New Jersey Trade Show

The tradeshow was a great success. You should have been there! Or maybe you were! There was a big turnout and fun was had by all.

Preparing For the Craft Show

I can hide in my studio all day making all the jewelry I like, but there comes a time when your jewelry must be consumer tested! On September 23rd I show my jewelry at the Ridgewood Craft Show, and it's a good testing ground to see if what I love doing is loved by the consumer who appreciates handmade jewelry.

It's when creativity, quality, pricing, and salesmanship comes into play, and with help from my friends, I display my goods. It's always been like this - before machine made, highly engineered, or branded goods came into the market place. Artists and merchants have sold their goods on the streets and backroads of communities all over the world. Whether it's peaches grown with loving care, cloth, or jewelry, it must go to market.

I have shown at craft shows in the past, but this show has a special meaning to me - I have come a long way over the years and worked hard to learn new techniques and studied with other artisans. This show will highlight many of those new techniques - Kumihimo, paper jewelry, polymer clay and metal embossing. So, "Right this way, buy a piece of handmade jewelry"!!!

Kumihimo - Ancient Japanese Art From

In my quest to find unusual jewelry techniques and a little bit out of the ordinary, I have discovered Japanese Kumihimo. It literally means interlaced threads, and is an ancient Japanese art form of braiding. It was originally used to lace together the body armor of the Samurai, and when the Samurai were banned from Japan, it found its way into Japanese theatre, costumes and the tie that fits around the obi.

There are still Kumihimo societies operating in Japan but for the most part they keep their braiding techniques secret. However, with a little research and dogged determination, I have uncovered resources for many types of the braids and configurations used. The braids are executed on a wooden Muradai using threaded bobbins and tension to create uniformity in the braids.

I am on a mission to learn many types of knotting and braiding to compliment my metal embossed and polymer clay pieces. By far, Chinese knotting is the more difficult, if only because of the incredible detail that goes into forming these knots. I'm getting there, but this is a more timely process, and requires a little bit of meditation thrown in.

Metal Embossing is the Greatest

I have started designing metal embossed jewelry using pewter and copper metal sheets. It's amazing how versatile metal can be. I am using abalone shell and mother-of-pearl embedded into the metal and backed with wood disks for support.

The tools are incredible, and I was lucky to meet a woman from Mexico who has been working in this medium for quite some time. She definitely knows all the tricks of working with metal and primarily works with home decor items. There is a strong heritage of metal embossing in Mexico and Spain, and it is evident in the techniques and style that she uses. I have been able to adapt my own designs to this fascinating art form, and I am enjoying working in this medium.

I am currently designing pendants and pins that are unusual and lovely. Check out the photo on this page of some of my first designs. Sure to be more!

New Website Up and Running

The new site is up and running and better than ever. Much easier to navigate and lots of new designs.

Check out the new category - Knotted and Braided. I have been dilegently learning Kumihimo - Japanese braiding. It's fun and creates wonderful braids for very unusual necklaces and bracelets. Very different.

Enjoy shopping!