This box of jewels is labeled 'One tablet after breakfast & one at bedtime'...

Don't mind if I do!

Amazing Diamond Rings...

The Hope Diamond's got nothing on these rings... Care of Amsterdam's Albert Cuyp Market, you could be the happiest girl in the world. By my estimation, each diamond weighs in at about 5 thousand karats... those are some seriously large rocks! I can't believe that the vendor isn't afraid of these tempting babies getting stolen. Customs requires international travelers to make claims on any purchase over 350euro, so I had to refrain from buying one, but I just had to take some pictures to remember what I passed up on.

Galerie Ra, Amsterdam

Half way through my epic vacation, my travels have brought me to Amsterdam. I've found The Netherlands to be an amazing country, steeped in history, culture, and creativity. Straddling the past and the present, it seems like every corner has a plaque commemorating a historical even as well as a piece of contemporary public art. Amsterdam is also a special city because it's home to three phenomenal jewelry galleries, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Galerie Louise Smit, and Galerie Ra. This week I'll be visiting each of these contemporary art galleries, and will be posting images from each trip.

Last night I stopped into Galerie Ra, located east of the Dam at the bottom of Nes Street. Open since 1974, Galerie Ra specializes in contemporary jewelry, vessels, and objects. Galerie Ra also has an extensive collection of self published books, as well as catalogues from past shows and artists books.

It was great to get to see the tangible works of artists that I've admired for so long. I didn't do a good job of taking photos while we were in the gallery, so I pulled a couple images off their online catalogue. I'll be posting images from the other two galleries after I visit them, enjoy!

Julie Blyfield, brooches, patinated and painted silver.

Lisa Walker, Facet pendant, mixed media.

Ela Bauer, ring, Christal, lava, epoxy, bone, yarn, silver.

Galerie Ra interior.

Blogged on My Love For You!

I've been following Meighan O'Toole's amazing blog, My Love For You, for quite a while now. Meighan has created a repository of amazing makers, I got to her webspace for a stimulating mental vacation and to view inspirating works from two and three dimensional artists...

Imagine my surprise this morning when I find an email in my inbox from a friend congratulating me on having my work on her website! After clicking through the link that was provided in the email, I found a post about my Pro Nailz rings! Needless to say, I'm increadibly honored to have Meighan dedicate a blog post to me, and I feel like an overly excited nerd about joining the ranks of the artists included in My Love For You.

Thanks to Meighan for acknowledging my work, and for having such kind words about it.

And thanks to Wendi, for liking my work (and me) enough to share!

Off to England

I won't be posting much for the month of May, as I'll be vacationing in England for a couple of weeks. In honor of my upcoming journey, I wanted to share some images from the English fashion portrait photographer Sir Cecil Beaton. Best know for his theatrical society portraits and stylized fashion photography, Beaton was not know for being a technically accurate photographer but instead focused on staging a compelling model or scene and looking for the perfect shutter-release moment.

I've included the images below because of their focus on the fantastical and adornment. To me, these images speak to the nature of the glitz and decadence associate with the era of the 1920's and 30's in London. I love the metallic, gem like quality of the sets that the women are posed in, it reminds us that electricity was just coursing through the veins of the metropolis... The women become part of their surroundings, and it's as if these beauties are physically inside a glittering diamond!

Baba Beaton a symphony in silver

Baba Beaton, Wanda Baille Hamilton, and Lady Bridget Poullett

Miss Nancy Beaton as a shooting star

COLLECT

This show looks amazing!

COLLECT is an international exhibition hosted by the British Crafts Council which features European Contemporary craft and object makers. Hosted by the Saatchi Gallery in London, COLLECT runs from May 6th through the 9th. This show looks to be the UK's compliment to our SOFA exhibitions, and the line-up on the website makes it look like a pretty phenomenal event. Although I'll miss COLLECT, I plan to visit Saatchi Gallery after the show is over and see if the catalogue is still available.

Here is a blurb from the website: COLLECT champions craft makers from across the world and presents their talents, enterprise and innovation under one roof over four days. It provides important new opportunities for makers, as well as giving members of the public a chance to see and own something unique, beautiful and perfectly crafted. We know that a thriving contemporary arts and cultural offer is critical to London’s success as a world city. Events such as COLLECT are an important contributor to this and we are delighted to support the event.

Image:Monsieur Gaston neckpiece, 2010, by Eugenia Ingegno, Alternatives Gallery

Alloy Gallery at the Santa Monica Art Museum

Alloy Gallery, who carries some of my work, has been invited to do a show at the Santa Monica Art Museum at the end of the month. I'm excited, because they'll be bringing some of my neoprene work and my knuckle dusters with them to California for the event. The show is in conjunction with their annual fundraiser, 'Incognito,' which features contemporary artworks by 500 artists. Alloy will be taking over the museum store and selling works from their 'pop-up' gallery space.

For more information about the 'Incognito' fundraiser, click here.

For more information about Alloy's pop-up gallery space, click here.

Also, Alloy is local... So if there are any Rhode Islanders reading this, you should stop by. They have a wonderful collection of art jewelry, and the owner Tamar is a phenomenal artist and knowledgeable gallery owner.

COSTUME COSTUME PHOTOS

The New York SOFA show was last weekend, and I was thrilled to have my work taken to the exhibit by Sienna Gallery and The Opulent Project. TOP organized a display called COSTUME COSTUME, which featured handmade contemporary jewelry by emerging artists who deal with the subject of adornment, costuming, and jewelry. TOP installed a photobooth in their space so that attendees of SOFA could don their favorite jewels and have their picture taken wearing them! I hear the lines were long for the photobooth, and that it was a 'mindblowing' installation... Congratulation to The Opulent Project for having such a stimulating and successful exhibit!

I've selected some of my favorite photobooth photos of people wearing my work below. As I wasn't able to get down to NYC this past weekend, it was great to be able to check out these images and to see people were enjoying themselves.

That Chain So Crazy!

Note: I've been working on this blog post for quite a while now, and I'm honestly not sure it's going to make any sense, so good luck reading!

One of my favorite things about jewelry is it's role as a communication device which turns the wearer into a billboard expressing the wearers beliefs. Traditionally, jewelry also doubles as a portable asset or an outward display of wealth.

Jewelry in excess is nothing new in the world of hip hop, think back to the iconic images of RUN DMC wearing twisted gold chains, with oversized pendants. Since they first stepped onto the scene in 1984, RUN DMC helped to create an image that has influence generations of musicians after them. It's been over 25 years since the pioneer of hip hop artists donning opulent gold chains, diamonds, pendants, watches, and other oversized baubles and the jewelry is becoming bigger, brighter, and more expensive.

Today, chains and pendants are becoming so large that they are almost unwearable. Artists are layering them in a melee of gold and glitz. Some things haven't changed at all, like NAS's necklace at the right, he could have reached back in time and taken it right off of Jam Master Jay's neck. But, some things are evolving at a rapid pace. Gone are the days of sporting a stolen Mercedes hood ornament on a chain around your neck as pendants are growing larger and encrusted in colored pave set diamonds.

I have to say that I really do appreciate this hyper-opulence that is being embraced by the hip hop culture. It's steeped in history (from acknowledging previous hip hop and rap artists to embracing African cultures), and at the same time there is a drastic over-the-top-ness that is so obscene that I can't do anything but to embrace it. I think that there is a silent understanding that some of these pieces are completely tongue-in-cheek, like the huge dollar sign pendant that Nigo is sporting below... It's completely a redundant piece (joke?) that is made of money, about money.

I often find myself thinking about menswear jewelry, and what it's role in society is. The examples in this post are just one facet of that genre.. and such an eye catching, mouth watering facet it is! For more examples of gold, diamonds, and other examples of urban jewelry, be sure to check out one of my new favorite blogs: YOU SEE THAT CHAIN?

Nigo, wearing multiple pave chains and pendants.

Pharrell, Diamond pave pendants and multiple chains.

Lil Wayne, Diamond Grill

Kanye West, Horus Necklace by Ambush

Kanye West, Eye Am Not Alone Ring by Ambush

Soulja Boy, The Work Is Yours Necklace

Soulja Boy

COSTUME COSTUME

I'm excited to be part of The Opulent Projects upcoming project, COSTUME COSTUME, which will be making it's debut at Sienna Gallery's booth at the NYC SOFA exhibit from April 14th through the 17th. I'm really excited to be part of such a fun and conceptual project that presents handmade, contemporary jewelry at an accessible price to young collectors.

COSTUME COSTUME is a collection of work made by emerging contemporary art jewelers. It is an exploration of costume jewelry as subject, jewelry about jewelry. You'll find the COSTUME COSTUME show in the Sienna Gallery booth (#301), their installation includes a photo-booth where the guests are invited to document themselves wearing the opulent baubles that are part of the show.

Participating artists as of April 2011 Mikael Arsjö, Kate Bauman, Michael Dale Bernard, Thyra Bessette, Sarah Kate Burges, Erin Gardner, Anna Hinkes, Rory Hooper, Courtney Kemp, Julia Elizabeth Louise, Jimin Park, Mary Hallam Pearse, Earl Ross, Leslie Skalin, Theresa Sterner, Monika Strasser, Kristi Sword, Islay Taylor, Melissa Tolar, Ben Ulsh. Organized by Erin Gardner from The Opulent Project.