October gifts

October

The month when nature gifts us its colors

Fall colors in Vermont - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

when children start writing their letters to Santa
and we start looking for gifts for our loved ones.

Path in the woods behind our cabin - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

A symphony of colors - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky
Like? see my photography web site

This October I already received my gifts:

A beautiful vacation in Vermont,
the starting of a new volunteering project,
a fine art photography class,
fresh ideas for both jewelry and photography.




Now, it's my turn to give.
I want to give you 2 gifts..

For those of you with little time, I will start with the tangible one.

Delicate heart necklace with a heart cutout - "you are always in my heart"
The sterling silver version is my gift to you .See gold version here

For every purchase made in my ETSY store until the end of November -

I will send you a Sterling Silver heart pendant necklace - 'you are always in my heart'

Keep it or gift it.
It's all yours.
The picture on the right is the exact same necklace in solid 18k gold.



The second gift, is one I have received and now paying it forward.

On our last vacation day, we decided to explore the 'recreation path'. A pleasant walk starting behind the Stowe picturesque church and meandering through the park.

Just at its beginning, lining the path were signs with verses from a poem by Lizzy Fox.
I loved it so much, I wrote them all down,
and now I pass them on to you.

A morning walk in the woods - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

October
  by Lizzy Fox

I want
to take my time
in October
slow my steps
feel each crunch
and crack
of leaves
beneath my feet

Watch trees take form
stretching skeletal
towards snatches
of sun

Bathing half-naked
in wind
and rain
and sleet
that softly coat them  
from dappled skies;

Trees
who won't decide
a color
or pattern
to hold onto.

Who bear forth
in brittle
transparency.

       

Enjoy this month and its colors,
and get ready to welcome the colder days of November.

If you enjoyed the images and would like to see more - go to my photography web site.
There are more of them there in the impressionist, landscape and reflection sections.

Bye,
amy

Coming full cycle - from metal art to photography

It was a bit more than a year ago, when a Saturday walk on the beach inspired me to create the 'walk on the beach ring'.

Its colors inspired by the sea, its texture - by the sand. a bit of magic thrown in
with colored diamonds - the walk on the beach ring
https://www.etsy.com/listing/160748118/blue-topaz-silver-ring-with-fancy?ref=shop_home_active_5

At the time, the notion of a simple walk triggering a creative inspiration was new and surprising.
I was not used to translating experiences into inspiration.
Nothing in the 20+ years of hi-tech work prepared me for it.

Since then, a year passed, and I find myself a few days before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year thinking a bit about the last 12 month. And very very thankful for the path I walked.

The Tanzanite and diamond flower ring. It took me a year to figure out how to create the 'lace' like look on the petals
https://www.etsy.com/listing/199913116/18k-solid-gold-tanzanite-ring-handmade?ref=shop_home_active_2

The initial flower ring I made,
turned into a set of flower ring variations
a few of them bringing daily delight to the ladies wearing them.

With the lacy look and the random brown diamond thrown in accenting a brown Smokey Quartz
a slightly different variation of the flower ring
https://www.etsy.com/listing/200424251/delicate-silver-nature-ring-brown-smokey?ref=shop_home_active_9

In parallel to deepening my understanding of metal I started to .....paint with light.
Photographing.
Well, on second thought it may not be so surprising, after all I had to photograph the jewelry I make.
The surprising thing is the world I discovered when looking through the lens.
I always thought photography is documentary.
I found the creativity and the art.
The magic in painting with light.

So it seems only fitting, to close this year with another 'walk on the beach'.
This time expressed through the camera lens.
Join me on a walk on Santa Monica, California beach - and lets have a look at the setting sun from under its famous pier :)

Walking towards the pier - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

 A Seagull at sunset - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Feel the waves? - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Running into the waves - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Having fun on the beach - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

The pier - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Under the pier - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Looking at the sunset - photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

I really wonder how will the post at the end of next year look ;)

For those of you who celebrate Rosh Hashana - have a wonderful year.
For those who don't - enjoy the coming autumn, and I will be wishing you a great 2015 in just a few months!

bye,
Amy

The world in black and white - a jewelry designer point of view

Lately, I find myself attracted more and more to black and white.

Moonlight and a palm tree in our garden, photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky 

Months ago, when writing the post on silver jewelry, I wrote about the specific characteristic of silver that allows to turn its color to black.
I found a few pieces that demonstrated this beautifully......but did not really use this in my work.
I started spending more and more time looking for ways to emphasize the shape and texture of my pieces.
And not surprisingly, the more I worked on this, the less color I used.

Our bedroom window. The drape is almost transparent.
The beautiful shadows almost invisible ... unless shown
in black and white.
Photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

Color has a way of demanding attention to itself. And rightfully so, since it can be sooooo beautiful - but this comes at a price. It steals attention from the more subtle aspects, the ones that do not shout, they only whisper...

In parallel to my jewelry work, I started to photograph.
Not just my jewelry pieces, but really start using the camera to get another angle of the world.

Unlike working on a piece of jewelry, that can take days to complete, in our digital era, 'creating' a photo takes seconds.

Results are immediate, there is no real cost of making a mistake ( ...most of the time).

So here I am, camera in hand, finding myself photographing light. Trying to capture the essence of places, of people. And slowly.....moving from color photos....to black and white.

My beloved adopted granddaughter, Alma. Look at the beauty of her eye-lashes.
The delicacy of a single strand of hair on her forehead.
Nothing, including the pink dress distracts you from seeing it - in a black and white photo.
Photographed by Amy Kanka Valadarsky

There is nothing like black and white to emphasize light and shades, the purity of a contour, to make us look, really look at the picture without being hijacked to the 'ah....what a beautiful sunset'.

My stepdaughter, Ayelet.
Would you notice the freckles if you would have the sunset colors in the background?
Photographed this one evening on the beach

 Sterling silver pendant

Back to my jewelry workbench - molding a dry cactus leaf into necklaces.

Realizing for the thousand's time how nature is the best artist of all.

How can I show these artful veins to their best advantage? You guessed right.

Black and white.

Working with silver, oxidizing it to a pitch black shade, then polishing it to reveal the shiny silver color on the upper part of the veins - and here it is.

Another version of the cactus leaf pendant
Immediately grabbed by my dear husband :)

Nature's art -
I'm just there to make it wearable.

Did I mention I am falling in love with black and white????
How about you?

Until next post,
Have a wonderful time

Amy

Gentle Strength - A fine jewelry collection from AKVjewelry

"Nothing is so strong as true gentleness, nothing is so gentle as true strength"
      Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Inspired by the delicacy of natural lines
as well as its interpretation by the great Art Nouveau artists I admire so much

After months of drawing, creating models, experimenting with metal curves
photographing and even painting the stands for exhibiting the collection....

I am proud and happy to introduce -

Gentle Strength - a jewelry collection

Watch a short video, capturing the essence of this collection

Also....marking the official launch,for the month of July only - 20% off on this collection including custom orders based on the collection pieces. Use coupon code GSJuly on checkout to receive the discount.

Here is a link to the participating items in my ETSY store:
Gentle Strength by AKVjewelry on ETSY


Amy

Gentle Strength - A jewelry collection by AKVjewelry

Gentle Strength

....the kind of strength that comes from within and manifests itself as radiance and joy
......that comes from living your life from the inside out
.........when thoughts, words and acts are aligned

Gentle Strength - expressed as pieces of wearable art.
The birth of a jewelry collection

Sterling silver and Yellow diamonds necklace

....where the sinuous lines create the flowing appearance as well as the structural strength
........where we are reminded of the greatest strength of all -
the regenerative power of nature,
symbolically represented as leaves, buds and spirals

Buds, leaves and sinuous lines - The pure silver necklace

Understated strength,
the kind that does not need to shout to assert itself,
represented by a monochrome palette of colors:
silvery grey, the quiet shine of colored yellow and brown diamonds

A peek of emeralds, a silver spiral

And a touch of color - Emerald green.

Emeralds with the most beautiful, intense and radiant green.

The color of life and springtime,
the color of Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty and love.

Gentle Strength.








Slowly but surely, like a budding tree - out of sketches new pieces are born.

A ring sketch

A few already in full bloom - shining with precious stones.

Many more in bud, sketched ideas
needing more time to gather strength before opening up to the world

The beginnings of a jewelry collection.

Gentle Strength





Available pieces:
Pure silver necklace
Silver and Yellow diamonds necklace
Silver and Emeralds necklace
Silver post earrings

Wishing you a wonderful day,
bye
Amy

Venice reflections - inspirations and insights from a magical city

Helen Keller said once that "Of all senses, sight must be the most delightful"
For most of us, seeing is an automatic act.
We just need to open our eyes - and we see.

But what happens, when we start actively looking at things, rather then just seeing?

Here is an ordinary picture taken from a speedboat.
My husband and I making our entrance to Venice on a taxi - boat that takes us from the airport to the hotel.

Lots of fun, but the picture itself ...
nothing special, not even too pretty ...




But here is what happens, when the photographer (my husband :) ) raises his eyes a bit -

Oh, yes - THIS is NOT boring.
Now look at the previous picture.
See it? The reflection was there all the time....you just had to look and notice it.







Last week, I've been immersed in history, art, carnival and colors in Venice, Italy.
And I had the privilege of having a wonderful photographer guide who taught us difference between passively seeing and actively looking for different and interesting angles.

Take the costumes for example. They are stunning. Beautiful. Amazing.

Venice Carnival 2014

But look what happens when the costume is photographed with its the shadow on the old church wall.

Costume and Shadow at Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy 

Seeing the reflections in the canal waters - I finally understood what Monet and Degas painted.

They did not paint water ...


















They painted the light, the trees, and the colors reflected in the waters, blurred by the soft motion of the waves.

Just look at these photos - don't they remind you of their paintings?

As majestic as palaces are -
they become even more so, seen with their reflection on the wet stone floor.

The Doge Palace, Venice on a rainy day. 

This short 5 days vacation filled me with inspiration and insights to last for years.
The first thing I did when we came home, was to create a short video to capture these in a way I could remember and share how I see this wonderful city.

... and right after this - ran to the sketchbook and workbench to work on my new jewelry collection.
If all goes well, maybe I can share a bit about it on the next post ...

If you would  like to see more of what inspires me, as well as my work - join me on Facebook.
That's where I post ideas, get your feedback, share things on a more frequent basis. www.facebook.com/akvjewelry

Wishing you an inspiring day, and don't forget to look around you ....

Amy

Einstein, dancing dogs and thoughts about memorable art

We all know "A picture is worth a thousand words"
Sometimes, the answer to a complex questions can present itself in simple and unexpected forms

Or, as a very wise man said...









From complex laws governing the behavior of our world

... to leadership wisdom from Alice in Wonderland:

...and what does this have to do with dancing dogs?
read on and find out :)

I have danced for years.

Swan lake - the Bolshoi ballet dancers

To be precise from the age of 4 when my parents enrolled me to a ballet class, hoping I would loose some of the baby fat ...( did not help much ...)

Since we lived in Romania, classic ballet was on the cards from the start.

Until the end of high school, I went to dance lessons, twice a week - mostly classic ballet, with some seasoning of modern dance and flamenco.


In university while majoring in software engineering, I continued to dance - Waltz, Tango, Cha-Cha, Rock'n'Roll.......red dancing shoes, flowers in my hair..

Many years passed since.
Dance remained a passion, but a passive one.
I love watching great dance performances, there is nothing like a beautiful performance of the Bolshoi ..... right?

The Bolshoi stages new modern dance show

Nowadays, after 25 years in the software industry, I am spending most of my time experiencing the world of art and design.

Designing a .... bead :)

Whether studying great works of art, trying to master photography, creating new pieces of jewelry in my studio, I am surrounding myself with art.
Trying to find my own voice.

One of the questions that keep coming up, is how can a work of art go beyond being beautiful and be truly memorable.

I could probably write an essay with all things that came to my mind...
starting with the finest ingredients,
combine them in ways that make the whole more than their sum ....

but in this particular case, I got the clearest answer in form of
have you guessed yet?
...a dance show.
Specifically - 'Shadowlad' by Pilobolus.

Building on great dancers, very little costumes - a fluency of movement used to create naive pictures
for the 90 minutes of the show, the answer to my question was right there, in front of my eyes

I will always enjoy a good classical ballet performance, look for a good Flamenco show.
But its the Shadowland performance I would never forget.

After all these words, I think you deserve a taste of it, don't you think?
Click on the link ....and look for the dancing dog :)

Pilobolus Dance Theatre "Shadowland"

Until next post :)
Amy

Through the bead hole - A peek at the fascinating world of beads

A necklace of hand-blown seed beads made beginning
of 20th century I purchased in Venice. Saved for special events :-) 

Venice is the place where I fell in love with beads.
I was taking a beading class at the time, still working full time as a senior manager of an international company. I was so busy learning beading techniques, that I did not really paid much attention to the beads.
A short vacation in Venice and continuous immersion in its colors, history and Murano glass art - and I was hooked, addicted to these little glass beauties named beads.





And when I am hooked - I start reading and collecting (yes, I did come back with a small collection of Murano beads - the necklace below is a result of this trip :-))

Murano beads with dark blue Swarovsky - some of the beads I collected in Venice
turned into a beautiful necklace I named 'Midnight Blue'
you can see it in my Etsy store now

When it comes to beads, the more I read and learn, the more amazed I am at the universe of beauty and symbolism called 'beads'.

A string of rare beads on eBay, priced at over 600$!

This post is just a peek, into a tremendously rich and fascinating world of beads.
I have asked Sheila McLaughin and her daughter Shannon - owners of BeadyEyedBird on Etsy and bead collectors for many years to share with us some of the magic this world holds for them.







Question: Sheila, what attracted you to beads in the first place?
Sheila: Years ago, Shannon my daughter gave me a necklace she made, using a carved bead of a sweet-faced squirrel monkey (an animal I had as a beloved pet for many years). This has been a treasured necklace for all years since then.
Watching Shannon collect beads and natural stones, I have come to love the universe of beauty reflected in objects of adornment.

Old Russian beads from www.beadsky.com

Question: Can you share with us some little known facts about beads?
Sheila: I don't think people realize how highly prized beads have been historically, and even in the present day. Used for trade for many centuries, even today there are beads valued at hundred of thousands of dollars. One story goes that Manhattan was bought by the Dutch for ...24$ worth of beads. Whether true or not, this is an interesting anecdote showing the importance of beads, and well worth reading at 'Manhattan-sold-for-24$' 

Trade beads 1800 till mid 1900 from www.timestreams.com

Being used for trade, the location where beads were found, provides valuable information about ancient trade and trade routes.
But the story that beads tell us, goes way beyond trade routs.






Quoting Lois Sherr Doubin, author of 'The history of beads' -

"Beads so often mirror the culture of which they are part that they tell us a great deal about the social, political, economic and religious life of the people who have made and worn them."

Ritual specialist in Madagascar, photo by Kus Susan

To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of the bead world is their use in rituals, as well as the magic and curative power associated with them.
All across the world, thousands of miles apart, beads were (and are) used in rituals - whether wedding ceremonies in the Philippines or insuring the future of newly built houses in Colombia.
Believe it or not, beads were sometimes used as fees for passage to afterlife!






When I asked Sheila to share a 'bead story' that touched her heart, the one she mentioned was about Kate Diprose, a 3 year old girl who diagnosed with cancer - fought her way to health - encouraged by people all over the world who sent her beads to congratulate her for her struggle and survival through this terrible disease. Read more about it at ' beads of courage'.

Ancient beads, Indus Valley civilization, 2600 - 1900 BC

I do not know about you, but from now on, whenever I will see a beaded necklace, I will always look for the story behind it.
What is the story it tells about the person who made the beads?
The one who made the necklace?
About its wearer?
Was it meant to help someone heal? A memoir from an unforgettable vacation?
I think that if we will look deep enough, we may find unexpected stories in deceptively simple 'string of beads'

I would like to close this post, by thanking Sheila and her daughter Shannon for the information they shared with me, and if you became a bit more interested in beads now - here is where you can 'meet' them:
Web page
Etsy store
Facebook page

Until next post,
bye
Amy

Want to find the perfect jewelry gift, but no idea what you are looking for? Here are 5 steps that will help you

A nice gift is one that elicits an 'Oh, it's beautiful, thank you' reaction.

The perfect gift, stirs emotions, conveys a personal message, makes someone feel loved and special.

And, here you are, ready to invest your time, effort and money in finding the perfect jewelry gift.

There is just a tiny bit of a problem -
you have no idea what are you looking for.

Put on your thinking cap, and let's get started.

Step one - Animal lover, gardener or book worm?

You actually know the person you want to buy the gift for, right?

What does she love or love to do?

Does she love nature? Flowers? A weakness for English roses perhaps?

Ancient history (like my husband), chess or science fiction?
Architecture? Modern Art?

You got the point, don't you?
Finding a piece of jewelry that invokes images of something we love, creates an instant emotional connection as well as shows someone was really thinking of US, not just on buying a standard gift.

A 14k rose gold ring, with an old English scroll motif
might be a perfect gift for English roses addicts by Mauidivers

A nature lover? Maybe something inspired by the forest, just starting to change colors in the fall.
This is a triple strand Garnet and Tourmaline necklace I made, inspired by autumn colors in my garden.

Step number 2: New grandma or 10th anniversary? 

What exactly are you celebrating?

Is this an event: birthday, wedding anniversary, graduation?

A moment you want to create or to remember?

Becoming a new mom, grandma?

There are plenty of symbols you can tap into, once you look at the reason for celebrating.

Birthstones are a much loved way to personalize a jewelry piece. Every month has its own gemstone (actually more than one as there are the old and modern gemstones associated with each month)

Aquamarine, March birthstones. And if she loves the sea - so much the better!

...and why not combine a birthstone with something she really loves?

Are you looking for a ring for a cat lover born in September?

Just look at that adorable Rag doll cat ring in 14k gold and sapphire eyes by pets jewelry.

Less known that birthstones, anniversaries have their own gemstone lists.

Most semiprecious gems have specific qualities associated with them. 

Foe example, Rose Quartz is famous for attracting and keeping love, and can be a great choice when you want to convey a comforting message.

Is there a moment or experience you want to remember?

Take a look at my previous blog post 'A-ring-with-a-story' to see how a moment can be captured by a piece of jewelry - in this case a ring.

Step 3: Something old and something new

Is this the right time for a heritage piece?

I have a ring that is in our family for 3 generations.

My grandma got it from her mother in law when she got engaged, and passed it to my mom when she got engaged to my father.

My mom gave me this ring a few years ago, and needless to say it is very precious to me and I intend to pass it to my future daughter in law when the time will come.

A gift with a heritage can take many shapes and forms.

It can be a piece of jewelry you pass on, but it can be a completely new jewelry made from old pieces you have.

Do you have any pearl necklace that is sitting for years in your jewelry box? A string of beads that was torn long time ago? A single surviving earring?

Each one of these long forgotten pieces can be the starting point for a new and fresh jewelry piece that would mean the world to your daughter or granddaughter.

As an example. I created this delicate silver lariat out of a vintage coral bead necklace my mom gave me - 'as she would not wear it anymore'.

I reuse a few coral beads, added the carved ivory roses, a silver chain and clasp - and created a completely different look.

Step 4: Made especially for you

Make the piece really personal.

Engrave a meaningful world - maybe one only you two know the real meaning.

Select a clasp that has your initials on it, symbolizing by its very function the connection between you two.

An unusual way to personalize a message is to spell a word or a name using gemstones.

This is called 'Acrostic jewelry', and was very popular in the Victorian Era.

Each alphabet letter was represented by a gemstone (usually one whose name starts with this letter), and these gemstones were used to spell words.

A 15k gold antique ring dated July 1821, spelling the word 'regard'
with Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond 

After you went through these four steps, you probably have a much better idea what are you really looking for.

Now is the time for the last step

Step 5: Let's be practical

Ring, brooch, necklace, earrings? 

If she does not wear earrings - maybe this is not a great choice for a gift.

Rings have implications to them - would it fit the occasion? Sometime the answer is a resounding YES,

sometimes - a necklace or a bracelet would be more appropriate.

Restrict your choices - remove the options that do not make sense.

Ready made or custom order? Or maybe something in the middle. 

Maybe you searched the web for a 'Nature inspired pendant' and found in ETSY just the right one - but you want to personalize it with her birthstone, or an engraved message.

Red wine necklace 14k gold and rubies, perfect
for an anniversary gift, especially for wine lovers
born in July (Ruby) or April (diamonds)
ring by sterlingwineonline

Now that you REALLY know what you want - 

Go search on the internet, or visit your favorite goldsmith

and find that special piece that will make someone very very happy.

This is an introductory post to a topic that fascinates me - jewelry as means to convey messages, and I would really want to hear what you think.

What other ways are there to select meaningful jewelry pieces?

Would you like to learn more about any of the topics mentioned in this post (birthstones, anniversary stones, acrostic jewelry...)?

Just comment and let me know.

And of course, if you are not registered yet - 

leave me your email and you will not miss any post!

See you next time,

Amy