Farewell, Bluff City

I love Memphis, and I will truly miss this fair city on my 2-month trip, which begins TODAY. My friend Jordan and I are embarking on the trip of a lifetime, starting with an 11-day cruise from Miami to Barcelona, followed by train and plane trips through France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, London, and Iceland.

I like to show my Memphis pride with this necklace, handcrafted by Kathy at Pangaea Designs. Memphis will always hold a special place in my heart. We have the boldest jaywalkers, the best BBQ, and some of the craziest, friendliest characters you’ll ever meet. There's a reason Justin Timberlake says he hails from Memphis, and not boring Millington, TN.

I already miss my friends and family, the river, the P & H,and lemongrass tofu. Get well soon, Darlene!

And go Grizzlies go!

الحب

My Uncle Sam has always done things a little bit differently. Although my aunt and uncle were married in California, they soon relocated to Saudi Arabia, where my uncle had this cut-out wedding ring made. I've always admired it's uniqueness.

Since I don't speak Arabic, I'm not sure what it says. But in my mind I've decided it reads "My love forever, baby doll." See you soon, Uncle Sam!

Cradle to the Grave

Do you ever marvel at the miraculous ability of a mother to provide nourishment to her baby in the form of breast milk? Ever wish you could carry a bit of that milk with you, close to your heart, for the rest of your life? Well, now you can, with this Etsy seller's breastmilk pendants.

While I love most things weird, breastmilk jewelry may be taking things a bit too far. The actual process sounds quite complex, and quite creepy:

"You will need to ship your milk to me. I only need a small amount, aprox around a tablespoon, and it needs to be shipped securely in a sealed bag.

This is a lengthy process. I first have to plasticize your milk, seal the milk bead, and then I embed it in resin. So I need aprox 3 weeks to factor in your shipping the milk to me and the time it will take me to make it. My process is completely sterile. I will put great care and respect to preserve YOUR milk as an everlasting keepsake to your precious nursing expierence. Please know that I will in fact use YOUR milk..."

Stylistic side note: using chalky apples as a background for a breast milk pendant does not make me want to purchase said pendant.

Also fascinating (although probably bogus) is this service offered by LifeGem, in which the ashes or hair of loved ones are turned into "diamonds":

"Your very own LifeGem diamond(s) can be created from the carbon in cremation ashes, a lock of hair, or both. Of course, not only do we turn ashes into diamonds and hair into diamonds, we also have a full line of cremation jewelry, rings, and pendants to accent your beautiful LifeGem cremation diamond."

A little more about the cremation process, in case you were wondering:

"The procedure necessary to create a LifeGem diamond is exactly the same as above; however, eight ounces (or 200 grams) are put aside to be sent to our facility to begin the LifeGem diamond creation process. We do NOT need the full set of cremated remains.
If you have lost someone in the past, the most important thing to know is that we CAN create a LifeGem from previously existing remains from many, many years ago. Carbon that exists in your loved ones remains will be accessible for a very long time. If you have just lost a loved one, your loved one can be cremated at one of our certified facilities across the nation, or at the facility of your choice. Please contact us and we will direct the location of your choice on how to properly proceed. We can train the funeral home and cremation operators quickly, so your family will not experience any additional stress or concern. You do NOT need to send the deceased to our location."

You know, I've always wanted to be made into a piss-yellow diamond. Kudos to these lifecycle jewelers for their bold foray into an untapped market!

Microcosm

I really appreciate attention to detail in art and other creative endeavors. One of my favorite creations is still Tom Friedman's 1991 untitled folded paper project, in which he (supposedly) crumbled up a sheet of paper, unfolded it, and then recreated the exact same folds and crease marks in a second sheet. 

A few months ago I ordered this ring from Etsy seller Auka, who creates tiny naturescapes--oftentimes with perfectly detailed little humans. This swimming lady is immersed in water with strategically placed 'bubbles' floating at the surface. Unfortunately, her foot broke off on the second day of wear.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Casey brought another Etsy seller to my attention that completely blew my mind. She makes rings with tiny (and very random) food pairings...

First of all, what? "Cola and Nacho Cheese Corn Chips Snack ring"?? Genius! (Graduation gift please!)

Update: This ring sold today :(

"Carrot Juice Soft Boiled Egg Bread Ring"... Really?

Item description: "Mmm! Meat! There is a big hamburger steak with corn and okra and a yummy tomato sauce is being poured!"

You win,SouZouCreations. These are officially the craziest rings I've ever seen.

Cute as a Button

I recently learned that Mary, an old friend from high school, is in the jewelry-making business. She studies gemology and bench jewelry-ing at Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology. Mary's got some really clever items in her collection. My favorite are her wire-wrapped button rings, where she sets unique vintage buttons atop tightly coiled wire.

Antique castle ring

Antique Egyptian button ring

Last but not least, my favorite, the Kama Sutra bead ring! I'm lovin' it! 

KittyKat

About a month ago my roommate and I hosted two delightful couchsurfers who were passing through Memphis on their way to South by Southwest. We ended up at the P and H playing Taboo with them, as Larissa and I often do. Kitty and I (Team KittyKat) left Team Teen Horse in the dust!

This kitty-chasing-ball-of-yarn wonder is meant to be a broach, but I don't wear a lot of those. I prefer it as an earring. However, when worn this way, the yarn is behind kitty. Maybe she's just lost interest. That youthful feline curiosity doesn't last forever...

Burn baby burn!

One of my favorite people, Christie, is the owner of this very special necklace. Seven lit 'cigarettes' hang from a chunky black chain. No two cigarettes are alike, although two need to be ashed!

It is definitely a conversation piece, but when do cigarettes not 'spark' conversation?? (Over the top, ok, ok.)

Jenny graciously modeling the cig necklace.

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Afterthoughts corner: 

Last week I posted about Danish kroner in "Dirty Money". My Swedish friend from Malmö told me that as a child, he and his friends used the 2-kroner as tires for cars they made out of wood. That mental image made me grin. I bet he looked something like this...

Or this

or this,

but probably this! :)

Adjö!

Aleatoricism:

(n) Composition depending upon chance, random accident, or highly improvisational execution.

Sometimes art happens by chance, without any sort of mental planning. This term seemed pretty appropriate for today's post. Many years ago my mom intended to cast my Dad's high school ring to a mold, so she could make another ring out of it. It stopped melting much earlier than planned (cheap gold), and morphed into this little shape. Kinda looks like dried up chewing gum.

It reminds me of this very aleatoric incident that happened when I was trying to scan a book report on A Separate Peace back in middle school. Instead of scanning the page like normal, it dragged out one sentence over three pages, with only a few legible words left on the last page: "send them back to happy feeling." Veerrry cryptic. Especially considering the quality of work produced by my pubertal mind on the other side. ("Although Leper tries to form a bond or connection to Gene through his stories, Gene rejects the actions, making Leper's attempted release futile.") What??

Dirty Money

Most countries have prettier currency than we do. It's just a fact. Yeah that's right Washington, I'm calling you ugly. When I went to Copenhagen a few years ago, I was delighted by the Danish kroner. Not only are the paper bills more colorful and artistic than ours, but about half of their coinage have holes punched through them!

They are also ornately decorated, with heart and crown adornment. They certainly deserve to have a second life outside of somebody's change purse!

Under Pressure

It takes pressure to make a diamond, right? Well, I am certainly under a lot of stress as I type, buried under piles of sociological books and articles, and loads of open internet tabs. Hopefully the pressure of my impending deadline (Monday, 5 pm) will amount to a paper coherent enough to grant me a Masters in Sociology.

I always thought these Lorraine Schwartz earrings that Cate Blanchett wore to the 2007 Academy Awards were stunning. I'm more into the winged earlobe portion than the dangly black diamond. (I believe the technical descriptions are "diamond wing earrings" and "black diamond drops".)I love earrings that climb up the ear, but they’re pretty hard to find. I think there’s something really sensual about the way they curl up Cate’s earlobe. Alright, back to work!

Post-apocalyptic

My friend Gabrielle’s got some serious style, which she describes as post-apocalyptic yet classic. Aren’t you intrigued? I think her black coral earrings speak more to the classic aspect of her style, while her Eve Apple Swatch definitely embodies the post-apocalyptic spirit. 

I love the stark, industrial look of the earrings, which hail from Havana. The coral is actually made from some type of ocean plant that is boiled, shaped, and then painted black.

The round-the-clock temptation of Eve!

Her spectacular snake skin Eve Apple Swatch watch was hunted off of eBay. Eve's upper and lower body serve as the hour and minute hands, respectively.

Lord, give me a little wisdom...

This morning, I received my take-home comprehensive exam by   e-mail. Let's just say it's gonna take some serious effort and divine intervention to get me through the next 2 weeks.

My wisdom tooth necklace is probably my creepiest piece of jewelry. Six years ago I was told that my molars had to be removed. "If they are going to be extracted from my mouth," I thought, "I'd really like to see what they look like up close, roots and all." So I asked the oral surgeon if I could have my teeth back. Upon coming out of my hazy drugged stupor, or maybe while I was still in it, I decided I'd like to affix one to a necklace. If people wear random sharks' teeth around their neck, why can't I wear my own? At least I know where it's been!


Have a great weekend!

Spruce It Up

Yesterday I went to Spruce for the very first time. My friend Meg works there, and I've been meaning to check it out for ages. I'm so glad I stopped by! Spruce has a unique collection of interior design goods, including vibrant vintage needlepoint pillows and adorable children's wares. They also carry a wide selection of one-of-a-kind jewelry. The nature inspired pieces really caught my eye.

 Chunky wood ring with pressed flowers

Beetle pendant on necklace

The mini handmade Mexican crush necklaces stole my heart...

One thing I really appreciate about Spruce is that they're not afraid to stock some creepy (in a cool way) items. Jackalope, I'm looking at you!

The Littlest Knife

The same colorful plant motif is embedded in both sides.

When I was around 6 years old, I used to stare at this tiny knife that lived on my dad’s desk in our home office. I remember picking it up and playing with it when he wasn't around, always scared I’d get in trouble for messing with things that weren’t mine. This tiny knife may well be responsible for initiating my lifelong fascination with miniature things. While I don’t know its origin or how my Dad ended up with it, at some point I inherited the li'l guy. It had a tiny key chain hole, so of course, I made it into a necklace. Tiny knife probably comes closest to the most functional item of jewelry I own, though I’m pretty sure that blade is not capable of much (see picture below). It gets a lot of wear, but I’ve never attempted air travel in it. TSA is real strict these days!

Some of my miniatures
 

I've also included most of my miniatures collection. My favorites include: 5 gram Colgate toothpaste, Ansco 50 camera, teeny dice, mini Hitler propaganda book, and Matchbook literary journal. The latter is published by my friend Friedrich, who runs Small Fires Press from his midtown apartment. He inserts tiny poetry and illustrations into vintage matchbooks, a feat that I find thoroughly impressive. Check him out!

Perfect Timing

In four days, 3 of my grad school comrades and I will be receiving our take-home comprehensive exams. This week marks the culmination of my two years in the U of M Sociology Master's program, so it naturally seemed like the perfect time to start a blog. At the time when all my energies should be focused on preparing for this beast of an exam, I am birthing a blog. Go figure!

My first post features a pair of my favorite earrings. Found in a flea market in Berlin in 2009, they are constructed of vintage clock parts, including hands, faces, and gears. The artist had created about ten pairs, some colorful and some more subdued. The pair I chose featured the square black earring shown on left above, but its mate had a flashy, circular VW logo face that I didn't too much care for. So I disassembled it into a single strand of gears and a hand.

A closer look at the more minimal of the two...

I don't know about you, but I think the black piece stands alone quite nicely! Cheers!

Hello!

I've always been into the idea of functional art--art that one can use or wear, art that does more than hang on a wall somewhere. From the Quilts of Gee's Bend to Yvonne Bobo's ginko bike racks that grace Cooper-Young, I'm into clever, creative, purposeful works of art that beautify and enrich life. This is not to say that jeweley is super functional, unless we're talking about wrist watches or lip gloss rings (remember these, ladies?). But it is decoration that can speak to one's personality and add a bit of fun and intrigue to daily life. Things I like the most are those that have meaning and stories behind them, derived either from the artist or through the wearer. This blog will be a documentation of items I have created or spruced up, as well as friends' jewelry that I admire. I also intend to feature cool stuff my creative friends are up to, as well as whatever other random things provide me with inspiration!
Speaking of watches, here come's my very first post, y'all...