I’m sure you’ll agree, I have a fantastic photographer. He just gets what the line is about, and he knows how to make each piece of jewelry look great. Sometimes he even makes things look–how to put this?–larger than life. Take, for example, the image below:
Over the past few months, I have been contacted several times by various people, inquiring about the gorgeous set of “bangles” shown in this photo. In fact, these are rings, shown in exquisite detail. They’re called Vineyard Rings, because they are little vines twining around the finger like the rows of grapevines outside my studio window.
Finally, I just decided enough was enough with the confusion over the image, and I designed a set of bangles. Why didn’t I do this sooner? They’re so fun and wearable, slightly oval, and in an interlocking set of three that rolls up and down irresistibly. Personally, I favor the combination of chocolate brown shakudo with sterling silver and 18K rose gold, but they are also available with 18K yellow gold for the traditionalists out there. There’s just something about the perfect set of bangles: not only do they look amazing with everything, but they’re an invitation to play with your jewelry, clinking pleasingly as they slide against each other. So fun.
It’s hard to believe that the summer has come to an end already, when weather-wise it seems like it never happened around here in Sonoma County. We had a heatwave in May, but by June it became almost frigid, and it stayed that way. I had happily pulled out all my favorite summer clothing and eagerly shopped for a few fresh new indulgences, and then I promptly had to put it all away again in disgust.
The item of warm-weather clothing I had planned on wearing the most this summer was a dress from Kate Organic, a line that I came across last fall at the Designers & Agents show. I fell in love with the easy glamour and Green design and wanted one of everything. The impeccably-cut Maxi Pocket Dress in bamboo has a glorious drape that flatters the figure like a dream, and best of all it looks amazing with okomido jewelry. Wearing it became almost a guilty pleasure. So effortless to throw on and so unbelievably comfortable, and yet strangers stopped me on the street with compliments.
Fabulous, right? I’m feeling pretty bitter about storing away this light-as-a-cloud creation with the ability to transform the wearer into a Hollywood screen goddess. Summer, how could you betray me this way?
photo courtesy of Kate Organic
Happy Mother’s Day!
I’ve been working on a new necklace in honor of those oft-unsung heroes, and I thought you might enjoy hearing about the back-story for my design-in-progress.
When I was pregnant with my youngest son three years ago, I was on bed-rest for many weeks to prevent preterm labor, and to say that I was eager for my baby to arrive was an understatement. But my friends and family rallied around me in ways I could only have imagined, and the outpouring of love and support was staggering. They continually outdid one another with gifts of delicious food, creative distraction and entertainment, and thoughtful items intended to increase my comfort or just make me smile.
One such gift from my friend Hillary stands out in its sweetness. It was a squat little figure rendered whimsically in a rather lumpish, oval shape, with a small circular niche carved out of the middle. A gauzy organza ribbon was tied around it to secure in this cavity a small sphere, on which you could just make out a tiny pair of eyes and chubby face: a little ball of baby bouncing around in its pregnant mother’s belly.
I love the idea of making concrete that fervent hope and prayer of an expectant mother: “When the timing is right, untie the ribbon and let the little guy out,” said Hillary. So I did.
What exactly does this have to do with a necklace, you ask? The new design has an organic-shaped oval pendant with a small chocolate brown seed suspended from the inside, with the option of removing the seed at the appropriate time. I think it would also be fun to have something to replace it with, a “bloom” of some kind, but I haven’t yet decided what. A little flower bud in gold? A small gemstone, perhaps related to birth month?
Having recently gone through that miraculous event again myself, I know how lovely and meaningful it is to wear a piece of jewelry to commemorate the remarkable blessing of life. You’ll be the first to know when I’ve gotten all the details figured out about this one!
It snowed this morning. Flurries of lacy white swirled outside my window momentarily and then subsided as the wind died down.
No, it’s not a freak storm–it’s just an ordinary spring afternoon in the orchards surrounding my house. It’s apple blossom season in the Gravenstein orchards, and all it takes is a little breeze to make it snow pearly-white petals. Heaven.
It’s so pretty, my kids can’t help but break into song:
I looked out the window and what did I see? Popcorn popping on the apple tree.
Spring has brought me such a nice surprise! Popcorn popping right before my eyes.
I can take a handful and make a treat. A popcorn ball that smells so sweet.
It wasn’t really so, but it seemed to be: Popcorn popping on the apple tree.
This is the kind of idyllic day that makes me say this is without a doubt my favorite season. The hills are covered with corduroy rows of grapevines just leafing out, the wisteria and lilacs are lush with fragrant purple blossoms, and the bees are nearly drunk with nectar. (But just wait until fall comes around and the vineyards are all afire with autumnal color: I’ll rhapsodize about my “favorite season” all over again!)
Walking among the apple trees, I decided I had to try to capture this lovely phenomenon in jewelry to enjoy all year long. Scattered blossoms in pale silver on a fine chain of gold, or a surprising study in contrast with chocolaty shakudo petals instead:
petals necklace in sterling and 14K
petals necklace and earrings in shakudo and 14K
My tribute to spring in this beautiful place I’m lucky enough to call home.
