entertaining, loyal friends and family; and beautiful pets.  I had the opportunity to be educated and I have a good job.  I have a roof over my head in the best city in the world, if I do say so myself.  Lucky.  Fortunate.  Still, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I am going after next and what my perfect life would look like.  One of the things that comes to my mind in my afternoon reveries is how awesome it would be to be a full time, successful jewelry designer.  Almost immediately, I start to bargain with the Universe.  “Dear Universe, if I were ever able to live that life, I promise to give back more.  I promise to do something with all that good fortune.”

I went looking for an example of a jewelry designer who has turned personal good fortune into fortune for others.  There are many great examples of corporate giving from jewelry companies and of jewelry artists supporting their favorite charities.  But, in my search, it didn’t take long to find Joan Hornig and her strikingly charitable style.  As her website states:

Her model of giving 100% of the profits on each piece to the purchaser’s charity of choice challenges women to use beauty and fashion in a new way.

Joan’s jewelry is meant to be noticed and talked about as it carries the all important message that philanthropy is beautiful, personal and worth promoting.

Joan Hornig

Joan has turned her obvious good taste and knack for design into a vehicle for good.  Harvard and Columbia educated, Joan knew what to do with all her good fortune.

While we’re at it, let us not forget that Joan Hornig can help her customers support deserving charities because she makes desirable jewelry.  I have to admit that I was not previously aware of Hornig’s work but it is truly something to behold.  She is confident and assertive in her approach to modern design.  There are also lots of nice, little touches that one notices the more that one looks.  Note, for example, the clasp on the daring garnet necklace.

We should all be grateful to Joan Hornig for her good works and beautiful design.

Clean, Simple Design by Chinchar and Maloney

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If you’re into making things, you might understand the principle that a complicated or fancy design can camouflage a number of ills.  You can always make it look like you meant to do that.  Simple and clean is so much more difficult because the mistakes have no place to hide.  Making simple design attractive and interesting can take some work.  It is for such reasons that I was struck by the clean and attractive work offered by Colin and Marian of the Etsy store, Chinchar and Maloney.

Silver Pendant with Tanzanite

I love the color of tanzanite or, perhaps, I should say colors — it changes so much in different light.

Green Grey Diamond Ring

Another fine example of a gorgeous stone that gets to take center stage in a nice clean design.

Comes in Waves - molded fine silver wave pendant

Finally, it’s almost hard to believe that this is a piece of metal because it is so fluid.

Such nice work that reminds one of what good design can do to showcase beautiful materials and masterful metal work.

Reflections of Architecture

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It is my impression that jewelry designers are frequently influenced by architectural details. I suppose it’s funny that things so different in scale can reflect each other — aesthetic principles at their largest and smallest.  For some reason, though, this interplay does seem to happen.  I, for one, often see an old window and think it should be the setting for a stone or that the contours of a piece of crown molding could be the pattern on a bracelet.

There are lots of great examples of the juxtaposition of jewelry and architecture.  Here are two.  They range from the “inspired by architecture” end of the spectrum to the actual depiction of an interesting building.

Architectural Geometric Bangle - by Kat

This sleek bangle is available in Kat’s Etsy store, aeliodesign.  I see so much in this piece that references architecture, furniture, and just larger space in general.  I see an atrium, a column, and even a funky, retro coffee table.

Amsterdam Necklace - by Laurie Poast

This miniature building, by Laurie Poast, is available in her Etsy store, ARTISANIEeurope.  This adorable piece, of course, is more directly influenced by architecture.  The little building is just beautifully rendered with just the right amount of detail to give it character.

A Pop of Color

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Oh, how I love enamel!  I took an enameling workshop and, turns out, that I don’t really enjoy enameling but I’m sure glad that other people do.  People like Michelle Mahler of Teka and Zoe on Etsy and tekaandzoe.com.

Typically, I am in favor of a subtle addition of color in jewelry.  But, in the case of Michelle Mahler’s work, I love that she really goes for it in terms of color because she does it so well.  There is so much more than just a little hint of color — her jewelry is all about the color.  I think one should also appreciate that in terms of skill.  From my brief experience with enameling, I learned that it is not easy to know what color you are going to get when enameling. The color does not come out of the container as it will turn out once fired onto metal.  In order to get such vibrant, consistent color as Michelle Mahler does, you really have to know what you’re doing.

A Lovely Holiday Party at Shibumi Gallery

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Last night we attended the holiday party at Shibumi Gallery, which is April Higashi‘s place.  As I’ve mentioned, this is my second experience here.  On both occasions, I’ve noticed that events here are very well attended and they should be.  The jewelry offerings from several different designers, including April herself, are artistic, bold, and stylish.  April, with her jewelry and in what she gravitates toward in other artists, seems to appreciate bold, unique design that doesn’t get in the way of its wearability.

April was there last night and gracious as always.  Thank you, April, for another lovely visit to your beautiful gallery.

As part of the holiday party, the featured artist was Karen Gilbert.  Her work is meticulously assembled with metal components and glass.  Often, the metal in her pieces involves incredibly tiny fabrication.  The glass, sometimes vessels and sometimes other shapes, seems to take the place of where stones would typically go.  But, the glass works better for the overall aesthetic.  I see a botanical influence, I see the artifacts of science, and I see modern sculpture.

The images of Karen Gilbert’s work were found on her website and one from the highly informative, The Jewelry Loupe, website.

At the show, I was able to observe Karen Gilbert’s pieces on people who were trying them on.  These clever sculptures turn into very flattering jewelry with movement, that catch the light, and remain bold yet understated.  It was nice to see a range of scale in her line.  There was everything from incredibly dainty to larger eye-catchers.

Alternative Materials by Cla Contemporary

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When making jewelry, there are no artistic talents that goes to waste.  You can bring skills from all different disciplines to the jeweler’s bench and find them useful. Chelsey, who is the creative force behind the Etsy store Cla Contemporary, proves that point by adding her own handmade ceramics to her pieces.

Ceramics in jewelry can get mixed results.  It can be earthy but it can also be clunky and messy.  Cla Contemporary is something else in entirely.  It’s true to it’s name.  It’s modern and clean.

I think the ring is sculptural perfection.  It’s a nice, clean design but it is not short on personality.

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.

jewelry, accessory, or both

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To the extent that a blog about jewelry can stir up controversy, I think that this post might be among the more controversial.

There is jewelry and then there are accessories and I, for one, am not sure that these things are always one in the same.  (There’s a ven diagram in there somewhere.)  If I may, let me wax poetic about what constitutes jewelry for me.  It is timeless.  A good ring design is a good ring design in 1980 or 1880.  For me, jewelry is an item that is worn on the body and, at its best, it accentuates the body and becomes and extension of it — a bangle bracelet that is never taken off or earrings that send a beam of light that reflects perfectly off of a cheekbone.

Of course, though, there is jewelry that is different than what I have described.  This is jewelry that I think of as worn more on clothes than on a person.  That is not to take anything away from this world of exquisite accessories.  It is an important form of self-expression.  I am merely commenting on the difference in categories.  (Then, there is “art jewelry” which is another animal all together.)  Accessories that are in the forms of necklaces, rings, etc. are more subject to trends.   The size of earrings changes; the length of necklaces changes; and, well, even the acceptable number of pieces on one human body changes.

Right now, I find that the jewelry trends that are being used to accent the current clothing style to be very big and very 80’s.  I find that interesting as, the last time around for these styles, it was a time of excess and, dare I say, callousness and the style trends reflected that.  Now, in the age of “we are the 99%,”  I find it funny, even ironic, that we are echoing this style.  Maybe there’s something in that.

Consider the following gorgeous necklaces both available for purchase on the Nordstrom website.  Both the Nordstrom “Athena” and the Sarah Cavender Fan Bib are stunning examples of affordable pieces that would nicely accent a modern wardrobe from this season.  They are both also undeniable 80’s excess and, I think, very fine examples of accessories that are designed to accent clothes and less so a person’s body.

Nordstrom 'Athena' Multi Shape Statement Necklace

Sarah Cavender Fan Bib Necklace