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

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

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

The story of a jewelry collection, "Gentle Strenght" - The concept

Nandina buds in my garden 

For most of us, the first encounter with a jewelry collection is when we see it in a store, boutique or gallery.

For the maker of the pieces - this is the last mile in a fascinating journey.

Starting to work on a new collection, and decided to document the process.

Every collection has a starting point. An idea, an inspiration.

This collection is a bit different, as it is a personal statement rather than a design exercise around a theme.

"Gentle strength"

Lalique at its best - hair adornment
so delicate, yet functional and strong 

Its starting point?

The deepest source lies in my memories of father's gentle strength and calm. 

It is influenced by my love of nature. Looking at the tiny buds on the trees – you can only wonder how can something so delicate and fragile, face the spring winds – and still blossom.

It definitely has something to do with the deep admiration I have of Art Nouveau jewelry, and the genius of Lalique – but this is not new to those who read my previous post.

here it is if you missed it

I believe that jewelry, as a piece of wearable art - can be more than aesthetically pleasing.

It can reflect our beliefs as well as our style.

Jewelry can talk.

It can tell the world, in graceful lines and precious metal that true strength does not have to be aggressive,

Or pushy, or loud

That shouting – is not the only way, maybe not even the best way to make yourself heard

That if there is a lesson to learn from nature, it is that strength comes in many shapes and forms

To quote Henry David Thoreau:

“The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.”

So there it is,

The root concept, the design compass for the emerging jewelry collection

“Gentle strength”

The graceful shape of ' snow bells'. When I was a child in Romania -
a close relative of this flower was the first to emerge from the snow. 

Who do I envision wearing it?

A woman who intuitively understands that delicacy and gentleness can be signs of strength.

Who does not feel the need to show off, but wants to express herself - 

in what she does, what she says, and yes….also in the choice of jewelry she wears.

A woman who will not spend 20,000$ on a necklace, but will also stay away from a cheap pair of Chanel imitation earrings. 

A woman who is gentle and strong at the same time.

Do you know such woman?

It is with her in mind, that I start designing the pieces in my new collection.

“Gentle strength”

Drawing in the studio

Returning to my workbench, to sketch (I have pages of sketches already…),

make models and start molding this concept in precious metal.

Will share the ideas in the next part ....

As always, comments, thoughts, stories ideas – welcome to share with me either here or on my facebook page www.facebook.com/akvjewelry

Bye for now,

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

When art talks - the language of texture

A Sterling Silver necklace by AKVjewelry 

A soft bathrobe, a rough stone, a vintage filigree brooch, a Van Gogh painting - 

what do they have in common?

Texture. 

It sets the mood, invokes memories and feelings - in a subtle, almost unconscious way.

Texture, as a language, a way of communicating – picked my interest when I started to experiment with molten metal and the wonderful texture it creates.

Since then, I started noticing the crucial role texture plays in communicating messages in the world of art.

Irises, by Van Gogh

Take for example my beloved Van Gogh.

A few weeks ago, at the Los Angeles Getty Center, I was able to stand as close as it gets without actually touching - to some of his wonderful paintings.

Look at texture of this painting and the energy it projects – it speaks volumes of the stormy feelings inside the painter.

It almost feels like Van Gogh was compelled to paint it - it was his way to manage internal storms.

Is it a wonder he painted so much - sometimes a painting a day?

Another corner of this wonderful painting. Just look at the earth.
It lives and breathes

Can you imagine how different his paintings would be in watercolors?

Keep the colors, even use the same brushstrokes – just take away the texture.

In Van Gogh's case, I think, texture acts in a similar way to body language. It reveals so much about his inner world.

The other time I was amazed by how expressive texture can be, was when I visited the Accademia museum in Florence Italy.

The corridor in the Accademia museum 

Tenths of people, standing in line to get into the museum and see one of the most famous sculptures in the world -  David by Michelangelo. 

David stands at the end of a small gallery – demanding your attention from the minute you walk in.

But despite its beauty, what caught my attention were 4 unfinished sculptures – the slaves.

'The awakening'

Commissioned by Pope Julius as part of a majestic tomb he was planning for himself - plans which ironically - were changed by his ...death.

'Atlas'

Michelangelo never finished the slave sculptures.

You can see the powerful body, the taught muscles, the huge calf or shoulder - but the body is trapped in the stone.

Rough, heavy, immovable stone. 

You can FEEL the slaves are trying to break away, but are imprisoned in stone, held by everlasting marble chains.

While I am sure these sculptures would have been magnificent if finished – I think the sense of being trapped into a situation you cannot escape from – could never be as powerfully conveyed as it is today by these unfinished masterpieces.

To me, the use of texture in art and jewelry making in particular - unveiled a new and fascinating language.

The first time I consciously used texture in my jewelry making, was in my branches collection, where I leveraged the reticulation technique to create abstract winter pictures of tree branches and snow.

A necklace from my 'Winter Branches' collection
https://www.etsy.com/il-en/listing/150817225/square-silver-pendant-necklace?ref=listing-shop-header-3

Lately, started to play with different ways of using texture as means to convey a natural, worn, stand the test of time kind of feeling.

Learning the alphabet of textures, and starting to spell my own words.

Form kept simple, colors provided by purple plant and rain.
Texture takes center stage

As always, glad to hear your comments and thoughts –

.....wishing you a great end to 2013, and a wonderful 2014 :)

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

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