I’m excited to launch the City Lights collection next week. The rectangular geometry of this collection is evocative of a striking cityscape. Whenever I travel, l am always fascinated by cityscapes, and the unique skylines of every city. While I was born and raised in the Chicago metro area, I’ve lived in rural communities or small cities for most of my adult life. As an adult, I have found the skylines of large cities very captivating, whether I’m in El Paso, Cleveland, Minneapolis, or somewhere else entirely. Cities have such rich histories and cultures, and it’s fascinating to witness the diversity of cultures within and among cities, both modern and ancient.
I also love geometric shapes and designs. This summer, I was with family in Chicago, where we spent an afternoon at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) on the University of Chicago campus. They have an amazing curated collection of Mesopotamian and Egyptian jewelry and artifacts, including some intricate carnelian jewelry. Highly recommend if you find yourself in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. It’s a fascinating collection, and modern tools like GIS and molecular techniques have helped researchers unlock a wealth of information about ancient history.
Through the ups and downs of the last few months, I’ve been a fountain of creativity. I’ve sketched dozens and dozens of jewelry designs, and the City Lights collection came from that creativity storm. Jewelry designing has been a constructive outlet.
Many of these designs took a fair bit of experimentation. For instance, this Metropolitan Mosaic necklace took three attempts for it to sit JUST RIGHT. This necklace is made from a large number of double-drilled stones, accented with teardrop-shaped glass beads.
The first one just didn’t spark joy; just an aggregate of stones with no details. So back to the drawing board it was.
Second time- a little better, but it didn’t quite sit right when I tried it on. Bugle beads made this necklace too rigid to lay properly when worn. Yes, I had plenty of good binge-watch material while I tinkered with this.
And- SUCCESS! The Goldstone Metropolitan Mosaic necklace has materialized!
My absolute favorite piece started with a chicken-scratch sketch, looking at jewelry and art in the Balkan Mountains region of western Europe. Sometimes, I’ll have an idea in my head, and it would have to defy physics for it to work. Other times, I get the right beads, the right thread, and the right geometry on the first try.
This one was a home run! And I did my first one on a flight back home! Here’s a sneak peek of the Adriatic Splendor Necklace, featuring purple agates and red aventurine. I’ll be unveiling the whole piece on Friday. Stay tuned!
This pair of earrings also took a couple of tries. The first attempt was very pretty, but when I picked it up- ouch! Weighty earrings can be painful. A quick revision and success! And it looked pretty similar to my original vision. I’ve had many pieces where they look nothing like my sketch. At the end of the day, it’s a lot of trial and error to bring a piece from, “Ehhh…” to, “YAY!”
I’m really excited to share this collection with you all. I love sharing my art and love for global culture with you all. I’ll be showing the full Adriatic Splendor necklace on Friday, so stay tuned! Have a wonderful week.
All the best,
Grace