Archive for January, 2008
Designer’s one-of-a-kind jewelry inspired by Istanbul’s history
Istanbul-based jewelry designer Sevan carves worlds in gold an
10:25 PM CST on Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Dallas Morning News, TX
BY JASON SHEELER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM GRANADO
Istanbul is the only city in the world that stretches across two continents. Connecting Europe with Asia, the city straddles more than the Bosphorus River, it straddles cultures. As a child, Sevan Bicakci lived on a street with a church, mosque and temple – three different beliefs that serve as inspiration for the very enigmatic jewelry designer now known simply as Sevan.
“Where I am from, rings are the mirrors of the personality of the wearer. They tell all about the wearer,” says the imposing 35-year-old, speaking through an interpreter as he points out favorite pieces in the jewelry case at Stanley Korshak.
His calloused and burned hands seem too huge to finesse the delicate details that are the signature of his three-year-old label, but offer proof of the labor he devotes to each necklace, bracelet and ring.
Ladybug ring in 24-karat gold with carved amethyst, rubies and diamonds. $14,517.
Sevan (pronounced sevAHN) began working as a jewelry model-maker at 17 in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. He developed a reputation as a skilled goldsmith and problem-solver, but spent most of his time producing commercial versions of work by other Turkish jewelers.
Everything changed six years ago when he set out to make a gift for his wife. “There is one sweetheart in life,” Sevan says. “If she’s going to wear a present from me, it should be a unique one.”
A ring was made – and a manifesto was born.
Inspired by the early 20th-century Arts and Crafts movement, Sevan rebelled against mass production. He began working with his brother and produced 30 rings the first year, throwing away more than he sold. Incorporating non-jewelry techniques, such as stained-glass and mosaic, into his work, Sevan earned a new reputation in the Grand Bazaar, this time inspiring other artisans to join him.
Today he oversees a team of 35 craftsmen, but produces only 400 one-of-a-kind pieces each year. A single ring, his specialty, can take from three months to a year to complete. The more laborious pieces involve micro-mosaic, a Sevan signature that may incorporate up to 12,000 pieces of ceramic tile or porcelain.
Reverse hand-carvings are another signature. Sevan personally carves each stone from underneath, depicting remarkably detailed, three-dimensional sculptures of whirling dervishes, the Virgin Mary, or even ladybugs.
The loss percentage is high, with eight to 10 stones ruined for each success. The gem’s interior is then painted and filled with clear enamel, before being set on an elaborately intricate band.
Sevan says the environment of Istanbul and its history propel his work. “I enjoy dreaming of myself as an Ottoman sultan, and sometimes I become his concubine or a Byzantine queen. The question then becomes, what would they wear if they lived now?”
Latter-day Byzantine queens Halle Berry, Tory Burch, Mary-Kate Olsen, Brooke Shields and Celine Dion are among those who wear his designs. And, he affirms, they pay retail. (Translation: from about $7,000 for a gold and sterling bracelet, to $58,000 for a ring with an Istanbul mosque carved into lemon topaz.)
“The Ottoman Renaissance never happened,” Sevan acknowledges, “but I like to think it is now.
“The ideas are new, but the techniques are old.”
E-mail jsheeler@dallasnews.com
January 30th, 2008
Designer Jay Strongwater moved from jewelry to making a home collection that’s a gem
Marconews (subscription), FL
By SHEILA MESULAM (Contact)
Monday, January 28, 2008
“I’m fascinated by the idea of taking every day things and turning them into jewels for the home,†says designer Jay Strongwater. “Beauty shouldn’t just be tucked in a dresser drawer.â€
Starting as a jewelry designer in 1979 while attending the Rhode Island School of Design, Strongwater’s career took off after he made a necklace for his mother that garnered raves from friends. Encouraged by the interest, he took samples to open buyer days at New York’s department stores and very soon had orders.
Realizing that his school days were over, he left RISD. He soon designed for Oscar de La Renta’s runway collection and was featured in “Vogue.â€
In 1994, he shifted from wearable jewelry to home jewels when he made picture frames for friends and buyers that holiday season. They were such a success he dropped his fashion business for the home line within three years. His designs of jeweled frames, vases, candlesticks, boxes, compacts and mirrors are collected by Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks and others.
Strongwater says his designs add the surprise and the sense of delight you get when you happen upon a beautiful flower in a garden.
These beautiful flowers just happen to appear on your dresser, table and desk or in your handbag.
We talked with Strongwater about his designs and future before he arrived in Naples for a personal appearance at Gattle’s and this is what he told us.
Daily News: Where did you grow up?
Jay Strongwater: My parents and I lived in Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago until I was 10. We then moved to Montvale, a town in northern New Jersey.
DN: Describe how your childhood surfaces in your designs.
Strongwater: From a very young age I loved to create things. Holidays were especially exciting for they provided many creative outlets. A special card for Mother’s Day, a gift made in clay during pottery class or elaborately wrapping and decorating gifts for the holiday season. One of my favorite things to do was glue tiny sequins to form pictures on wrapped gifts. Not unlike what I do today!
DN: How and when did you know you wanted to be an artist?
Strongwater: I never made a conscious decision to become an artist; it was a more intuitive process. Growing up, I loved to make things with my hands and while attending the Rhode Island School of Design, I was able to further refine my artistic intentions.
DN: How do you account for the immediate acceptance of your designs?
Strongwater: I think from the very beginning our customers were captured by the intricate craftsmanship and bejeweled finish that went into each frame.
DN: What designers influenced you?
Strongwater: I have always enjoyed looking and studying the history of decorative arts. I have often found inspiration in the designs of Fabergé, Tiffany and other designers from the Art Nouveau Era. I particularly enjoy visiting the Victoria Albert Museum in London to walk through their collection.
DN: Why are these designers so compelling?
Strongwater: I think it’s always inspiring to see their amazing techniques, combinations of materials and the overall aesthetic. It’s amazing to see the amount of detail and time that could be spent on individual pieces.
DN: What was your first piece in your home collection?
Strongwater: In 1994, I took components and materials from my fashion jewelry collection to form my first jeweled picture frame. The borders of the frame were densely inscribed with jeweled bezels, paisley scrolls and other hand-wrought flourishes. It was handset with over 1,600 Swarovski crystals in deep jewel tones of topaz, ruby and olivine.
DN: Is it still part of your collection?
Strongwater: While we often retire pieces, this first frame named in honor of my mother, Patricia, will always be in the collection.
DN: What is your very favorite piece?
Strongwater: They all my babies! How could I have a favorite piece?
Of course, each new season brings the excitement of seeing new designs come to life. Our new spring collection finds us exploring new ways to combine transparent colored glass and crystal with our cast metal. Beautiful examples of this are showcased in the Tuscany Collection, where crystal lemons, clementines and pomegranates sit next to a sunflower based glass pitcher. The Gardenia Collection boasts our largest glass vase yet, in a pale, fresh green wrapped with Magnolia leaves and flowers.
DN: Describe the process how a piece goes from an idea to when it hits the retailers’ shelves.
Strongwater: A piece can begin as a rough sketch that we continuously refine and sharpen into a finished drawing. The master model maker follows this drawing to carve the original out of metal. Other times, we dig right into the metal itself to see if we can create the form we are after.
Either way, when the model is finished we create a series of molds to capture all of the unique details in that piece. It is from these molds we hand cast each one of our production designs.
Once the piece is cast, it is hand-polished and sent for plating. Plating is the process of applying special coats of metal onto the surface; two of our favorite platings are antique gold and oxidized brass.
Then the fun really begins as we add layers of transparent enamel to color the piece. Many designs have upwards of 12 to 20 different enamel colors. This process alone can take several hours to several days, depending on the complexity of the design. Once the enamel has hardened, each of the Swarovski crystals is individually hand set into the bezel seats. Working with Swarovski, we further customize their myriad of stone colors by applying specialized finishes to the faceted stone surfaces.
Twice a year we redesign our New York showroom to present our latest collection to our buyers from around the world. There they are able to see all the romance and inspiration that goes into each collection.
DN: What type of piece — candlesticks, frames, boxes, etc. — is your biggest seller?
Strongwater: I think we will always be known as a frame company, but frames only account for about a third of our business. Today, the collections are a rich diversification of figurines, clocks, boxes, wall mirrors, lamps and even tables.
DN: Did you ever have a piece that was a complete dud?
Strongwater: Certainly we try to push ourselves each season into developing new techniques and concepts. Not every one is received with the enthusiasm that we might have hoped for. When this happens, it then ends up in my apartment!
DN: Do you miss doing wearable jewelry and seeing the pieces on women when you are out?
Strongwater: Actually, I was recently inspired to take 17 of our classic designs and create exacting miniature replicas of them to wear as charms! So it has been fun to see my collectors wearing a little bit of Jay around their neck and wrist.
DN: What is the newest theme or piece you are working on?
Strongwater: I have been very excited about the few furniture pieces we have added to the collection these past few years. Sand casting has introduced new possibilities for us to create larger products. I am looking forward to creating a new folding screen and console table for an upcoming collection.
DN: How do you keep from going overboard with too many crystals or flowers on a piece?
Strongwater: I didn’t realize that you could put too many crystals or flowers on a piece!
DN: Do you see a time when you’ll go onto another area? Back to jewelry? Clothing? Purses? I think shoes would be a natural extension of your vision.
Strongwater: The New York Design Team and I recently had our holiday party at a bowling alley. They surprised me with my own custom bowling ball (shiny purple) and custom bowling shoes. And yes, they were completely stoned in crystals! How fabulous and how inspiring, so maybe Jay Strongwater shoes are in my future.
If you go Jay Strongwater
- When: Noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday
- Where: Gattle’s, 1250 Third St. S., Naples
- Cost: Free
- Information: 262-4791
January 29th, 2008
Alpha Omega jewelry liquidation sales likely this weekend
Boston Herald, United States
Liquidation sales at the four Alpha Omega watch and jewelry store locations could begin as early as this weekend if a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approves the winning bid for the Cambridge company’s assets at a hearing tomorrow.
A joint bid by Boston-based Tiger Capital Group, the Gordon Co. and SB Capital was the top offer for Alpha Omega’s assets during an auction that ended late Tuesday. Court approval would allow them to buy Alpha Omega’s $18 million in assets for 70.25 percent of their cost value, or $12.6 million.
In addition, the three companies have agreed to pay $125,000 for Alpha Omega’s leasehold rights and intellectual property, which includes the Alpha Omega name, according to Michael O’Hara, Alpha Omega’s outside chief restructuring officer.
O’Hara was appointed after Alpha Omega filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month with $31.6 million-plus in debt, following failed attempts to supplement luxury watch sales by branching into higher-margin fine jewelry.
“While we are disappointed at the price that we were able to sell the company for, under the circumstances, we were not surprised by the value we got,†O’Hara said.
O’Hara said a tough retail climate and widespread publicity about Alpha Omega owner Raman Handa’s decision to return to his native India prior to his company’s bankruptcy filing - without notice to his financial advisors - and a $6.3 million inventory discrepancy stifled interest in the company’s assets.
Cranston, R.I.-based jewelery chain Ross-Simons has agreed to take over the leases of at least two of Alpha Omega’s stores, which are located in Boston, Cambridge, Burlington and Natick. Ross-Simons will operate the stores under its own name once the liquidation sales end, which is expected to be in May. It also has pledged to interview Alpha Omega’s 100 employees for jobs at the two stores and its other existing stores or headquarters.
January 24th, 2008
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January 23rd, 2008
Golden opportunity to bring in cash from antique jewelry
Newsday, NY
It sounded too good to be true.
Bob Hoffmann, 56, of Gillette, N.J., had some gold jewelry he hadn’t worn in years - a chain bracelet, a ring, a money clip. When he heard a radio commercial for a company that bought old gold, sight unseen, he visited their Web site, requested one of their shipping bags, and sent his unwanted valuables on their way.
“The stuff sat in a drawer - I had no use for it,” says Hoffmann, who expected to get well over $100 for jewelry that had cost him four times that.
The amount of the check that the company promptly mailed him? A trifling $58.
“It’s nothing like what people say,” concludes Hoffmann, who doesn’t want to bother returning the paltry check and getting his gold back. “And at the end of the day, I wouldn’t do it again.”
Coveted by cultures as ancient as the Aztecs, enshrined in myth with the tales of that first gold-fingerer, Midas, gold has a time-misted history as the most precious of metals. Atomic number 79 on the periodic table has served as the standard for many currencies - hence the term “gold standard.” And it is the ultimate recycled commodity: That dated rope chain from your “Saturday Night Fever” days may have had another life as a tiny scissor on a Victorian chatelaine, or an ancient Greek coin.
Hoffmann’s experience to the contrary, today, more than ever, it pays to cash in old gold. Earlier this month, the value of the shiny yellow stuff reached an all-time high of more than $900 an ounce, breaking the record of $875 set in 1980. (Then, as now, oil prices were skyrocketing, the dollar was in the toilet, and “stagflation” - inflation paired with a flat economy - drove investors to seek refuge in the conservative metal.)
“When the price of gold becomes newsworthy, we see quite a jump in people selling old gold, and we’re seeing a large increase in business now,” says Joshua Garfield, marketing director at Philadelphia-based Garfield Refining, which is in the business of refining scrap gold. “And when people want to sell, people come out of the woodwork to buy.”
But how happy you will be with the cash you get depends on the purity of your gold, how much of it you are selling and how much research you do.
When it comes to selling gold, there are two options: Sell to a jeweler or other middleman, or directly to a refining company.
Cecilia Gardner, president of the Manhattan-based Jewelers Vigilance Committee, notes that all municipalities have laws requiring those who buy secondhand gold to obtain identification of the seller and hold the gold for a specified period. “If a jeweler is not doing that,” she warns, “something is wrong.”
Comparison-shopping pays off, says Eileen Stewart of Roosevelt, who visited several places, including an appraisal fair, to get the best price for some old jewelry and coins she was selling for her elderly neighbor.
“I walked out with $3,500,” she said of her visit to the coin dealer who eventually bought the lot. “He must have spent 45 minutes to an hour with me, and he was helpful and informative.”
A less popular option is sending the gold directly to a refining company, not all of which deal with the public.
“The bulk of our business is from professions that use a lot gold,” such as dentists and dental labs, says Garfield. “But we have a few private customers as well,” including miners who have panned for placer gold, which looks sort of like sand but can be anywhere from 18 to 22 karats.
As soon as a customer’s scrap gold arrives at the company, it is logged, locking in the price of gold on the day of receipt. Then the gold is melted and assayed in the laboratory to determine its composition.
“For example, most dental golds contain palladium, which increases the strength of the gold without compromising some of its advantages,” Garfield explains. “And while palladium is not a beautiful metal, it has a value in itself.”
Other lesser metals that can be present in the gold alloy include copper, silver, zinc and nickel. The degree of the gold’s purity is expressed in karats, with 24k being pure gold, 18k being 75 percent gold, and 14k being 58.5 percent pure.
“Sometimes, customers will request to be paid in bullion,” a tradable commodity for which they pay a premium, Garfield says. Still others ask for the cash value of their gold be used to purchase casting material, or small beads of gold alloy of a known karat that can be worked by a jeweler.
Sellers can also have their gold refashioned into new pieces, though it’s not the easiest route.
“Very few people have the facilities to melt gold at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Joe Parrella, vice president of Eastern Numismatics in Garden City. “And it’s more costly,” because the resulting jewelry will be custom work.
Gardner cautions that many jewelers might balk at working with scrap gold. Gold from a refiner has already been refined down to the percentage of gold they want, she says, “as opposed to bringing them an assortment of 10-, 12-, 14- and 18-karat gold.”
Glenn Bradford, whose eponymous jewelry store is located in Port Washington, works only with 18-karat gold or better in the many custom pieces he designs. He recently handmade a necklace out of a bracelet that a customer inherited from her uncle. “She feels like her uncle is hugging her every day she wears it,” he says.
But for pieces he sends out to be cast, Bradford cannot use third-party gold, no matter the karat. Sentimental value aside, hand-making such a piece instead “may not be economical” because of the time required.
Though some jewelers tell customers that the small colored gemstones and even diamonds in their gold are worthless, Bradford disagrees.
“There’s always an intrinsic value to gemstones - if you go to buy them, they’ll cost you money,” he says, adding that he always extracts stones from gold his customers want to scrap, unless the stone is of such poor quality and removal is so time consuming it’s not cost effective.
“People are in the dark when they scrap the gold,” he concludes. “Some jewelers offer pennies on the dollar.”
The best defense? A consumer who is educated - and willing to do the legwork to find the best deal.
Calculating Value
You have an 18-karat gold necklace you want to sell. What’s a fair price?
First, you need to know what gold is selling for. To simplify things a bit, let’s use a round (if outdated number): $800 an ounce, which is about where the gold market was a month ago.
All gold transactions are conducted in pennyweights, with 20 pennyweights to 1 ounce of gold. Divide the $800 an ounce by 20 pennyweights, and you end up with a value of $40 a pennyweight.
But that’s based on pure gold, which your necklace isn’t, because the unadulterated metal is too soft to work with. Karats measure the purity of gold; the higher the karat, the higher the gold content. (Pure gold is 24 karats.) Since 18-karat gold is only 75 percent gold, deduct 25 percent from the pennyweight value, which leaves you at $30 a pennyweight.
This is the number you need to compare with the price being offered to you, which, of course, will not be $30 - refining costs, the time spent handling the transaction and the quantity of gold (the more pennyweights, the better the price) need to be factored in. Also keep in mind that gold often does not match the benchmark with which it is stamped. Most of the time, it is slightly under karat.
January 22nd, 2008
Holiday Sales Surge for Online Jewelry Retailer JewelryWonder.com
PR-USA.net (press release), Bulgaria
JewelryWonder.com, the leading online seller of amber jewelry, today announced that December sales increased 300% over November. The company saw strong growth across the board in all categories.
“We achieved strong growth in the fourth quarter ending December 31. We were delighted with continued strong sales growth across all categories,” said Cathy Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of JewelryWonder.com.” JewelryWonder.com has aggressive plans for 2008, which include introducing a wide range of new products; and further expanding awareness among design-and quality-conscious customers, all of which will benefit overall results.”
She continued, “We want to show our appreciation to our customers by giving away our hand-picked selection of necklaces, pendants, bracelets, rings and earrings, ” said Cathy Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of JewelryWonder.com, “our customer can get a free jewelry, $25 to $40 in value, with any purchase. This is addition to our free gift boxes for all items purchased from our site.” Consumers can take advantage of this offer by going to http://jewelrywonder.com.
For More Information:
Cathy Lee, JewelryWonder.com, 703-431-8851
ABOUT JewelryWonder.com
JewelryWonder.com is the leading online seller of unique amber jewelry and fashion jewelry collections and gifts. Our collections include hand-picked amber, pearl, crystal necklaces, bracelets, pendants, earrings and jewelry sets. Founded by an experienced team of highly successful executives, jewelry industry experts, and e-Business technologists, JewelryWonder.com is committed to creating and establishing the most exciting shopping destination for our users. JewelryWonder.com corporate information is located at http://jewelrywonder.com.
January 21st, 2008
Peace is the word for jewelry
By Tracy E. Hopkins | Special to amNewYork
January 21, 2008
amNewYork, New York
Start the New Year by making more than a fashion statement. Several local jewelry designers have made accessory pieces that inspire peace and harmony. Check out our favorites.
Rosena Sammi
Even Lindsay Lohan has her Zen moments. The party girl was recently spotted wearing Rosena Sammi’s “Bliss Letter Necklace.” The 22kt gold vermeil necklace ($99; also sold in sterling silver, $88) is part of the designer’s Kismat Collection.
“When your thoughts and feelings tend towards purity of mind/body, hope, and bliss,” she says, “the effect on your life can be profound.”
Sold at ABC Carpet & Home (888 Broadway) and www.rosenasammi.com.
Tanya Farah
Through her “Language of Peace” necklace collection featuring 18-and-24 karat gold circular pendants inscribed with the words “faith, peace, love, kindness and respect” in English, Arabic, and Hebrew ($800 to $3000), designer Tanya Farah wants to inspire people “to talk through their differences.”
Raised in Iran by Jewish Iraqi parents, a percentage of Farah’s sales go to Seeds of Hope, an organization that works with Israeli and Palestinian youth.
Go to www.tanyafarah.com for more information.
Dyanne Belle
To promote breast cancer awareness, Dyanne Belle designer Deb Schecter made the sterling silver “Hope” pendant with 14k gold key and butterfly charms ($120). Proceeds are donated to the cancer research organization SHARE.
The designer also has a “Peace” necklace (gold, $520; silver, $145) meant “to change the negative messages we hear day in and day out.”
Sold at Butterfly Studio (149 Fifth Avenue) and www.dyannebelle.com.
Chameleon
Designer Jennifer Young’s eclectic, Asian-inspired Chameleon jewelry is modern and earthy. One of her bestsellers is a colorful, good luck charm fish necklace w/ fortune cookie ($22 -$30).
“I love change,” she says, “and jewelry shows what kind of mood you’re in.”
Sold at EdgeNY NoHo (65 Bleecker Street) and The Market (268 Mulberry Street).
Issy Salomon
Issy Salomon’s bold costume jewelry is eye-catching and thought-provoking. One of his most provocative creations is a pair of earrings with dangling charms of the Star of David, a Christian cross, and a watch face ($46).
“The time we live in is so global,” the Mexican designer says. “Regardless of our religious beliefs and backgrounds, we should all co-exist.”
Sold at Edge NY NoHo (65 Bleecker Street). For more information go to www.issysalomondesigns.com.
January 21st, 2008
Fuqi Acquires 2 Chinese Jewelry Cos.
CNNMoney.com
Fuqi International to Acquire 2 Chinese Jewelry Companies for About $18.5 Million
January 17, 2008: 02:11 PM EST
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Fuqi International Inc., a Chinese jewelry maker, said Thursday it agreed to buy two jewelry companies, Shanghai Tian Mei Jewelry Co. Ltd. and Beijing Yinzhong Tian Mei Jewelry Co. Ltd., both also in China.
Fuqi will pay 135 million yuan ($18.5 million) to the current owner, Chujian Huang.
About $9.5 million consideration will be paid in cash and the remaining amount will be paid in restricted common stock.
The number of Fuqi shares included depends on the companies achieving some performance targets over a three-year period.
The deal is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2008.
Fuqi said the deal allows it to expand its retail presence. It reaffirmed its fourth-quarter guidance of earnings between 14 cents and 18 cents per share on revenue of about $43 million.
Shares rose 6 cents to $8.56 during afternoon trading.
January 18th, 2008
Touching the Untouchable: Art Jewelry
by Marjorie Skinner
The Portland Mercury, OR
Much is made of the relationship between fashion and art—undoubtedly creative, fashion’s link to human necessity nonetheless makes it forever outside the high-art inner circle (with the exception, arguably, of couture). That gray distance between fashion and art might be sweepingly referred to as “craft,” making Portland’s recently revamped Museum of Contemporary Craft the appropriate staging area to negotiate such concepts.
Two linked exhibitions opening this week focus on the spectrum of experiences one commonly has with high fashion, specifically art jewelry. Though created in reference to the body, art jewelry is rarely worn, most commonly experienced on the page of a magazine or under the glass of a traditional museum installation. Framing: The Art of Jewelry aims to explore the distances this creates between the art and the viewer.
Framing’s companion exhibition, Touching Warms the Art, turns that convention on its head (as indicated by its title, which takes a playful jab at the “touching harms the art” mentality). It confronts the fact that pieces created for the body are not really complete unless they are worn.
“Activated” is the term Museum Curator Namita Gupta Wiggers likes to use when describing the union of the wearable object to a body. So she, along with colleagues Rebecca Scheer and Rachelle Thiewes sent out a call for submissions, and juried the Touching exhibition, which takes a page from the deep history of the DIY ethic in its emphasis on non-precious materials.
The artists, some of whose work is also exhibited in Framing, used everything from gelato spoons to insulation foam to create pieces that museumgoers are encouraged to not only touch, but try on—a photo kiosk will also be set up, where you can photograph yourself wearing the art and post the images to a Flickr site, accessible by the artists, who will be able to see what their pieces actually look like on the everyday person. In the event that the exhibit inspires your creative bug, a casual art bar with simple craft supplies will also be set up for some impromptu experimentation.
One of the artists who responded to the call for submissions to Touching was prominent local designer Adam Arnold, which helped plant the seed for “Action/Re-Action,” a runway show of locally designed apparel to accompany the pieces in the exhibit on January 30. (See next week’s Sold Out for more information on the event.) In the meantime, do your homework. (Framing: The Art of Jewelry and Touching Warms the Art open Sat Jan 19; Framing runs through May 11, Touching runs through March 23; Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 NW Davis, Tues-Sun 11 am-6 pm, Thurs open ’til 8 pm, FREE)
January 17th, 2008
Don’t pin your hopes for good day on jewelry
By Alicia Blaisdell-bannon
January 13, 2008
Cape Cod Times, MA
You know how I can tell when it’s going to be a particularly rough day?
My jewelry tells me so.
On good days, putting on necklaces, bracelets, watches and pins is an afterthought. On days that are likely to go downhill in some way, it’s like starting the day by dropping an anvil on your foot.
How long do you figure it should take, on average, to pin a sparkly scottie-dog brooch to your sweater? Thirty seconds? A minute? Two, tops? That’s my guess: Two minutes, tops. And that’s allowing for the time it takes to remove the pin because it’s too far out toward your sleeve.
It’s such a mindless little task.
And yet, every couple of weeks, it seems to me to require the concentration of a heart surgeon easing gently out of your artery after placing a shunt.
Except, if I were your heart surgeon, you’d be, well, dead.
Because, every couple of weeks, a pin gets the best of me. As I write this on Tuesday night, I am recalling the idiotic scene early this morning as I tried to pin first a silver rosebud brooch and then, after I had set that complicated piece of jewelry aside (resisting the impulse to hurl it against the wall), the aforementioned scottie-dog onto the right side of my plain cotton cardigan.
It’s important that I mention the plain-cotton factor because I don’t want you to get sidetracked imagining me attempting to insert a pin through heavy-wale corduroy or some complicated multilayered, woolen sweater knit by my Aunt Maeve in County Cork.
No, this could not have been simpler: Just me, in a fairly well-lit bedroom in front of
a reasonably clean mirror, trying to achieve closure with a decently sized dog pin.
Well, first it seemed to be on the wrong side. (Should the dog be looking out at the world or in at you? In at me seemed kind of mocking at that moment.) Then it wasn’t straight. Then it was too far out. Then too far in. Finally, when the placement problem was taken care of, I found I was simply unable to get the actual pin part in the latch. I had had the same problem with the rosebud. And let me just say this: Why don’t they make these things universal? I mean, a pin latch should always be open on one side and closed on the other. Is that too much to ask in a world where we can store the Library of Congress on a disk the size of a nickel?
After I finally conquered the pin, there was the matter of the bracelet that was tangled up with the silver chain in the jewelry box. I gave it two or three minutes, then gave up. I reached for my plain brown watch — dead battery. By 7:45 a.m., if you added together the bracelet, the rose pin, the dog pin, the silver chain and the watch, my jewelry was definitely winning.
But what does it want? Me to leave it alone so it can party when I’m gone? Me to slow down and focus? (No, wait, that’s my mother.) I’ll never know. It’s too impossible to pin down.
Alicia Blaisdell-Bannon can be reached at 508-862-1192 or at ablaisdell-bannon@capecodonline.com. In the Mid-Cape area, watch “Homefront,” a half-hour conversation about all things domestic, Mondays at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 17.
January 14th, 2008
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