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

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

Personalized jewelry - A post on wedding gifts, jewelry design and ....Paris

What does Paris have to do with personalized jewelry?
 Read on and find out :)

Let's start with a question:
What combines aesthetics and message with an intimate touch?

More intimate than a work of art,
more resilient than a written note,
a piece of jewelry can do what very few objects can.

It can dazzle the eye, at the same time keeping a wish or message close to one's heart.

No wonder jewelry makes such a popular gift.
Especially when the gift is made especially for you.

Rather then talking about personalized jewelry, I would like to 'walk my talk' this time and show you how I created a gift that touched hearts.

Sarah and Benjamin wedding invitation, November 10th

It started with a wedding invitation we got - which it a very good start given the wedding took place in France and enabled to sneak a few days in Paris (...see the connection now? :))

As a wedding gift, I decided to create something special for the bride. Something that will always remind her of this day and our wishes for many happy days together.

As research is something I love to do, the first thing I did was to start collecting pictures and researching symbols I could use.

Here is a link to the Pinterest board I created then.

When it comes to wedding/happiness/connection symbols, I discovered the sky is the limit.
From Celtic knots, to infinity signs, to Chinese symbols - you name it.
Eventually, as this is a young Jewish couple I settled on pomegranates, a symbol of abundance and fertility.
What better wish for a young couple than having as many happy years together as the seeds of the pomegranate?

After days of sketching pomegranate pendants, and not being really happy with any of them, I looked at the wedding invitation again ... and flipped it to its backside.

Bingo!!!! The bride and groom designed an interlocked version of their initials:  B and S.

What better way to surprise them than creating a lasting version of their design?

Few days later, and pendant is ready - glistening in sterling silver, featuring a stylized version of the bride and groom initials and 3 pomegranates. Two set with rubies, one engraved with the wedding date.

Complementing the pendant, I thought a pair of pomegranate earrings will really make this a nice gift, so back to the studio....and here is the result!

...I liked them so much, I posted these in my ETSY shop

Packed in a handsome box, the necklace and earrings traveled to France and after the wedding ceremony went to Sarah, the beautiful bride.

A few weeks later, back at home, we got a really nice note (...in French of course :)

"....your gift, so thoughtful and personalized shows your generosity ...."

You see, this is the essence of personalized jewelry to me:

You do not have to say it,
the recipient knows it was designed and created especially for them.

.......and will probably cherish it as such for a long time






Next time you want to give a truly personalized gift, invest a bit of thought and it may go a very long way towards making a loved person very very happy.

Here is the link to the English version:

To help you do exactly that, I wrote a short guide and published it on my ETSY store. It is free (well 20 cents, as you can not post free listings on ETSY....)

There is an English and a Hebrew version - pick the one you are more comfortable with - download, read and let me know what you think of it.

Bye,
Amy

The Hug - One of a kind, fine silver jewelry with a story

"You know that moment when you hug somebody, when your heart feels warm and high in your chest and tingly? When you feel just for a second like a baby in a womb...that nothing matters?
That's how I want you to feel."
- Jake Vander Ark, The accidental Siren







Jewelry pieces that
....adorn the body
......inspire the mind
........and uplift the spirit.








Just in time for Valentines, here is 'The Hug'
a new one of a kind necklace
with a heart warming message

...watch the video

and see more details about it in my ETSY store

"Never underestimate the power of the words 'I love you' or the comfort of a simple hug."
- Elizabeth Bourgeret

If you liked this, you will enjoy the "Gentle strength" collection launch
read it here.

Until next time,
a big hug to all my blog readers :)
Amy

More than meets the eye - Narrative jewelry by Sarah Joyce

What makes a piece of jewelry valuable to us?

The worth of its diamonds?

The superior craftsmanship?

The artist signature?

While all the above certainly contribute to its value, it is my personal belief, that the piece of jewelry we never want to take off - is the one with which we made a personal, intimate connection. 
Whether it reminds us of a person, a place or a time that is dear to us - this necklace or brooch tells a story that strikes a chord in our heart.

Black Jet Victorian Mourning Buttons and original thread..with initials

As an art history and visual arts major, Sarah Joyce has a deep understanding of the world that hides behind the aesthetics of an art piece.

Taking a course called ‘conservation of antiquities’ channeled her attraction to historic figures and their stories, into a career dedicated to saving fragile, vulnerable objects.

After years of working in museums, galleries and conservation projects around the world, Sarah went beyond saving other people’s art, and started to create jewelry.

“I actually began making found object jewelry in 1987.  I was in a few exhibitions, and there was interest in my work…but it wasn't the right time for me.   I was working full time at a very demanding job and I found it difficult to sustain a creative practice.  But the thread of Poultice Jewellery is definitely connected to that early work…and extends back to my earliest interest in saving and recombining fragile, vulnerable objects.  I began operating under 'Poultice' in 2009”

The model Ashley wearing Navdanya

Sarah’s creating process starts with research and the discovery of people’s stories, here is an example:

“Let me tell you about Lodore, Rescue Chatelaine.  Lodore was the result of my obsession with the story of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.   I had been reading every biography I could and was making  pieces about Mary and Percy Shelley the poet.   I began reading letters between Mary, her family and friends, including some from her mother the amazing Mary Wollstonecraft.   I kept coming across little snippets of information about a half-sister Fanny.

 I went in search of Fanny…who has been largely forgotten in this very famous, creative and emotional family.  When Mary ran away Fanny became very depressed and committed suicide at the age of 22, right at the time Mary was nearing the end of her famous book.  It became very important to me to understand what drove Fanny to take this terrible step. The more I read, the more I began to understand how she must have felt; abandoned, helpless, without hope.  This is how Lodore began; me searching for a vulnerable, lost soul.”

Only after the pieces of the stories came together, does the jewelry creation begin.   

“I use certain elements again and again as a recurring material language.  For example a white Victorian button always means domesticity or 'women's' roles. In the case of Lodore the role of domesticity (and the white button) take on a darker meaning.  I've combined it with a hookedforktang…I think it looks a bit like a claw.  I needed a way for Fanny to dig holes so the seeds I have included in the bottle could flower (because she never had the chance). I'm not sure how I arrived at a claw…but it seemed right…and the shape of it feels a bit desperate.  

Lodore, Rescue Chatelaine with the bitten gold heart

Lodore had been sitting on my studio table for some time…I couldn't find a way to finish it.   I kept changing the elements….but nothing seemed quite right.    I was living on a gulf island at the time and a friend told me that an old house was being torn down and they were going to have a big bonfire. The next day he arrived with a box…in it were the most amazing old finds. Delicate Victorian jet beads, other bits and pieces and a little gold heart.  It was obviously a child's necklace…with a delicate gold thread chain.  The heart was covered in tiny bites right into the soft gold.  I imagine from a child teething…I knew immediately it connected with Fanny as a little girl.   I recalled Fanny's mother had written about baby Fanny biting her as she nursed. This letter opened a window to an intimate and tender moment between a mother and child.  So…the bitten heart became Fanny's… connecting herback to her mother…the wonderful Marry Wollstonecraft who died when Fanny was 3 years old.    

Fanny was also a writer…of letters.  She wrote with feeling...and her sweet character jumps off the page. I always use pen nibs to represent writers.   I knew she deserved a pen nib. This nib is bound tightly…as Fanny was bound.  When poor Fanny was found in a hotel room in Wales, she was wearing her Mother's corset.  This was so meaningful to me...I began to do an awful lot of research on corsets of the time.  I worked out how old the corset must be…and tried to find instances of her mother mentioning a corset.  The construction of the corset-like form around the bottle has the appearance of being locked…though I have added a little jewelled hinge…but I've also added a partial key.  There always has to be a key to desperate situations.  The whole necklace refers to the domestic Chatelaines women wore around their waists.  So that is how Lodore came to be! “

Every one of Sarah’s pieces is accompanied by a card that tells the piece’s story. 

“I create a card containing the narrative. On the front is a unique collaged image that relates to the piece of jewelry. Because they are one-off cards I just go to our trusty printer and have a couple printed at a time.  One card stays with me, one goes with the piece of jewelery. “ 

A narrative card for Endymion

In a world filled with mass produced jewelry, where every piece is exactly what meets the eye – how wonderful is to find pieces of wearable art, that beyond adorning our favorite dress also expand our world intellectually and emotionally?

The pen nib with burned wings used in the piece 'Caged'

Why would someone spend days, weeks or perhaps months creating one of a kind pieces rather than go for a more commercial approach?

“I am happiest when I am being creative.   I prefer being inspired by objects that have past lives and histories, rather than creating new objects.

I enjoy creating pieces about women in history who have faced challenging times. Women who are creative and wear their humanity on their sleeve.  I have a soft spot for the late 18th and early 19th century. I love to immerse myself in this world.  I try to make my pieces intelligent, unconventional…suggestive of something quite magical in the use of combined materials.

Spanish Steps (Angels), a labour-intensive piece.

My approach probably does come at a bit of a price. I work slowly, so my monetary return is probably lower than someone who makes multiples.  Although some pieces come together faster than others…very few of the pieces come together quickly.  The conceptual stage (reading, research) takes a long time.  But research is also a great love.... so I'm quite happy doing it. I do feel I am making art.  I choose to work this way because this whole process I have developed engages me in a very deep way. Every new piece I work on becomes a completely new creative challenge.   The process combines my favorite areas of interest - historic research, writing stories, searching for and combining found objects, telling stories. I don't create with any specific audience in mind …unless I'm doing a commission.  I want to create work that is meaningful for me and then I hope others will like it too.”

Sarah in her studio

As someone who started creating  jewelry just a couple of years ago, Sarah’s voice is an inspiration to me. An acknowledgement that it is perfectly OK not to go with the general design wisdom of selecting your audience and only creating what they want. It is OK to create work that is meaningful to me – and to hope, maybe even actively look for :) people that will like it too.

Thank you Sarah, for inspiring me, and maybe others as well.

I am sure you would like to see more of Sarah work:

Here are links to her Facebook page and her web site,

Facebook Page 

Web Site

Until next time,
Amy

Lalique - the art, the artist and ....the moon

Brooch by Rene Lalique

 It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words.
And in the case of Rene Lalique's work - no words can really describe the exquisite beauty of his art pieces.
However,
this is also one of the cases where it is worth going beyond admiring the art and realize the greatness of the artist.

Rene Lalique was a rare individual: he possessed the ability to pursue and excel in two distinct careers, initially as an exclusive jewelry designer and later as the creator of stunning commercial glassware. - this is how Eric Knowles starts his review of Lalique.

Cicadas

Even more remarkable, is the fact that Lalique's career spanned two artistic periods - the Art Nouveau and the Art Deco - and while he remained loyal to his famous 3 'F' inspiration sources (fauna, flora and female) - his designs evolved and were at the leading edge of both artistic styles.

A gold enamel and opal wooded landscape plaque
inset with diamonds

Above and beyond these facts, there are two things which make Lalique a very unique artist.

The first one is his ability to innovate and reinvent the fundamental assumptions of both jewelry and glass arts.

Just think about it for a moment:

Would it occur to you to value a painting based on the price of the paint and canvass used to create it? Sounds silly, right?

But in the jewelry domain, what is more obvious than to price the piece based on the material it's made of?

Lillies of the valley,
horn, gold, opaque enamel on gold hair comb. 

Lalique challenged this concept.
While he used gold and diamonds in his creations, he loved semiprecious stones, in particular Opals.

He used enamel, glass and bronze in his jewelry pieces - and created a new standard for judging a piece's worth -
the artistic merit rather than the materials used.

Jewelry becomes Art, not just decorative art.

His innovations in the jewelry field included the use of non-traditional materials, for example horn, as well as technical innovations such as its transparent enamel technique - 'plique-a-jour'.

Which brings me to the second reason I admire Lalique's genius.

The kiss. Brooch in silver and pressed glass.

Swans vase. Blown glass in silver mount.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Lalique mastered two distinct mediums. To most of us, there is very little in common between metal and glass, but let's take a closer look.
Enamel is a vitreous material, basically glass powder.
Lalique's work with glass, started when he perfected his Enamel technique. At some point he started incorporating sculpted glass pieces in his jewelry.
But his innovative mind did not stop there.
He mastered the lost wax technique used in jewelry from antiquity, and applied it to glass - producing vases with unbelievable detail - not really achievable in any other way.
Remember the Opals he loved? - He experimented until he achieved the same type of opalescent effect in glass making use of the interplay between light and the glass transparency

Peacock bodice front. Gold, enamel, opal and brilliants

While there are quite a few artists that mastered more than one medium - take geniuses like Michelangelo as an example - few were able to blend them in such an innovative and creative way.  

Bacchantes. Lalique's famous sculpted glass vase

Two peacocks table lamp. Glass.

Hunt centerpiece, glass

One of Lalique's famous perfume bottles. Another innovation
as until his time, you would buy perfume in plain bottles and
pour it into your decorative bottle.

Are you familiar with the saying:

"Shoot for the moon and if you miss, you will still be among the stars" ?

Well, if there was even an artist I would set as "my" moon - this would be Lalique.

And the stars in this case, are still very far away - but definitely a worthy target.

This post was inspired by a long weekend my husband and I spent in France recently.
While the official reason for this trip was a family wedding, some of its highlights were seeing Lalique's work.

If you are in France, go see the 'Museum des Art Decoratifs' in Paris as well as Lalique's Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder.

Here are the relevant links:
This is the museum in Paris: http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/english-439/
This is Lalique museum in Alsace region: http://www.musee-lalique.com/en

Suzanne. An opalescent statuette, fitted for illumination

Hope you enjoyed the read,

bye for now

Amy

Good reasons to fall in love with silver jewelry ....and I am NOT talking about price

I have to confess that until two years ago, I never wore silver jewelry.
Delicate gold chains, the standard thin gold ring, occasionally a small pair of gold earrings.
Then, I started to create jewelry, and fell in love with silver.
Not just as a designer - but as a woman who appreciates beautiful things.

Why, you ask?

Well, if you look for a piece of jewelry that stands out from the crowd
.....chances are it will be in silver
(not many will play creative with gold - better to go safe and create pieces that will sell...)

Bird bath ring by Marie Cianciolo. Sterling silver, 18k gold pearls and diamonds 

Silver, is a jewelry artist dream come true.

It can take a thousand shapes, forms and colors.

It can be formed into wearable sculptures.

Silver ring by Laura Mains

It can be blackened ( oxidized ) and combined with gold for a rustic look

Oxidized silver and gold ring, by Robert Curnow 

It complements natural stones beautifully.

How many gold pieces of jewelry have you seen that showcase amazing stones such as this Ocean Jasper?

Most gold jewelry pieces will be combined with expensive stones only, after all, when someone looks for a gold ring - they look for the Diamond or Sapphire.

My very own silver butterfly pendant, showcasing a forest green Ocean Jasper wing

The fact that silver is a less costly material to work with, drives artists to combine it with different metals.

Here is a beautiful ring where silver is combined with copper and brass using a special technique called Mokume Gane.

 

Mokume Gane ring by Dafna Dagan

And surprise, surprise - lately more and more artists start combining silver with diamonds.

Silver and colored diamonds, in particular, create a wonderful naturalistic combination.

Alligator cuffs in sterling silver with brown diamonds by Pedro Boregard 

Yes, I can hear you say, but silver tarnishes with age. 

You are right, it does. 

But is this necessarily a problem?

Soft, muted finished silver jewelry, only gains in beauty as time passes.

To quote designer Christine Huber

"...when silver oxidizes with time, it subtly suggests the aging and survival of a relationship....seeing a woman wearing a blackened ring with diamonds, suggests the longevity and endurance of a loving relationship"

How can you not fall in love with this?

I can't.

Would love to hear from you, so leave your comments below and let me know:

Do you own silver jewelry?

Are you tempted to look for your special piece now?

Anything you would like to ask, or know more about?

Can't wait to hear from you,

Amy