kensington bliss: jewelry design

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Local Cleveland Jewelry Designer Anne Harrill of Oceanne Jewelry...

This morning when I picked up the Sunday 12/13/15 edition of the PD Wrap-Up, a Plain Dealer publication, I was intrigued by the front page spread of local jewelry designer, Anne Harrill, of Oceanne Jewelry. I always love to discover new artists, and it is an extra bonus to discover and support local talent in Cleveland. Having had a brief stint in jewelry design myself, between my accounting career and mommy-hood, I completely understand and appreciate how much work it takes to run your own little business. Although it was rather time-consuming, I loved the creative side of designing my own pieces and the business side of sourcing the stones, securing local events and shows, and meeting new people.

From Allison Carey's Gift Guide, One-of-a-kind Cleveland Finds, "a native of France, Anne Harrill, has been making jewelry for 10 years. Her latest collection, Tea, features geometric shapes and tassels that range from dainty, layered pieces to those that make a statement. They are crafted with hand-forged brass elements, howlite, and marble." Some of my favorites from her collections below...She also does custom bridal work for wedding parties, etc.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Ashley Pittman Jewelry Designer...

One Kings Lane featured jewelry designer Ashley Pittman today, and I am crazy about her designs! I am inspired by the artistry of her work. Each piece is bold, unique, and distinctive. I love the juxtaposition of the organic, rough (masculine) look of the horn mixed with the refined, shiny (feminine) finish of the brass. Very modern, edgy, and cool. I also love that she is donating a portion of proceeds to African education and health centers, and providing jobs to the local African artisans who work on her beautiful pieces.

Some photos from her FB page...

From One Kings Lane...Ashley Pittman

"Each exquisite piece from the Ashley Pittman Collection is

handcrafted in Kenya from horn, semiprecious gemstones,

and other indigenous elements. Due to characteristics inherent

to the natural materials, colors and striations vary—ensuring

every artisanal piece is one of a kind. With a percentage of

all profits funding rural African education and health centers,

these pieces look fabulous and help to do good too."

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Bold Necklace

Growing up, I was more into playing sports, climbing trees, and creek-exploring versus barbies, dolls, and princesses. However, I have always had a girly love for jewelry. Perhaps I was originally inspired by the interesting pieces found in my mother's and grandmother's jewelry boxes. I am not referring to the glitzy, Cinderella-esque, diamond-clad variety; rather, the one-of-a-kind pieces I imagined were acquired during traveling adventures to faraway lands. These pieces may or may not have had any monetary value. More importantly, they were unique and had an interesting design quality about them. They could have been designs of African heritage, Southwest American (turquoise, coral, sterling silver), Asian-inspired, art-deco, etc., and were made from various materials such as gemstones, pearls, crystal, gold, silver, wood, horn, and resin.

After college, I traveled with my Mom to Santa Fe, New Mexico, a haven for art and jewelry lovers. I was in awe of the beautiful surrounding designs in architecture, sculpture, painting, pottery, jewelry, and landscape. During this trip, I wore several necklaces that I had designed and made as a hobby. After receiving many compliments, I decided to start my own little business, Claire Marie Jewelry. I designed and created a website, and started selling my pieces through local markets, boutiques, charity events, and home shows. However, after several moves and the arrival of our three little babars, I had to put my little jewelry biz on hold for a while. My earlier post http://kensingtonbliss.blogspot.com/2012/01/claire-marie-jewelry.html includes examples of Claire Marie pieces.

Incidentally, Etsy is a wonderful website that hosts similar home-operated business ventures. I love that it offers a centralized, community site for local homegrown businesses including textiles, clothing, jewelry, art, vintage pieces, and home wares. This site allows the millions of creative and talented people who do not have the resources (time and/or funds) to otherwise launch a full-scale business, an opportunity to market and sell their goods.

Although I am no longer designing, I am still a huge fan of interesting, bold, funky, statement jewelry...not in a materialistic, pretentious sort of way, rather, an appreciation for its aesthetic/design/work of art. I particularly love some of the most simplistic designs (such as large freeform turquoise stones, or chunky coral nuggets) that are derived and inspired by the organic nature of the gemstones themselves...the bold colors, the organic versus geometric design, the repetition of colors or shapes, the juxtaposition of materials...I love how such pieces can be worn casually with jeans and a tee, or dressed up with the iconic LBD (little black dress). I decided to get a little creative fix through browsing various sites, including Etsy, Endless, Shopstyle, NM, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and other boutique/designer sites. Below are a few favorites I stumbled upon today. Enjoy!