The joy of jewelry, or any type of fashion, lies in escapism.  In the same way a costume transports an actor deeper into character, jewelry does the same for me.  It could be the style I’m wearing, or simply an image embedded into a brooch that makes me think I’m somewhere else. I have found, when wearing a certain look, I am somehow transported to whatever feeling that motif, color or texture evokes. 

In the last entry I showed you my natural side with the pollination theme.  My next theme is all about pretending I’m in Paris.   For as long as I can remember, my mother has told me I look French.  It was always stated in the most endearing way, making me feel as if this was a very special quality.  Having never been to France, I had no idea what it truly meant, but it somehow made me a Francophile by osmosis.  This past April my sweetheart Jack and I spent ten wonderful days in the city of lights for our birthdays.  My experience lived up to and in some cases exceeded what I had imagined it to be.   Since my trip, I have moments that I long for a Parisian stroll.  When this urge arises, I use my jewelry to remember.

The centerpiece of this look includes Hotcakes Design brooches.  Ah! --Sigh--what can I say--there is just some intangible essence about these designs that encapsulate a visual candy for my eyes.   Depending on my mood, I can wear one at a time, or if I’m feeling bold and have a strong sturdy sweater, I will wear three!  I also include a vintage crystal necklace my mother found at an antique store in New York to add a little sparkle.  For the pièce de résistance, I have two long strand BeadforLife necklaces, inspired by 1920’s flapper pearls.  I double one up and keep the other long. 

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BeadforLife is coming to my website soon!  Please contact the store if you have additional inquiries.

Throughout my life I have had an appreciation of jewelry, but somewhere, some how, in the last number of years, I have become mad about it.  It’s like something gripped a hold on me and I now have this uncontrollable urge to wear, collect, read, and think about jewelry.  

As a teenager growing up in New Mexico, I have a vivid memory of this beautiful, big, Wonder Woman/Gladiator size, Native American story cuff.   A scene of pueblo life was depicted in the carved sterling silver.  I remember being struck by idea that in the same way a poem utilizes language as symbols to represent a feeling, this bracelet was using the same technique in a visual context.  It was a poem for the wrist.

In my eyes, each individual piece of jewelry is a small-scale sculpture.  It can stand alone, but when mixed with other pieces and accessories, a whole new world of interpretations can be discovered. 

Currently, I’m really into mixing and matching my jewelry into different themes.  I have been doing this unconsciously for a while, but it did not fully blossom until last year when my mother gave me two gorgeous gold bug brooches that were my grandmother’s.  My grandmother died when I was only ten and I don’t have much of a memory of her.  I do remember that she was down to earth and understated in her style.  It warms my heart to think that she had a funky side and liked bugs.   Once I received the brooches, my father (it was his mother) told me that she wore them as if they were crawling up her shoulder.  I’ve adapted that style in honor of her.

Having the bugs, made me think of mixing them with other items.  I have this gorgeous necklace from Columbia made with these striking red seeds.   Another piece I put into the mix is this simple flower brooch from another Colombian artist.  Put it all together and you have a pollination theme. The bugs pollinate the flower and the flower makes the seeds. I even take it a couple of steps further--this is no ordinary garden--I extend the look to include the natural feel of the forest by adding wood earrings and a ring made with reclaimed wood from a furniture factory in Nicaragua.  I then pair all these components with a brown t-shirt, or sweater, and yes, the brown, as silly as it sounds, represents the soil.

This is just one example of the theme extravaganza going on in my head.  I'm hoping this blog space can be used to share my excitement of all different kinds of jewelry and the unique ways we can wear it.  

If anyone has any theme related or other jewelry ideas to share, I would love to hear them!  Post in the comments or “Like” us on Facebook.

Stay tuned until next time…

Click on the photos for more individual product information.