Mussel necklace; solid-gold rings from Square Peg Round Hole collection; hand-carved molds
Turner: In five words, how would you describe your jewelry?
Caitlin Mociun: Simple, elegant jewelry. It’s jewelry that is feminine but doesn’t feel really girly. It’s edgy but not so crazy-looking that you can’t wear it every day. I think it’s about the proportions.
T.: What inspired you to launch a fine jewelry line in addition to your clothing line?
C.M.: When I was in school, I worked a lot with sculpture. Starting to work with jewelry was a way for me to explore small sculpture forms again. I feel that I have a lot more freedom with the jewelry than I do with the clothing (they’re aren’t issues with fit and making a person’s body look weird if you start playing with strange shapes). I can be more conceptual and explore ideas that I have not found a way to work with in garments. I feel like I can explore different shapes than with the clothing. I started the clothing line as a catalyst for my prints. I wanted to create simple forms that showed the prints in a flattering way on the body.
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Molar Necklace by Pamela Love
People often ask me if I bleach my teeth, have gotten veneers, or have replaced them completely. To be honest, I try to take really good care of them because I’m hoping to keep my baby teeth (two molars, to be exact) as long as possible. Much like my cleavage, that pair of adult molars never developed. Every dentist I have been to assures me that although having baby teeth in the middle of my twenties is rare, it’s certainly not unheard of. It’s an issue I’ve tried, ad nauseam, to explain to the rest of my (healthy-toothed) family.
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Aurélie Bidermann
Aurélie Bidermann has always had an elevated taste level. As a 13-year-old girl in Paris, she began collecting designs from Azzedine Alaïa. When she got to university, Bidermann studied art history, then she went on to work in the Sotheby’s Impressionist and Contemporary Art departments before following the path to jewelry design. A trip to India got her creative juices flowing; motivated by the country’s graces, she decided to soak up as much inspiration from her surroundings as possible.
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Anna Sheffield
Anna Sheffield is one of those darling dichotomies I adore meeting in New York City. Tattooed and bejeweled, she is at the same time a total flapper who seems to have landed on our shores via San Francisco by way of Marseilles circa 1922.
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Gems Galaxy in Jaipur
Now, I usually don’t talk to strangers who approach me on the street, especially when I’m traveling in foreign countries. But this stranger, Harish Kumar, seemed nice, and he was full of useful tidbits about Indian culture, especially its fashions. He struck up a conversation with my friends and me while we were checking out wedding ensembles in a shop window in the thick of Tripolia Bazaar in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state in India. When I told him I was a journalist interested in learning more about Jaipur’s famed textile and jewelry trades, he invited us to tour his gemstone-export business. In the spirit of adventure, we accepted.
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Jessica Marati | Categories: Craft, Global | No Comments » |
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Article Tags: Accessories, Gem Galaxy Bijouterie, Gemstones, India, Jaipur, Jewelry, Necklaces, Rajasthan, Rings, Semi-Precious Gemstones, Tripolia Bazaar
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Chamorro jewelry designer Ed Villanueva
Thousands of years ago on the island of Guam, the ancient Chamorro people wore necklaces called ålas and salape, made of seashell and tortoiseshell, to indicate wealth and prestige. Today, it is possible to purchase re-creations of these millennia-old treasures, thanks to local artisans who are revitalizing the craft.
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Limpet and clam necklaces by Kirsten Muenster
Kirsten Muenster tries to live her life by the Japanese principle of wabi sabi, which she describes as a simple aesthetic that appreciates the beauty in imperfection and the elimination of the non-essential. The San Francisco-based jeweler also utilizes this principle in her art, creating unique, minimalist pieces with natural stones, nuts, and repurposed objects.
Muenster also promotes socially responsible jewelry-making. She refuses to use ethically-questionable gemstones, and she works primarily with natural and recycled materials to reduce waste. In this Q&A, she discusses how she got her start as a jeweler and what she hopes to accomplish with her work.
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Jessica Marati | Categories: Craft, Design + Designers, Global | 1 Comment » |
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Article Tags: Gemstones, Interview, Jewelry, Kirsten Muenster, Natural Stones, Nuts, Repurposed Objects, San Francisco, Socially Responsible, Wabi Sabi
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Angela Barrow’s Cheek-ie “puff” necklaces
Name: Angela Barrow
Resides in: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Occupation: Designer of unisex fabric ‘puff’ necklaces
Bonus: Made-to-order; Barrow allows customers to choose fabrics and styles on her website
Materials: Bored to death by chains, Barrow chooses fabrics over metal
Ever wonder who Vanessa’s character on Gossip Girl was incubated after? That would be the eco-conscious artsy cool gal, Angela Barrow, who would be considered a downtown “it” girl by association. She is so downtown she doesn’t even live there. Instead, she has an apartment in Brooklyn, where she also runs Cheek-ie, her DIY accessories brand, created by her own two hands, without the assistance of a sales and press team. It’s inspiring what this girl has accomplished all by being herself.
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Item no. 258, vintage Hermes Kelly bag
Apparently, I am not meant to be the happy owner of yet another rotten, ripped-up, doggy-chewed vintage Hermes Kelly bag. By the time I get to Doyle’s High Society auction on Tuesday, I have missed the bidding on number 258, the beleaguered bag that captured my attention. The event is proceeding at a maddening clip. The hammer falls several times a minute on items like 25-year-old Valentino rhinestone earrings and sets of heraldic brooches that once belonged to Diana Vreeland.
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