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Friday, November 28, 2008

guest star friday #30...donna d'aquino

i've been thinking a lot about my studio work these days as i prepare for two different shows. i've been drawing and researching and looking around me. this all brings me to the work of today's guest star and one of my favorite jewelers, donna d'aquino. donna's work is based on some concepts that are driving me as well, "line and the act of drawing." i am personally attracted to the layering of line and the structures she creates via this layering. her pieces are strong and thought- provoking both on and off the body.

thanks for reading.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

holiday sale is on

my annual holiday sale* starts today! all collection pieces (signature, steel & gold, egg & bean, men's, preface, layered) are 25% off from now until friday, january 16.

this will be your last chance to get signature and layered collection pieces as well as other pieces throughout all the collections. these items have been retired and will no longer be available after january 16.

also, FREE shipping on all orders $75 and up!

*the sale does not apply to wholesale or consignment orders, wedding rings, jewelry of the month, studio jewelery, or custom orders.

happy holidays! thanks for reading.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

jill bliss collaboration

i am super excited about december's jewelry of the month - a collaboration with one of my favorite artists, jill bliss. the piece will be available starting monday, december 1. if you want to see it sooner, please send me an email request to be added to my jewelry of the month mailing list or sign up at my website. i send out jewelry of the month advance notices a few days before the first of each month.

thanks for reading.

Monday, November 24, 2008

holiday sale starts wednesday!

Linkmy annual holiday sale* starts this wednesday! all collection pieces (signature, steel & gold, egg & bean, men's, preface, layered) will be 25% off from wednesday, november 26-friday, january 16.

also, this will be your last chance to get many different pieces throughout all the collections. these items will be marked retired on wednesday. big changes are coming...



*the sale does not apply to wholesale or consignment orders, wedding rings, jewelry of the month, studio jewelery, or custom orders.

thanks for reading.

my sternum hurts

i am dealing with a slight injury these days. i have costochondritis which is "inflammation of the cartilage that joins the ribs to the breastbone." how did i do this? a very bad habit... about nine months ago i began using my sternum as a place to rest my ring mandrel while i was forming rings with a hammer. the jarring motion of the mandrel against my bones damaged the cartilage. i started to feel the affects months ago and in the last few weeks the problem worsened and i could no longer ignore it. i went to the doctor a few days ago. this injury, although not serious, will take months to heal and it's pretty painful sometimes. i just have to cut out this body-as-tool nonsense and take it easy. so my fellow jewelers (and craftspeople, really) ...please be kind to your bodies. that's all.

thanks for reading.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

guest star friday #29...the west coast edition part 3

today's guest star is kristin beeler from long beach, ca. kristin uses silver, mother of pearl, antique photographs, baroque pearls, iron wire, and ink in her work. she creates miniature portraits of faces and objects with a reverence to the past. i find her work to be comforting due to both the subject matter and the delicate way she treats her materials and compositions.
in case you didn't know...i mentioned kristin in my post about my lecture at long beach city college. (she is the program coordinator and assistant professor.) i also mentioned her awhile back in a post about drawing on metal.

thanks for reading.

earrings!

i forgot to mention these earrings i got while i was in LA at my carol young trunk show. they were made by aya omura. i found her etsy shop, but unfortunately, she has nothing available right now.
thanks for reading.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

hurray for north carolina!

i am finally home from my west coast trunk show tour. i got back late last wednesday and immediately went to penland for the end of the fall concentration session which included the scholarship auction and show and tell. i loved being back with my students! it was so wonderful to see them again, but was sad to say goodbye so soon after returning. i really wish i had had more time with them.

the day before i flew back east i gave an artist talk at long beach city college in long beach, ca. i talked about my work and career and then gave my snag conference presentation. the talk became a lively conversation between me and the students with them asking questions as i went through my topics. the metals studio at lbcc is excellent. you can see pictures here. afterwards i spent time with kristin beeler, the associate professor and program coordinator, who was a lovely and generous hostess.
now i am very, very happy to be home. the trip was great and my trunk shows were successful, but it was also long and tiring. for the last couple of days i've been digging myself out from under a huge pile of mail, email, and studio work.

i'm looking forward to taking a little break in a few weeks for christmas.

thanks for reading.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

2000 years old

a 2000 year old earring was found in jerusalem. here's a link to the fascinating story.

thanks for reading.

Monday, November 10, 2008

sunny LA

my time in LA has been lovely. my carol young|undesigned trunkshow was great. we celebrated both my show and barack with mimosas and discounts. it was really fun! this was my second show at carol's and just like in 2007 i really enjoyed hanging out with carol and all of the vibrant people who stopped by. one of my latest engagement ring clients, jen of craft adventures of stichchick, stopped by to pick up her new ring. it was super to meet her after exchanging many fun emails.
now i'm off to long beach for a lecture at long beach city college on tuesday. then home at last!

thanks for reading.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

trunk show at carol young|undesigned today!

my fourth and final trunk show is today at carol young|undesigned in los angeles. to celebrate our new president, all my work will be 10% off, there will be special storewide "trunkshow discounts", and we'll be serving mimosas. if you are in the area, please stop by!

trunkshow and post election celebration

saturday, november 8 from 12-6
1953 1/2 hillhurst ave.
los angeles, ca 90027
323.663.0088

thanks for reading.

Friday, November 7, 2008

i left my jewelry in san francisco, part 2

yesterday i went on a museum/gallery crawl starting with the de young museum and ending with the asian art museum. in between i visited park life, chariots on fire, san francisco museum of craft & design, and velvet da vinci, i know, that's a lot of art...but it was so fun and inspiring! this is a long post, please bare with me.

i finally got to see maya lin: systematic landscapes at the de young museum. i was there early and the only person viewing the show at the time - being alone heightened the experience and added to the works' quiet minimalism.
i also visited yves saint laurent with nearly 130 accessorized garments and sketches. ysl's work is impeccable and exquisite. my favorite piece was the knit bridal gown. bjork, anyone?
next i visited park life a sweet little shop with lots of cool modern goods on clement street in the inner richmond neighborhood. they will be carrying my work in the coming weeks.
then i headed to the downtown area for chariots on fire a tucked-away jewelry gallery. i got to chat with the owner ritz yagi about the shop and her ideas regarding jewelry. she is very interested in bringing avant garde work to the forefront while placing it alongside unusual antique and vintage pieces. the space is stark but dramatic and the jewelery is beautifully displayed.
next up, the san francisco museum of craft & design to see the thinking body, a jewelry exhibition focused on "work [that] considers the body in relation to its physical and intellectual environment." the show included groundbreaking work from the 80's by gijs bakker and otto kunzli. it was exciting to see these pieces up close! i especially liked the work of cornelia parker. her pieces each featured one incredibly long piece of wire, one of which was the length of the height of the statue of liberty. the shadow created by the piece with the overhead light was beautiful in itself.
also on view was jewelry_cycle which features jewelry made from re-cycled circuit boards. there was also a table loaded with various materials so patrons could craft their own recycled jewelry.
it addition there was a fantastic show titled my first royal jewels by emiko oye. the pieces made from legos are based on european jewelry created by some of the great design houses including boucheron, cartier, and harry winston. the show is interactive - patrons can handle and wear each piece and also photograph themselves in the work. i really loved the three different exhibits together. they complimented each other, giving patrons different views of jewelry and making art jewelery more accessible to the masses.
following this i jumped on a bus and rode up polk street to velvet da vinci which many of you probably know as one of my favorite jeweler galleries. on view this trip was the pendant show which included nearly 100 of the jewelers in the book 500 pendants and lockets. it was wonderful to see some of my favorites - cornelia sauter, thelma aviani, and claudia costa.
Linkalso on view was new work by jillian moore - ...and the radical jewelry makeover - this piece is by suzanne pugh
i ended the day with a trip to the asian art museum to see afghanistan: hidden treasures from the national museum, kabul. the collection includes many incredible examples of gold metalwork discovered in graves from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D. my absolute favorite was the jewelry and ornaments found near one woman displayed just as it was found. it was eerie and beautiful. the following image is a crown and diadem that is collapsible.
...in LA now. carol young|undesigned trunkshow tomorrow, saturday from 12-6.

thanks for reading.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

i left my jewelry in san francisco, part 1

my rare device trunk show was fantastic, despite the heavy rain that day. lots of people came and i had a great time talking to everyone, including the lovely owners, rena tom and lisa congdon, and their fabulous employee, natalie. the shop is loaded with beautiful things and has an excellent selection of art, craft, and design books.


now i'm off to LA!

thanks for reading.

this trips' treasures, so far

i've picked up a few pieces of jewelry...
from left: porcelain key (on my own gold chain) by saikai from rare device, knitted necklace by laura irwin from seaplane, twisted wire earrings by raissa bump, porcelain red tree earrings by yasha butler from rare device.

below: vintage gold necklace by anna korte from azalea in san francisco

thanks for reading.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

taboo studio group show

i will be in a group exhibition at taboo studio in san diego in february. i will make a new batch of one-of-a-kind-pieces in the vein of my line drawings. the other artists include clara arana, megan auman, pat flynn, deanna jacobsen, christina y. smith, beth solomon, and micki whelan. i am excited to be a part of such a diverse group of jewelers.

opening reception february 13, 2009 6-8pm
show closes march 27, 2009

clara arana
pat flynn
thanks for reading.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Monday, November 3, 2008

more guest star #28

i spent some time with raissa when i first got to the sf area. she lives in a tiny town outside of the city. the top photo is in her "backyard." pretty amazing. here are a few pictures of her studio.
thanks for reading.