ring-a-day, pop out jewelry revisited

i recently got myself a ring-a-day, a super cool design by alissia melka-teichroew - BY:AMT. the piece includes 7 different pop-out rings and comes complete with a file to soften the burr left behind after the rings are popped. each ring is a silhouette of a familiar ring style, like the classic engagement ring. the frames can also be worn on a chain or hung on the wall, so no waste. clever! alissia's other designs are pretty excellent, too. smart and good-looking.
it will be fun to pop these out one by one over the coming week. i think they will look fantastic worn all at once.

thanks for reading.

ring-a-day complete

i finished my ring-a-day yesterday and was correct in thinking all 7 would look really cool worn at once. popping them out was the first thing i did when i got to my studio everyday for the last 7 days - a fun little daily ritual.

thanks for reading.

Final Days, Part 3

my pearls packed into my carry-on in their original packaging

Yet another allover-the-place kind of day... I started with a custom 14K gold chain link bracelet, while putting the finishing touches on my last Etsy order, a custom ring set, and the new work for my galleries. I've also been preparing all this work to ship and started packing the studio just a little. I registered for my classes for my first semester at CCA, too, after finally getting my new CCA email account all set up and actually working. I'm so excited about my classes: contemporary art history, dialogues and practices, studio practice, and a seminar class yet to be determined. (I had to rank nine classes in order of preference and will find out in a week which one I get. They all sound good so I can't go wrong.) I'm only half way through the day now and still have what seems like a million little things to do, and today absolutely has to be my last day at the bench. Everything must be completed. Tomorrow I'm driving to Lenox, MA to Sienna Patti Contemporary to deliver work for my October solo show along with other one of a kind pieces, including I Live Here Now for summer in the gallery. Then I have to pack up and move more stuff into my storage unit this weekend. 

These are exciting times, my friends. 

in progress 14K custom bracelet

gallery, Etsy, and custom orders almost ready to ship

screen cap of some of my CCA first semester classes

stacking rings in an older design from my original collection days

Thanks for reading.

Since 1882, Since 1976

When I was in the initial stages of developing the work for "I Live Here Now" one of the first pieces I knew I wanted to make was about the house I grew up in. My first thought was to use some of the original wood from the house, but when I looked for some, there really wasn't anything I could easily attain. My mom and I looked in the basement and the garage and I even thought about removing a board from a corner or something. Then one day my mom asked me to follow her into the basement and when we got down there, she pointed at the floor. There were bits of stone here and there and she told me they were from the foundation. She also wondered if maybe I could make something using them. I knew immediately this was the solution and was excited that my mom had so clearly been thinking about my work. I collected a bunch of pieces and designed a necklace reminiscent of a diamond choker or some sort of royal jewel. I made prong settings for each stone and then created matching earrings and a ring.

As I was working, I also thought about the presentation and became fixated on finding a blue velvet box. I searched online and found the perfect one on Etsy. It was a bit worn and stained and the word "Illusion" was stamped on the inside. It was even better than I ever imagined and when I got it and put the necklace inside, the piece became a truly complete thought. 

I've added lots of process photographs to Flickr including pictures of details around the house that I have loved since I was a child. The house was built in 1882 and we moved there as a family in 1976. My earliest memory is at this house…my mom was holding me and talking to my father outside. We were standing at the back corner in the yard. I must have been a year and half or maybe 2.

Thanks for reading.

item of the week

this week's item of the week is the tension necklace. in 2004 i had a short residency in seattle, wa. one saturday i was having a hard time getting motivated to make my work. to get myself warmed-up, i had this idea to make a sterling ring of two hammered bands, one of which would be held in place inside the other with tension. i ended up spending most of my day on that ring. it took awhile to make the two rings themselves and then to get the fit of the band inside band just so. there was a lot of hammering and then fine tuning of each band. that ring design later translated to the tension necklace, only now the rings are two steel bands soldered with 18k gold solder and then hung on a fine gold chain. this design, found in my steel & gold collection, is still challenging to make and every once in awhile i cannot get the tension right. the name is fitting in more ways than one.

please enjoy 20% off the tension necklace for the week, june 10-june 16. (originally $110, on sale for $88)

thanks for reading.

what i'm reading

Rings by Diana Scarisbrick. this book is about the history of rings. my favorite new discovery is the "acrostic ring" in which a row of stones spells a term of endearment using the first letter of each stone.

every morning for about the last 6 weeks i have been spending some time reading books on jewelry and subjects related to the concepts in my own work. i got a few for christmas (thanks sister-in-law) and just got two more for valentine's day (thanks mom and brother). i'm also diving back into a few favorites. i usually read for 15-30 minutes and though that may seem like a short amount of time, i find i read quite a lot and it feels incredibly rewarding and inspiring. here are the titles, all of them i highly recommend.

The World's Great Treasures ed. Gianna Guadalupi. this book has giant close-up pictures of historical jewelry perfect for studying all the tiny details.

Jewelry Design by Carissa Kowalski Dougherty. this book features the work of some of today's most innovative jewelry artists - a new favorite for me is kim buck.

On Longing by Susan Stewart. this book covers some topics i am acutely interested in including the miniature and the collection.

Tord Boontje by Martina Margetts. a favorite artist of mine. i couldn't look at this book for a few weeks after i leafed through it for the first time. it was so beautiful (and still is) it overwhelmed me.

20,000 Years of Fashion by Francois Boucher. just an amazing costume reference.

thanks for reading.

once again...SF, part 3

"triadic" - charles marks, stainless steel from chi ha paura...?

the next day, raissa and i ventured out for more jewelry this time to de vera, gump's, and the sf museum of craft and design. de vera is a tiny shop with new and antique jewelry and objects. the selection is finely curated and inspiring. i especially loved looking at the antique pieces due to my recent heightened interest in historical jewelry. there was a new piece, however, that both raissa and i were immediately attracted to - a crocheted necklace in olive green with hot pink leaf-like "pendants" and little stones scattered throughout. i wish i had a picture to share!

cameo ring, c. 1780 at de vera

next we walked across the street to look at barbara heinrich's gorgeous work at the incredibly fancy department store, gump's. in addition to all the fine jewelry, gump's also has a selection of antique pieces and fantastic beaded purses.

necklace in 18K gold by barbara heinrich

finally, we stopped at the san francisco museum of craft and design to see the exhibition "designers on jewelry: twelve years of production for chi ha paura...?". this show features the work of a group of jewelers who form "Chi ha paura...?". the group was started by gijs bakker and they focus on making jewelry in which the idea is most important, not the materials or value. the pieces are simple, smart, innovative, and sometimes irreverent and many are interactive, like the "strip bracelet." i was also intrigued by the unusual display. when you walk into the gallery there is a huge, nearly life-size black and white photo of a group of people wearing the jewelry, but the pieces are actually attached to the photo. here's a picture:

"bound by blood" - designer: katja prins - wood

thanks for reading.

pop!

how fun, pop-up/pop-out jewelry! i've been searching for this stuff on the internet and found these two rad designers so far:

alissia melka-teichroew makes "ring a day." she's also the designer behind BY:AMT. and there's melissa borrell who makes "pop-out jewelry." i'll keep looking for more.

thanks for reading.

Do You Know About My Wedding Rings?

Betsy and Scott-the first set I made back in 2002

The other day I was reviewing all the images on my Facebook Fan page and discovered that my wedding rings were not among the over 1400 images I've posted. I just added them there now. I don't make a lot of wedding rings, maybe three or four sets a year with the occasional trifecta of bride and groom bands and the engagement ring, but I really enjoy making them when I do get an opportunity. I know I've said this before and I'll say it again: Making wedding and engagement rings is a challenging and rewarding process and a big responsibility because they are such significant and personal pieces of jewelry. I find such joy in the process, though, and it always feels pretty special.

Amy and Glen
a more traditional style and my favorite image of a set I made

Melissa
made for my friend and still my hands-down favorite design

Thanks for reading.

american craft exposition, part 1

here are a few images of my area in the emerging artist section. i kept it very simple as i think you can see. i had to fly to the show so i couldn't bring a lot with me. i did ship some display pieces but i did not know what to expect and didn't send, much. i requested cases in the planning stages, but then couldn't use the ones they had for me. i opted for these tables instead. (i was planning on having all my jewelry out and not under glass anyway.) when i first created my display it was pretty flat and similar to the way i do things in my own studio gallery. friday was a long day (10am-8pm) and was rather slow for my own sales. i kept thinking of things i could do to bolster interest/purchasing and looked to my display area...i felt it could use some work so i thought about ways to improve it when i got back to my hotel that night. i knew i wouldn't have time in the morning to go anywhere and i didn't want to spend any money so i had to get creative. i turned my portfolio ring binder into a necklace display, used my storage boxes for more height, and added many of my red gift boxes for color and more levels. the result was much better and i sold more saturday than i did the day before. (this, of course, is also due to other factors as well, but i would like to think the improved display helped.)


more tomorrow...

thanks for reading.

Corner of My Eye: Dada Peak

The poster for Dada Peak caught my eye one day as I walked along Laugevegur, the busy "main street" of Reykjavík. I saw that dramatic, sculpture object and veered off course to get a closer look. The exhibition of sculptural rings by Benas Staskauskas was opening the next day and I was excited I would be able to catch it in time.

Benas website

The show was at an Icelandic craft and design gallery called Kirsuberjatréð and it did not disappoint. The rings were displayed on shelves suspended from the ceiling at different levels and each ring was carefully placed; each had a presence all its own and together they created a collective identity. The rings were quite varied in size, color, texture and material but with a definite aesthetic style running throughout. I was impressed with the variety, details and the size of the collection, which numbered over 50 pieces.

Thanks for reading.

A Complete Thought

class selfie on the last day

My Penland class "A Complete Thought" was a fantastic experience. My students worked hard and made some very thoughtful work, considering their pieces from all sides and paying close attention to the details. It really felt like everyone challenged themselves technically and aesthetically and I so appreciate that. I enjoyed working with them and wish we had another week together. Session 7 is an intense one with jammed-packed days of demos, discussion and work time. Plus, there are evening events and other activities around campus. There is never enough time so it seems, but I'm pleased with the work of my group of 12 and we had a lot of fun. Here are a few of the finished pieces...

necklace by Baba Barnett

brooch by Roxy Lentz

ring by Sarah Tector

bracelet by Jay Teilhet

brooch by Claire Buck

Thanks for reading.

Arrowmont Part 5

Joanna Merry - roller-printed and knotted pendant

The last day of my Arrowmont class was Friday. We began by talking about simple studio set-ups and essential tools. Then everyone had a chance to work all day until studio clean-up at 4. Things were bustling in there right up to the last minute. After clean-up we shared some wine and our work. Later after dinner there was an all-school show and tell. I said goodbye to my class then and drove back to Penland. I had a lovely time during the week and hope to teach there again. Here are a few examples of some of the things my students made:

Lea Donatelli - chased pendant

Carrie Crocker - cloud ring with silhouette

Sandy Osborn - textured and riveted cuff

Sarah Henry - roller-printed pendant with handmade chain

More images on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.