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Thursday, July 31, 2008

alright, already

i am ready to go to this show. the last four weeks have been intense with long days and busy work weekends. at this point, there's nothing left to do except pack the van. i set up my booth on friday and the show starts saturday morning at 10am. i really just want to be there. and, no matter what happens at the show, this has already been a good experience. i've learned a lot during my preparations and i am looking forward to seeing what it's all about when i'm actually there.

here are a few more pictures of my preparations. above is most of the stuff i am taking. below are images of my displays before and after.
thanks for reading.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

last chance


there are only a two days left for my july jewelry of the month necklaces. on friday, august 1 i will launch the second installment and these necklaces will go away. right now, there are only two necklaces left, crete (1st from left, navy) and delos (4th from left, aqua).

thanks for reading.

Monday, July 28, 2008

item of the week


this week's item of the week is the tiny traipse necklace. i chose this piece simply because it is one of my absolute favorites. i don't even remember why i created it, although i was probably thinking something like "wouldn't it be cool to make these thin sticks with tiny circles punctuating either end?" i love its simple, delicate-looking design. you can find the tiny traipse necklace in my signature collection in my shop.

please enjoy 20% of the tiny traipse necklace for the week, july 29 - august 4. regularly $66, on sale for $52.80.

thanks for reading.

night of the stud

night of the stud, an exhibition of cufflinks, opens at heidi lowe gallery in rehoboth beach, delaware on saturday, august 2. the show runs through august 9. here are pictures of the cuffllinks i made (above) as well as pieces by joanna gollberg (below).

thanks for reading.

Friday, July 25, 2008

guest star friday no. 19...antonella giomarelli

today's guest star is antonella giomarelli. antonella uses discarded everyday objects to create her jewelry. these rather plain and seemingly uninteresting items, like string and plastic packaging straps, are given new meaning when made into jewelry. the materials are elevated beyond their original intent and are transformed into rather beautiful jewelry. in addition, the strict black and white pallet makes the work look even more sophisticated and elegant.

from top: string bracelets, string and jet brooch, string and jet rings, strap bracelets

thanks for reading.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

i like yellow a lot

i am in love with yellow right now and have collected some images of great yellow jewelry...
from the top down: necklace by thelma aviani, bracelet by sayumi yokouchi, necklace by echo design, necklace by sybille richter, brooch by raissa bump, necklace by cornelia sautter.

have a nice day.

thanks for reading.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

progress report

things are coming along nicely for the bmac show. i got my banner yesterday and i love it! the color is just right! my new post cards arrived last week and they look great, too. i just sent a big stack out to possible buyer attendees.

my samples are done and stored by collection in these great plastic organizers. it doesn't look like much but there are 128 different pieces in there! i even timed myself as i made each. i did not enjoy this very much, but it was interesting to see just how long things take.
i finally committed to the look of my booth after shopping around and scouring my collection of design magazines and catalogs. i have big plans for those hand-me-down/on loan display pieces. i'm going with what i know and plan to create a space that looks a lot like my home (minus the 3 x 9 foot banner, of course). you'll see...i start renovations tomorrow.

one of the things i am most excited about are my billy buttons...beautiful yellow flowers that i have been crazy about for awhile now. i spent an hour surfing the other night when i decided i had to have them for a booth decoration. i finally found a farm in oregon that has them in stock and ready to ship. check out hammelman's for more gorgeous dried botanicals.

the schedule i mentioned the other day has really helped me to stay on top of things and to remain calm. every evening i review what i've done and what's coming up the next day. then i revise accordingly. it is a lot of work and it may not pay off, but i have to try, no?

thanks for reading.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

item of the week


this week's item of the week... small preface post earrings. by now you probably know the story of the preface shape and how it came to be a few years back. this year i got into soldering posts on earrings and began making more post styles than my usual circular earwires. i thought for a long time that posts were a pain, but then my friend and fellow jeweler, aran, told me about the magic of these special standup cross-lock tweezers. they act as a third hand, firmly holding a post at a perfect 90 degrees just where it needs to be on the earring. genius! (thanks, aran!) now i can't get enough of posts. you'll find these earrings in the preface collection in my shop.

please enjoy 20% of the small preface post earrings for the week, july 22-28 (regularly $72, on sale for $57.60)

thanks for reading.

p.s. here are the tweezers. if you're a jeweler, i highly recommend getting a pair. they run about $7.

Friday, July 18, 2008

guest star friday no. 18...marianne anderson

as i was looking for today's guest star, i stumbled upon this familiar image of two rings. i've been staring at this picture for a few years now - it's one of many images that hang above my bench. i love the rings but never found out about the jeweler until now. marianne anderson is based in scotland and her work is inspired by the history of ornament. however, her pieces only echo the antique. by reinterpreting traditional jewelry forms, she is able to make work that is thoroughly modern.

thanks for reading.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

more BMAC

this week and last, i've been busy preparing for the BMAC show. i mentioned my schedule a few days ago... i'm doing a fairly good job at sticking to it. a friend and fellow craftsperson, krista, reminded me about unforeseen happenings and how something always seems to pop-up unexpectedly. she's completely right! so, to combat this problem i have "padded" my schedule with extra time (what, extra?!) to accommodate for various hijinks.

next week i get to make my display pieces, the fun part. i haven't committed to anything yet, but i do have a list of ideas. my studiomate, friend, and fellow BMAC vendor, joanna gollberg, gave me some of her old stuff. i see lots of potential!
what i have committed to are new postcards, posters, and a banner. the postcards and banner were designed by brandon dawley.
thanks for reading.

JotM update

i am excited to report that three of my july jewelry of the month necklaces have sold! mykonos (3rd from left)), santorini (2nd), and naxos (5th) have been purchased, leaving delos (4th) and crete (1st) still up for grabs. i'm also pleased to say that i've gotten some nice press for this new project. ellie at mint design and lisa at jewelry hunter posted great features on the work. thanks to them both!

thanks for reading.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

item of the week

this week's item of the week is the long oval necklace from my steel and gold collection. this shape was a new style for the collection in march 2007. i designed the oval this particular way because i wanted a long, graceful shape with a little bit of character. the near 4" length allows for a softness or looseness in the line which is a nice contradiction to steel's reputation as being hard and tough. i chose one long oval as the focus because i am drawn to single elements, as you can see with so many other pieces in my shop. this is definitely one of my favorite shapes to make, too.

please enjoy 20% off the long oval necklace for the week, july 15-21. regularly $96, on sale for $76.80.

thanks for reading.

Monday, July 14, 2008

show preparations

over the past few weeks i've been spending a great deal of time preparing for the buyers market of american craft, a huge wholesale show in philadelphia from august 2-4. there will be hundreds of vendors and buyers there. i've never done a show on this scale before and i have to say the preparations can be overwhelming. designing and creating my booth is the main source of these feelings. it's a daunting task when you have no idea what you're doing! (at least it feels like i have no idea what i'm doing...) i developed a schedule last night outlining all the things that must be done before i leave for the show on july 31. i think as long as i review it daily and stick to the schedule i will be fine with the least number of tears shed/stress had.

i spent last week making samples. i have today and tomorrow to complete them. today i also have to order a bunch of stuff, like new postcards and my booth furniture, which i have decided to rent.

i'll try to have some good images to post tomorrow.

now i have to go. my schedule says "studio - 9am" and i haven't showered or eaten breakfast yet.

thanks for reading.

Friday, July 11, 2008

guest star friday no. 17...maria joão ribeiro

today's guest star is maria joão ribeiro from portugal. i find her work irresistibly appealing. her color combinations are an unusual mix of vibrant and muted shades that work perfectly together. i am also drawn to the wonderful textures she creates through mixing materials and techniques. i chose a necklace, brooch, bracelet, and ring image to share with you here, but there are so many more fantastic pieces to see. her etsy shop and flickr site are definitely worth a (long) visit.

thanks for reading.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

facebook

i created a facebook business profile page recently. you'll find images of my work, my blog posts, and event listings. the fun part is that you can become my "fan" by clicking "become a fan." you'll find the page under ".amy tavern metalsmith/jewelry designer."
also, i recently added new photos to my website of my plastic egg jewelry, including the plastic egg earrings, necklace, and egg and bean charm necklace. the plastic egg necklace is now available in a large size in addition to the original small size. there are new colors as well - gray, translucent red, translucent white, and a more vibrant turquoise. the images are no longer shown with white eggs, now they are turquoise. i am very pleased with the new look. they are just lovely and really pop from the page.
thanks for reading.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

item of the week

this week's item of the week is the egg and bean charm necklace. i added this design to my egg and bean collection a few years ago because of the positive response a similar version recevied when i wore it to a trunk show. the evening of the event i was frantically getting ready and as per usual i did not have any jewelry of my own to wear. (i rarely make things for myself.) i had a few miscellaneous egg and bean shapes laying on my bench so i grabbed them and threaded them on a long chain as i walked out the door. that evening i got many comments on the necklace. i really liked it, too. it reminded me of a charm necklace i had when i was a kid. i also liked it because of its interchangeable possibilities. when it was time to design my new items for spring i added the egg and bean charm necklace.

today i offer this necklace in 5 colors - black, red, white, turquoise, and gray.
please enjoy 20% off the egg and bean charm necklace for the week, july 8-14. regularly $130, on sale for $104.

thanks for reading.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

guest star friday no. 16...julia turner

since it's the 4th of july i decided to write about a jeweler from the u.s. for today's guest star friday post. that jeweler is julia turner from san francisco. i absolutely love julia's work. it is so elegant in its composition and construction. this work seems incredibly thoughtful, like each step in its' creation was chosen specifically. however, through what appears to be an incredibly light touch, the pieces retain a certain spontaneity.
you can view more of julia's work at her website.

thanks for reading. enjoy the 4th.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

jewelry of the month is here!

it's july 1 and jewelry of the month begins today! the first pieces in my jewelry of the month collection, available exclusively at my website, are a series of five necklaces in sterling silver and cotton embroidery floss. the shapes and colors are inspired by my recent trip to greece and the rich, varied colors of the aegean sea. only one of each piece pictured has been made. each will remain available until sold or july 31, whichever is first.

the colors from left are: crete, santorini, mykonos, delos, naxos

each necklace is $75 and comes with a numbered and signed card.

jewelry of the month is a way for me to realize designs that don’t fit into my regular collections or studio jewelry. these pieces are an opportunity to take ideas from sketchbook to workbench and share them with you.

each edition will be limited to less than 10 and will come with a numbered and signed card. each item will sell for under $120. i plan to use unusual materials like vintage wallpaper, new techniques like sewing, and i will collaborate with friends who work in other media like glass and clay.

if you would like advance notice, please send me an email to sign up for my jewelry of the month mailing list.

thanks for reading.