Monday, February 29, 2016

02.29.16 Forward March

Photo credit: Tx Rockhound

Yikes!  How did it get to be (almost – if it weren’t a leap year) March!? 

Despite having lots of birthstone jewelry for my children, I don’t own any from this month – in which my husband was born – so I’m in process of resolving that situation…

I’m signed up to take the next installment of metalsmithing classes at Creative Side – Fabrication 201 – which includes setting a stone with corners.  So, in anticipation of that project, I’ve purchased a lovely triangular cabochon with an eye to making a pendant.

As with previous projects, I've done a little sketching.  With a nod to my husband, I'm going to call this one "lucky charm" and put a small heart on the reverse.  I'm still thinking about the bail...I've become very taken with them lately, as another way to take a necessary component and turn it into something a little more special and unique.

But I digress...aquamarine is a member of the beryl family (like emerald) and gets its name from its watery-blue color.  My stone - which was relatively inexpensive - shows inclusions and a fair amount of green color.  Stones used in fine jewelry are graded - like other precious gems - on color and clarity,  so must be bluer and inclusion free. An interesting aspect of aquamarine is that the blue color becomes more intense as the stone increases in size - which also results in much higher prices in large stones.

Photo credit: Cecile Raley Designs
A couple of my favorite jewelers - Yvonne Raley and Stephanie Maslow-Blackman have some lovely aquamarine pieces - and as always, if you are shopping for gifts for that March baby, I have a Pinterest board full of ideas.


Photo credit: Metalicious Jewelry
For now, watch this space for updates - photos of my aquamarine project, and other pieces from my upcoming classes will follow.

Until next time.

Monday, February 22, 2016

02.22.16 Cameo Appearance

The Oscars are coming up this weekend - and especially this year - there's no way to know who will or won't show up - so I thought this might be a good week to write about "cameo appearances".

The origin of the word cameo is unclear, but it has made its way into the English lexicon to refer not only to carved jewelry, but to literature and theater as well.  The Oxford English Dictionary defines a written cameo as "a short literary sketch or portrait", a reference to the raised portraits in cameo jewelry.

Literary cameos involve references to historical or fictional characters as an homage or to establish a time period.  From this came the notion of a "cameo performance" - a brief, uncredited appearance in a live production or film.  The director Alfred Hitchcock, was famous for his cameos - making a very brief appearances in most of his films.

Cameo ring from my MIL
I have two beautiful cameo pieces - both gifts from my mother in law.  A ring, that she bought while traveling in Italy, and a family heirloom - a convertible brooch/pendant.

A cameo is a raised face, figure or scene that is created by carving into shell or stone (generally jasper or agate) to create a two toned, three dimensional piece.  Cameos date back to biblical times, with references to them as early as the second or third century BC.

Photo credit: Wikipedia
One of the oldest, largest and most spectacular examples of a cameo is the Great Cameo of France.  It dates to the early part of the first century AD, and is believed to show the lineage of Julius and Claudius as Roman emperors.

Cameos had enormous popularity during the days of the Roman Empire, but with its decline, they fell out of favor.  Cameos resurfaced as art and jewelry during the Renaissance. The Medici Family, of  Florence, once part of the Roman Empire, is credited with bringing back the cameo as a form of jewelry through their support of the fine arts.

Josephine Bonaparte
Photo credit: National
Museum of Sweden
Members of the aristocracy and the ruling classes often commissioned cameo portraits of themselves - Napoleon's wife, Josephine, Catherine the Great, and Queen Victoria all possessed cameos with their own likenesses on them.  During the late 18th and early 19th century, cameos - set in rings, brooches and pendants - outranked all other types of jewelry in popularity.

The value of a cameo is not generally based on the type of stone or the metal in which it is set, but in the level of complexity and detail in the relief.  The more extensive or unusual the carving, the greater the value.  While profiles or portraits were relatively common, full body carvings or complex landscapes are rarer and more highly prized.
Cameo pendant from my MIL

Traditional cameos are still carved by hand, but technology for computerized carving and molding of cameos has enabled production of much lower priced (albeit lower quality) jewelry.

More than many other forms of jewelry, cameos really do tell a story - each a sculpted portrait or scene from history.  Though my collection is small, it is certainly a treasure.

Until next time.



Monday, February 15, 2016

02.15.16 Love Tokens

One of the great joys of writing this blog has been learning how many of my friends share my love of and interest in jewelry.  Over lunch late last year my friend Mary Casas and I were comparing jewelry notes, and I asked her if she would be willing to write a guest post (or two) for this year.

Happily - she said yes, and we agreed that the subject of love tokens is perfect for February!  Here's her Valentines gift to me - and you.  Enjoy!

Charming talismans from the past as vibrant and as meaningful today as in the height of their popularity in the late 1800’s into the early 1900’s

What is a love token you may ask?  It is an artistically altered coin, typically made of silver ore, which has been smoothed on at least one side and engraved with the name of one’s beloved, or images, or poems.

People were quite sentimental in the Victorian age and love tokens are an enduring testament to those feelings.  According to the Love Token Society website, which is an excellent source of information and images, there are 2 basic requirements for a love token:  First, the engraving must be on a legitimate coin (i.e. a coin of the realm)  In the United States, the liberty seated dime of the late 1800’s is the most common, likely because it was softer and thus easier to engrave than say the nickel, and a more valuable gift than a nickel or the lowly copper cent.  Second, the engraving must be done by hand.  Love tokens are not unique to the U.S.  They were also made in significant quantities in Great Britain, Germany, and Canada.  Smaller quantities were also made in numerous other countries.

I discovered love tokens in the fall of 2014, quite by accident, and have been drawn to them as a collector ever since.  I was looking for a unique gift to mark a special milestone and exciting moment in the life of my daughter, Madeline.  She was 14 at the time and had been cast in the role of Clara in Ballet Austin’s 52nd production of The Nutcracker.  As I searched online for a jewelry memento related to the ballet that I could give to her at the end of the show’s run, the results were exactly as you’d expect.  There were myriad nutcracker charms and even a charm in the image of Clara with outstretched arms holding the nutcracker while gazing at him admiringly, but something told me to keep on looking.

Finally, out of desperation and in an attempt to cast the net wide, I simply typed the word “clara” into the search engine and was amazed by an image that appeared.  It was a delicate and lovely silver coin engraved, Clara, with what looked like an elegant swish underneath the name, which I have since learned is referred to as a “bale.”

The coin had a very thin gold frame that encircled the perimeter of the coin and the effect was lovely: simple and timeless.  I ordered the Canadian love token coin and found the lightest of gold chains for it and took a deep breath.  I was pleased with the one of a kind memento I had discovered.  Since then, I have become a collector of sorts and must admit the thrill of the hunt keeps me coming back for more.  Over the past couple of years, I’ve put together several love token necklaces for family members and friends, all containing the names and/or initials of children, grandchildren, and other loved ones. 

The antique quality of a genuine love token is definitely part of the allure of these charms.  The patina silver acquires over at least a century lends depth and richness to these treasures that captivates the imagination and transports us to another time.  The idea that someone took the time to hand work and engrave a coin to perfection for a loved one over 100 years ago, only makes the gift have more depth of meaning when given today.

Happily, I found myself in the market for another love token engraved Clara, when Madeline learned she was cast as Clara for a second time in 2015.  Somewhat remarkably, I was able to find one with a beautiful inscription of Clara once again.  No two love tokens are identical of course and that is what makes them so beautiful.  The love token I found this year, a U.S. liberty seated dime from 1883, is a bit bolder and more nuanced than the first, just as I found Madeline’s performance to be her second year, so the congruity of this particular find was not lost on me.

As I type this in my kitchen on December 27th, Ballet Austin’s 53rd annual production of The Nutcracker has very recently come to a close and Madeline ducks into the kitchen to get a snack.  She walks over to say hello and sees what I am writing.  She smiles and touches the latest Clara pendant she’s been wearing since receiving it at our celebratory dinner with family at Uchi on 12/23 after the company’s final performance of the season.  With that simple gesture, I know the experience itself and the love token remembrance will both be treasures to her always.

My thanks to Mary for sharing her wonderful story and beautiful photos.

Until next time.

Monday, February 8, 2016

02.08.16 Thunder and Lightning

When I first saw this stone I had two thoughts...first, that I HAD TO have it; and second that it made me think of a Texas thunderstorm.  The shape is a perfect raindrop, and the color really is like the dark gray of a storm with flashes of lightning.

With that in mind, this piece sort of named itself - I called it - "Thunder and Lightning".  I was anxious to get into the studio with the stone and get started...

The benefit of going to open studio one or twice a week - every week - is that doing things over and over makes you better.  Sawing is one of those things.  I don't know anyone who likes to do it - but I am finding it to be one of the most valuable skills in my repertoire...now if only I could break fewer sawblades...

My best sawing effort to date - I was especially pleased with how my lightning bolt and bezel turned out, and at this point I was planning to list this pendant in my Etsy store, then a couple of things happened...we lost David Bowie and Alan Rickman...and somehow I just couldn't let go of this one.

As I continued to work on the pendant (it took three open studio sessions to complete) I thought a lot about both of these great British artists, and the impact they had on the lives of my generation, on that of my children.

Photo credit: Brian Duffy
Not only did David Bowie create amazing art - he made it safe, even cool, to be different.  His personas were gender fluid and ever changing; in his personal life he married a woman of color and was a devoted husband, father and mentor.

Alan Rickman, in his role as Severus Snape, brought the dark heart of the Harry Potter books to life on the screen.  I remember driving carpools full of middle school girls around as they sang "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape...Dumbledoor!" until I thought my ears would fall off.  Rickman gave Snape humanity - and taught us all that you can't judge a book, or a wizard, by it's outward appearance.
Photo credit: Harry Potter Wiki

I guess I could have put the pendant up for sale (so far there's only one piece in my Etsy store), and made my thoughts part of the story I told in the listing - but instead - I'm keeping it as a reminder that not only is there beauty in the things we see when they are finished...but there is value in the process, in being different...and in weathering the storm.













Until next time.

Monday, February 1, 2016

02.01.16 Leap Year

Well, he's one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith
Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape.

- Guy Clark

Thinking about 2016 being a leap year made this refrain from the Guy Clark song "The Cape" start playing in my head.  This isn't the first time I've started a post with his lyrics - and it probably won't be the last, because he is one of my very favorite songwriters.

...and now I am going to leap into my second year as a blogger and a jewelry maker...it was one year ago this past weekend that I took my first class - and what a year it was!  Can't believe I'm a month into year two!

Since it's February, I'm going to focus on amethyst, this month's birthstone.  There are no February babies in my immediate family, but it's still one of my favorite stones.  The use of amethyst in jewelry dates back to ancient times - it has been found in both Egyptian and Greek artifacts.  It has great color and was once considered to be a "precious" stone, however, when large qualities were found to exist, it was downgraded.  The demotion to "semi-precious" makes it very affordable by comparison to many other colored gems.

It seems appropriate that the first piece of jewelry up for sale in my Etsy store (another "leap" this year) is an amethyst.  It's a large stone, and but I was able to purchase it at a good price - probably because it does have some visible inclusions.  However, it has great color, and seemed perfect for a statement piece.

After putting the heart on the back of my Fordite pendant, I decided that every piece of my jewelry would have a "story" cutout on the back.  I thought about this one for quite a while, and decided that I would call it the "Violet Crown"...a name used to describe the City of Austin since the late 1800s.  Also, because purple has often been used as the color of royalty, it would make a great gift for someone who should be treated like a queen!

I decided from the beginning that I was going to sell this pendant - I can't keep them all, as much as I'd like to - and I'm hoping it will find its way to a happy home some time this month.

I have another pair of emerald cut stones that belonged to my mom - from a pair of her earrings - that I do plan to keep.  I'm playing around with ideas for them right now.  One of the most important take aways from my fabrication classes and time working in the open studio (with an instructor always available) is that I can't just go to the bench and let the stones "speak to me".

Some people can do that - but I am (and have always been) a planner.  I want to make the most out of my studio time (which is expensive), and the best way to do that is to go in with both a design and work plan sketched out in my notebook.  I have a Pinterest board - Inspiration to Fabrication - where I've pinned both ideas and finished pieces.  If you scroll through I suspect you'll see the seeds of some of my work.  I also have a board devoted to amethysts, for those of you who ARE looking for February birthday inspiration.  

Whatever your take on this leap year - make the most of your extra day this month!

Until next time.