Shop Talk: North Country

Each summer in the heat of July we pack the car and head up to the northern border of the Adirondacks. Up in the mountains it is comfortably cooler.  It's one of those places where you exhale deeply, close your eyes and just clear your mind.  I love this place. 

Last summer I discovered that the local bead store that I had been going to for years also had a bead class! 

I decided to give it a try.  What I found was a group of local beaders who do much more talking than beading. They called it their "bitch & stitch" group. The conversation was full of fantastic local gossip.  I found out whose husband was driving them nuts, whose neighbor was 'just over the line' and who said what to whom.  I didn't know any of the names, but felt right at home. 


We did have a project to work on as we gossiped.  Yes my friends, this is a sought-after pattern by armies of beaders called: Dress Up a Chevron Chain with Flowers from the April 2007 Bead and Button Issue.  

The more you bead, and get better with your beadwork, the more you want to try your hand at complicated patterns.  The problem is ... they are normally unwearable by the average Joe who wears a suit into the office each day.  Basically when you're done with the project it can look like you've recreated the equivalent of a quilt and strapped it to your wrist.  

What makes it worse is that your fellow beaders tend to applaud you for the more intricate, complicated pieces.  The Chevron pattern (above blue bracelet) is one of my pieces that has some of the highest 'views' from fellow beaders with the highest of ratings ... 5 out of 5 stars on Beading Daily.com. 

Meanwhile the ones I find more wearable, that I can pull off with a work blouse, get low scores. Such as the right angle weave to the left here.  Top scores on this one only got 3 out of 5 on Beading Daily.com

Even this slightly more complicated pattern with jasper and a slide clasp only managed to get a 4 out of 5 on Beading Daily.com. 

I have started taking apart the complicated patterns and recycling the beads. I just have too many pieces laying around getting no use.

So my question is ... Who do you design for?  Accolades from fellow beaders, or the simple patterns that sell better on Etsy?

Lost in Translation: Souvenirs That Should Be Left Behind

There are always those things you buy while on vacation that look amazing in the moment, but should have never made it through customs. Easter in Madrid is full of such things.  The city is festive. There are parades, street shows -- especially in Plaza Mayor, there are priests in full get up holding services that have been booked well in advance, street cafes are packed, the parks are full of people strolling in the sun, and souvenirs everywhere you look.

Walking along the Gran Via (main street) in Madrid, my daughters and I stopped short at a window.  We stood stunned by this dress (left) of feathers for several moments wondering exactly what occasion you would pull this out of the closet and say "perfect! exactly what I was looking for?" 

We did, however manage to pack plenty of other unnecessary souvenirs into the suitcases ... two traditional fans, a few Madrid pens, a key chain and the obligatory snow globes (thankfully security will no longer allow them as carry on - and no one in their right mind would stuff them in a suitcase ... only to open it on the other end with a burst of glitter everywhere). I picked up a shoulder bag with Mardrid written all over it because nothing says 'world traveler' better then one of these. Yes I did buy it, and yes I'm as geeky as everyone else when I travel.  

I did manage to dissuade my daughters from the puppets they wanted to buy.  We saw a popular and wonderful puppet show in the Parque del Retiro (Madrid's central park). The girls were mesmerized and had to stay for several of the shows. Afterwards (when I could pursued them to step away from the puppets) they kept asking for one of their own.  I could just picture myself with these over-sized puppets in my carry on.  Thankfully, their attention span is fairly short, and this dire need for a puppet lasted only 30 minutes.


So what should you bring back from Madrid?  Well for me, of course, I was looking for the local flare in jewelry.  That I found on a side excursion to Toledo.  A gorgeous old city on a hill side that sits as a majestic castle.  It's known for its steel making (swords, knives and other armor).  But also for a style called Damascene, which is the art of inlaying steel with gold or silver metals.  This stuff was everywhere, and I could not get enough of it!

The procedure includes covering the surface of an object with fine grooves by using sharp cutting tools. Patterns are drawn on the scored surfaces, and gold wires are pressed into these grooves with a steel punch and hammer.  At that point the whole item is blued to produce a black background by a total oxidation of the surfaces which are not damasked. Finally a delicate process of chipping gives a sheen to the object.  The process dates back to the middle ages and became popular in 15th century Europe. Toledo, Spain is the largest producer of Damascene today.  

I bought several pieces of Damascene including several pairs of earrings, a bracelet and a beautiful little pill box. As always with the things I pick up, I take them apart once I'm home.  The pair (left) I re-set on a slender earwire so the hoop has a nice little swing to them when you wear them.

I could have left most of the souvenirs behind, except for the Damascene.  I am so glad these pieces ended up in my carry on.

Lost in Translation: What is Vintage?

Last summer I wandered into a local "vintage" store to check out the styles and what type of jewelry they might carry. I had a lead from a friend that the owner might consider selling some of my designs. I left a few samples and came back a few weeks later. She had sold a piece or two and asked if I'd consider designing a line for the holidays. Would I! Yes!


So I got to work on a vintage line. Let me ask you, when you think about vintage what comes to mind? For me (and jewelry) I think of Art Deco, Art Nouveau, or simply the 1940s-50s. 
I decided to use marcasite as a main element as it was very common during WWII. Diamonds were being used in military manufacturing.  Not only is a diamond the hardest substance known, it also has the highest thermal conductivity; tremendous heat can pass through it without causing damage. So women gave up their diamonds and started wearing marcasite because it gave a similar diamond sparkle. I also used colors that I thought represented a vintage look such as olive green (jade), cocoa brown (smoky quartz), eggshell white (pearls) and black (onyx).  I used large focals on the necklaces, and plenty of dangle on the earrings.

When I returned with samples her response was "my clientele is really more 60s, do you have anything more like this?" as she pointed to a 'groovy' multi-strand, beaded get up .... wow, didn't see that coming.  Especially when you look at how she positions her store called Vintage Virtuosa.  We agreed that she would look through my Etsy site and give me a call with items she wanted me to bring in.  She never called.  No surprise there.


So my question is ... what is vintage?  I looked it up and the best I got was from wikipedia. Vintage (for clothing) usually refers to 1920s up to 1960 and has been worn by someone. Retro are those items made to imitate a previous style. So while I feel I was right with my understanding of the word vintage ... it didn't really help in delivering a sale with this store owner. Sigh.  


Materials
Bracelet (top): marcasite slide clasp, Miyuki seed beads
Earrings: marcasite triple connector, onyx, silver chain, silver leverbacks
Necklace (left): jade, hematite, marcasite, emerald quartz, vintage loop toggle
Bracelet (center): onyx, pearls, chalcedony, silver spacers, pearl slide clasp
Necklace (right): smoky quartz, tiny pearl chip spacers, Chinese enamel, vermeil toggle

Thankful in India :: Restaurants With Food

India is a place where nothing goes to waste.  A stone that I discovered while we were there is white amethyst (the stone in the earrings).  Who knew there was such a thing? But when you think about what the natural stone looks like (right) there are parts that are white. And if you're going to use all of the stone ... well then you'll end up with some stones being white. 

As we were traveling through India we experienced an interesting quirk: the tendency to avoid the word 'no.' We were on the road and decided to stop for lunch.  We pulled off at what seemed to be the only restaurant we'd seen for more than an hour.  Nowhere India.  Literally dust in every direction.  We walk in and before we could sit at a table a man runs out with a hand-held switch broom and dusts off the chairs. Plumes of dust go everywhere.  Honestly, this is when we should have just turned around and left. 

Looking around I noticed that we were the only people in the place. We sit and check the menu.  The man comes back perhaps 10-15 minutes later ... apparently very busy doing other things?  And we ask for the chicken curry, which he proceeds to tell us that it isn't available today.  We ask for vegetable curry, then the naan, then try the lamb curry ... and with each request the man shakes his head and says "I am very sorry, but it is not available today."  We decide to try this a different way.  "Why don't you tell us what IS available today?" He explains that he could run down the road for some eggs and perhaps make us a scramble. Ok, let me get this straight.  So you don't have anything available, here IN the restaurant? 

This was a common theme on our trip.  Never wanting to say no, always hoping that they might make a sale - somehow.  This wasn't the only time it happened to us on this trip.  We were out for dinner one night and my mother-in-law asked for dessert: gulab jamun (India's version of doughnuts). We watched our waiter run out the front door and down the street.  He didn't return for about 10 minutes, and arrived carefully holding a bowl of gulab jamun he had clearly bought at another place.  Her dessert cost as much as dinner -- only fair since he had to jog cross town to get it for her?! It always makes me laugh when I think of my time in India and how it made me look at life from a different angle.  

ShopTalk: Chakra Relief With Agates

My Jackie O friend from the office asked if I'd design some jewelry to match the color of her eyes. The first item I made for her was a blue lace agate necklace. I did however, have a pair of earrings already done that I thought would also work for her.  An unusual lace agate stone with a beautiful rib cut (right).  She took these straight away while she waited for me to finish the necklace.  

Agate is a beautiful stone. It is creatively colored and striped by nature, and adds so much texture to jewelry.  This one is a cool grey wave, but I've worked with fiery orange and reds as well that have a warm glow to the stone.   

THE MEANING OF THE STONE:

Energy: protective  
Magical Property: relieves insomnia and brings good dreams (place under pillow at night)
Chakras: agates can remove blockages from any chakra (who knew?)

Most of the agate I work with tends to be in the orange-brown color hues. The necklace shown (right) includes an orange-white tiger agate with a series of other natural stones to bring out the colors including; peach colored pearls, sandstone and coral seed beads.  I've used this tiger agate in a lot of projects including simple drop earrings which are easy wear for everyday.  


My niece asked me to repair some orange agate jewelry for her, which of course arrived in a ziplock bag (my repair projects always start this way!). She was wearing the pretty necklace at school, and a boy grabbed it and pulled.  Ah love at the age of 10.  Perhaps he had a chakra blockage that needed immediate attention.  


So I didn't have enough stones left for a necklace, and decided to create cluster earrings for her (lower left). She was quite happy with the change from necklace to earrings. And, according to her ... the bigger the earrings, the better. Not sure her mom agrees... I guess just as long as they aren't worn on the playground. 


I never get tired of agate. One of my favorites is a simple natural stone like the ones (right). I created wire wrap earrings on hoops, which I kept for myself.  The light catches these and brings out the warmth of the stone, which I absolutely love.  And a pretty way to find chakra relief.

Yin Yang: Miss Jackie-O

In fairness, my last post on the Bam-Bam necklace was for a friend at the office who has absolutely exquisite taste.  I think that is why the post is all the more absurd. The first time she asked me to work on a piece for her she asked if I could find something to bring out the light blue color in her eyes.  I went hunting for chalcedony, but came back with a string of lace blue agate rounds (right).  I had expected to make a simple pair of earrings, but when I showed her the stones she gasped and said "perfect!"  She wanted a full necklace with the strand.  


Whenever I first start working with someone new, I typically ask them to explain what style they wear. Or to bring in pictures of pieces that they love so I can get a sense of what they typically like. I prefer a picture. It tells me much more than my friends can describe to me.


In this case she came in wearing a necklace that she loved.  It was made by a friend of her's while she was living in Italy.  It was a beautiful Cartier style necklace... with simple pearls set with small black beads as spacers. The style was so classic and the Yin Yang of the black & white contrast was completely elegant.

The necklace told me everything I needed to know. I could tell from her love of Cartier style jewelry, that Jackie O is the best image that describes her --- classic, elegant styles that still work today.  My Jackie O friend is so put together with pencil skirts, scoop necks and her hair tucked up in a twist.  The only difference is that she is blond and blue eyed. 


I LOVED the general idea of the necklace. I decided to use it as the basis for the necklace I created for her. First I tried the pattern with some antique pearls I inherited from my mother (left). This necklace and style is the basis for a new vintage line I'm designing. You can check it out at my Etsy shop.    


I adapted this idea again for the necklace I created for my friend. I used small fresh water, heshi pearls to space the lace blue agate.  I finished it with a simple silver box clasp and striking blue focal bead.  It was absolutely beautiful on her.  Once finished she said "do you think you could make some earrings to go with this?" Easy peasy. I love designing for her. Absolutely everything looks amazing on my friend. Even that Bam-Bam necklace did! But this Jackie O style is stunning, and really sets her apart.

Lost in Translation: The Bam-Bam Necklace

I'm in love with this stone -- it's called African Opal.  I saw it for the first time just before Christmas and it's been love ever since.  I used it in several bracelets:  one with goldstone, which bring out the rusty color veining.  And one with hematite, which pulls out the cool blues.  I also made a necklace 'straight up' with no accent beads because it is just such an interesting stone! Clearly, I'm in love. The funny thing is, I was looking for replacement beads for a necklace that I had re-strung for a friend at work.  As is typical with most of my projects for friends ... it all starts with a ziplock bag.

In this case a very large one with extra-strength reinforcement.  The beads she handed me were the heaviest 'suckers' I've EVER worked with.  They were some sort of recreation of a lava bead (below left), but could not be real as the paint on the beads kept flaking off in my hands as I re-strung them.  The color looked like poop ... somewhere north of brown, somewhere south of green.  Why on God's green earth someone thought a multi-strand necklace with these beads was a good idea is beyond me.

A bit of background.  My friend found the necklace while traveling through Spain and thought it was amazing (her words, not mine) and was so upset when the necklace collapsed in her lap in the back of speeding NY taxi.  Clearly the necklace had sentimental value as nothing else could explain why she would want someone to repair it. Thus, the beads were loose in the bag when she handed it to me. And so, to add a little excitement to the project I had to try to figure out what the original pattern looked like.

It seemed simple enough .... 2 strands, graduated, large bead connector ... bada bing, bada boom and that should do it. I began stringing it the following Saturday morning, and was still at it late Sunday. The f'ing beads kept pulling down on the wire and pulling apart the necklace. I don't usually swear, but these beads were a real pain in the behind. 
The beads have crevices which catch the wire and before you know it you've got gaps in the pattern. (insert swear word)  I strung the necklace at least 4 times before I could get the right wire gauge as it kept snapping from the weight of the beads. I finally doubled up the wire and then used clamps to hold the pattern in place so I could try to add the clasp. The beads shifted and I ended up with bare wire the width of about 3 fingers. (insert swear word) 

Sometimes design goes wrong, horribly wrong.  You know what I mean.  We've all had that idea for a project that was going to be big, bold and such a statement.  Yet the statement it makes is OMG take that off! It looks like Phyllis Diller dressed you.  Raise your hand fellow design friends.  I know it’s happened.  It's happens to all of us at least once.

We started to call it the "Bam-Bam" necklace.  Due to its general boulder-like appearance, color and well... you could just see Bam-Bam from the Flintstones pounding it on the floor and swinging it from side to side.  I'm not usually so dramatic, but I've never worked with heavier beads, and then the fact that this was a multi-strand necklace - just kill me now!

So what happened next is the most baffling part of this story.  I finally finished the necklace.  Hauled it into the office (insert swear word) and handed it back to my friend. She was thrilled (clearly sentimental).  She set the bag on the floor next to her purse, and I thought that was the end of it.  The next morning she popped up right next to my desk with a 'deer in the headlights' look.  She asked "you didn't take back the necklace did you? to do a little more work on it?"  ... God no (was what I was thinking), but said "um no, why?"  Apparently someone had stolen it.  Are you f'ing kidding me?!  The worlds ugliest necklace goes missing?  I can't tell you how many projects I've brought into the office.  This is the ONLY one that has been stolen. 

So perhaps you're asking what happened to the beautiful African Opal I was talking about?  Well I did feel bad.  She did really like that necklace.  I decided to surprise her by stringing a new necklace, but this time I was in charge of the beads.  

This is when I discovered the African Opal.  I might have walked right past it because large beads are not really my style.  But I needed to find something that was similar (at least in size) to the stolen necklace. I was looking for large beads (her's were the size of gumballs) and I wanted natural looking stones (preferably not the color of poop).  I settled on the opals and I'm so glad I did as I have found this to be a beautiful stone and changes depending on what you pair with it. The final design of this necklace is simple, and one that has grown on me. 

When I saw the African opal stone I knew I had found the replacement beads.  I brought it in to her and she just kept saying how beautiful it was.  I asked her to please tuck it in a safe drawer! I ended up loving the African opal so much, that I made a bracelet for myself and another one for my sister-in-law. One with sandstone (above right) for her, and one with hematite for me. They are quite different, but I love them both. And I pray I never see 'Bam Bam' stones again in my lifetime.

Yin Yang: Lotus Flower

One of my favorite charms, or symbols to work with is the lotus flower.  Not too frilly, has just a little sparkle to it when done in silver, adds that 'other world' touch to a pattern.  I saw a lot of lotus symbolism while traveling in India, which has made its way into many of my jewelry patterns. 

I found this hammered silver charm at my local bead store and have used it in a number of patterns.  The one to the right I used with long tear drop, jade stones.  I used the same charms in the pair (below) with dainty pink mystic quartz and Bali beads for accent.  Again, just a simple pair to highlight the charm. The colors and style seemed the right balance to me based on what I saw in India.

The traditional Buddhist explanation for lotus flower history is that 'the glorious lotus flower appears to spring not from the sordid earth but from the surface of the water and is always pure no matter how impure the water may be.' 

Some say that the perfection above the surface in contrast to the mud beneath represents yin yang, or the concept used to describe how polar opposites (or seemingly contrary forces) are interconnected and interdependent. Opposites thus only exist in relation to each other.


We visited a beautiful temple in India shaped in the form of a lotus flower. Large, magnificent, single structure with a reflecting pool.  At night it casts an alternate shadow of the temple out across the water. Absolutely stunning.

As with any of the temples, shrines, mosques or places of worship in India ... you start with removing your shoes.  One thing that stands out in my mind from our travels through India were the rows, upon rows of abandoned shoes lining the entrances of these places. This particular one is an active place of worship for the Baha'i faith in India.  India's version of a cult, but don't take my word for it -- check the link.  

    

At the Baha'i Temple the lines are long with streams of people wandering through.  All barefoot, all quiet and organized.  The entire place is white marble (the steps, the walkway, the inside walls, the domes). Once inside it is almost church-like with rows (or pews) facing the center of the structure. The white in a lotus flower (a significant color in Asian thought) represents the state of spiritual perfection and total mental purity.

The marble is indigenous in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan with 56 million tons and 40,000 laborers working 400 local mines.  Seriously.  There was marble absolutely everywhere we went in Rajasthan ... it is as prevalent as building wood houses in Pacific Northwest. 

We drove through the district with stacks of marble slabs as far as the eye could see.  Many places in India are made from this marble including the famous Taj Mahal.

I do love using the lotus flower.  And you'll find it in many of my patterns.  I used it with the simple bracelet to the right. And you'll also see it in my previous blog on a turquoise bracelet.  It adds just that little extra touch.

This bracelet is a simple double strand bracelet using top of the line Miyuki seed beads in black and accent reds.  It brings out the pattern of the single, white, speckled lampwork focal bead. I added a simple lotus flower charm to balance the yin yang pattern of opposite colors between black and white.  

Red is also significant in Asian culture.  In China it is the symbol of celebration and luck, and in India it symbolizes purity (thus used extensively in Indian wedding outfits), and it signifies joy when combined with white in Eastern culture.

Do Overs: Dreaming of Summer

I mentioned a few blogs back that my Designer friend had been flipping through a Sundance catalog on our daily 90 min commute into to work each morning.  She saw a multi-strand turquoise necklace that she LOVED and really wanted to bring with her on an upcoming trip to the Mediterranean.

I recently went looking for a picture from the catalog but it isn't listed anymore. I did find this bracelet (right) that is a very similar pattern.


The conversation about turquoise jewelry is really where it all began, and how I became known as the Train Jeweler for my morning train crowd.  I was sitting with a few of my friends, and my Designer friend says she LOVEs, loves loves the turquoise necklace, but "does it really cost that much to make this?"  And I say "ooooh it is really pretty, but noooo it shouldn't cost that much to make a necklace like that." Her reply "could you make it for me?"  And so it begins ... the personal jeweler of my train crowd taking custom orders.  Next?

I never make any piece exactly like the picture, which is exactly how I cook.  I usually have 3 or 4 open cookbooks on the counter while I 'doctor-up' my own version of a recipe.  I got to work on the necklace.  Her request was 'please lots of silver' and could you add some suede.  Suede?  hmm, never tried that before, but ok. This is the same friend who lost one of her favorite silver hoops and her soon-to-be husband texted me a picture of the remaining hoop and asked if I could make a new pair.  

My Designer friend said that she wanted the necklace to wear in the summer with her long, simple tank dresses. Operative word in that sentence would be simple.  Really, I should hope so.  Simple has got to be the name of the game given how much silver and turquoise went into this piece!  I don't think you could wear it with a pattern, at least I'm not brave enough to try it.  

She was looking specifically for a style she would wear on the beach somewhere in St Tropez. This train ride can get REALLY boring, and yes we fantasize about getting away ... often.  Especially now in the middle of winter when our train tends to break down from the frozen switches and we play duck, duck, goose with which car will have no heat.   



What resulted was a mix of multi-sized turquoise beads, types of silver (including hill tribe silver), hand-hammered silver connectors and knotted suede. She wore it all summer with her her simple long summer dresses, not in St Tropez but regularly on the train to NYC. She is tall and thin with beautiful long dark hair. The necklace really looked spectacular on her. I had so many turquoise beads left over that I ended up making a few extra pieces.


There was a matching pair of hoops, a cute little pair of drop earrings and also the fun bracelet (left) that I added in a few heshi shell beads and white amethyst.  I picked up the amethyst in India, but you can catch that story in an upcoming blog.  


I must caution ... don't try wearing any two pieces together! It could result in a carni-inspired, turquoise studded get up.  I loved the story that her soon-to-be told me later.  He had emailed me on the sly and asked if I'd not only create the turquoise necklace, but could I include the few extra pieces (hoops, bracelet ... basically the motherload of turquoise).  He gave it all to her on Mother's Day which she promptly put on.  ALL of it!  And he responded ... "um, honey ... you might want to try it one piece at a time."

Superstition: Wearing Evil Eye

I first heard about evil eye when a friend of mine was laid off in 2008.  After a rather brutal dismantle of an entire department, she had been laid off with 100+ of her co-workers during what most of us would consider the worst economic downturn in our lifetime.  My Evil Eye friend wanted protection in her new gig to ward off any more corporate 'baloney.' We went shopping for beads straight away, and found these lovely little lampwork beads that I promptly turned into a pair of earrings for her.   



THE MEANING OF THE STONE:

Energy: projective  
Magical Property: worn for courage and successful competitions (always wear in meetings when you know there will be an announcement about new corporate structure)
Divinatory Meaning: will find courage and prosperity

My Evil Eye friend heard the superstition from her husband's large Italian family who still speak only Italian in the home today even tho they live in the good 'ole USA (aka Brooklyn). I didn't hear anything more about evil eye until I met my Turkish friend who also has a strong belief in the power of the evil eye.  Apparently this superstition is widely believed throughout the Mediterranean.  Who knew? 


She prefers only a tiny little blue bead on a choker, and leaves the larger version (upper right) to protect the house.  She informed me that when moving into a new home you set an evil eye into kitchen tile, flooring or an archway of a door to deflect evil from making it into the house.  The color blue in a door is believed to have the same effect.  Blue (the color of the Aegean) is thought to absorb the negative energy and can be seen throughout the Mediterranean. 

Last year when my Turkish friend took her annual 5 weeks off to visit Turkey, she came back with my own version of an evil eye choker. And I guess I look as tho I could use some protection from evil looks at the office; yet another friend came back with a stash of various size Turkish evil eye beads from her trip. 


I was now swimming in evil eye and needed to figure out a few patterns for these beads.  I started with a fun wrap bracelet that my daughter and her friends are now wearing (right).  The large thick blue stones are still designed by hand using primitive means -- a 3000 year-old craft. It is layered molten glass, iron, copper, water and salt.  The combination is the secret to shield oneself from the forces of evil. Good to know. 


My favorite part of this superstition is that it has no religious boundaries. It works in many cultures: Judaism, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian.  The old saying 'an eye for an eye' seems to work pretty much anywhere. It is believed in Turkey that an 'eye for an eye' literally deflects negative energy and redirects back onto the person who is trying to send out 'bad vibes.'  Ok, now that is pretty cool!  


I found a great little store in the Garment District of New York City near my office that sells Murano glass who had a 'super size' version of the blue evil eye.  I had to have it!  I picked up a large evil eye pendent that I thought would be perfect with blue sea glass and a Greek-style toggle (upper right).  


I don't think I had this posted on my Etsy site for more than a week before someone snatched it up. Curious about who would want a large evil eye; I checked out their profile.  This person doesn't sell anything on Etsy; they appear to only buy things.  And the only thing they seem to be interested in buying is evil eye (all 50+ items tag as 'favorite').  Hmm ... I wish them much luck as they appear to be hording quite a stash.