Trinkets & Such...

Inspired bling is on the brain. Here, a brooch and bracelet by Israeli artist Ava Soffer, who plied organic silver designs with found pieces of Roman glass or simply set pearls with strands of gold. His work has energy and flow and elegance, and I like that silver and gold is kept earthy and delicate.

Take a stick of butter and cut it into thirds. With that third you now have a sense of the size of this diamond, the Darya-ye-Noor (Sea of Light). Its "cleft" mate is the Kooh-i-Noor. Large gems, of course, verify that a kingdom or civilization has greater power, wealth, military might than those that do not, and there is a fascinating history of how large gems were, like inorganic Helens of Troy, coveted and kidnapped from one moghul to another. The Darya-ye-Noor is part of the Iranian Crown Jewels. Its history is fascinating, but more importantly it is the largest uncut diamond known. It is a captivating collection of carbon because its crystal face is unviolated by man's tinkering and, after all its travels and travails, remains simply radiant!

This inspired twist of copper is by Jerry Fels, from his Renoir line of copper jewelry. Jerry began fashioning the ductile metal in 1946, striking an attractive balance between abstract and natural forms. Best place to enjoy his work, somewhat oddly, is Ebay. Later, Jerry embellished his copper with enamel. By 1964, tastes in costume jewelry changed and these simple, energetic designs came to an end but in its heyday, Renoir was the go-to jewelry piece for dinner on the town. I recall my grandmother explaining to me that not only was the design elegant but, as she clipped on her pair of Renoir earrings , they were healthy to wear. Feast your eyes because it is a delight to see copper elevated from workhorse wire to precious metal!

This is metalsmith-sculptor Rebecca Bashara's work. Her necklace is silver-riveted pebbles from the great Missoula flood, whose smooth shapes and subtle colors are a tactile delight. I know because I collected 40 lbs. of these pebbles out of my own fascination with their shapes and, well, out of creative envy for Rebecca's work. More of her work can be seen on her website--and it's for sale!! Her earring designs are fantastically abstract, earthy, whimsical....love it!!

We have been so carefully marketed and culturized about diamonds, that they are forever, a girl's best friend, and the hallmark of happily ever after. To think about them any other way is a considerable struggle, even for me who is, by no means, minion to the DeBeers monopoly. This artist, whose name I can't seem to find, offers a great piece of transitional jewelry for those who want the diamond, but don't want to be terribly obvious about it!



We're off to Seattle in a few days to share the holidays with family. On my list of places to investigate is this fun place, Facere Jewelry, in downtown Seattle. I wander off and disappear into this site to enjoy that feeling of amazement at the breadth and depth of ornament energy. Take a look yourself. Maybe you'll find a little trinket that captures your amazement?