Last month my camera broke down and it really put the kibosh on posting photographs of my baubles, not to mention blogging! Presenting pieces online is tough, most people prefer to pick up and touch jewelry before they buy it, so I’m always flattered when people find my work on the web and take a chance. The camera meltdown was a turning point for my little business, and for the last six weeks I have been consumed with learning how to take pictures with a “real” camera (conveniently lent to me by a friend – thanks Jane!) to show off the jewelry a little better.
I used to think that my photographs were pretty good, but like everything else, the more you learn about something, the more you realize you know nothing. I am now in the process of making myself crazy by retaking photographs of ALL my work. Did you know that jewelry is the most difficult thing to photograph? My life is just one big learning curve after another. Sigh.
This self taught crash course (with the help of a couple of books for “Dummies” has introduced me to f-stops, White Balance, tripods and lighting. Am I getting better? A lot of the shots are still lame, but every now and then I think I’m getting the hang of it! Here’s a before and after:
Before: Imperial Topaz Crystal Ring
After: Imperial Topaz Crystal Ring
Since I’d been distracted, my time at the bench was kind of suffering. Last week I finally put the camera down, and inspired by this topaz, made a few pieces. Sometimes I design trinkets with rocks and gems that don’t really fit any of my collection categories, thus: sub categories, or editions.
Presenting a “Redhead” edition of Beautiful Blondes, Her Purpleness and Wanga:
Imperial Topaz Crystal & Oregon Sunstone Briolette Earrings
For the “Beautiful Blondes'” (Redhead Edition): I took a couple of Imperial (redhead) topaz crystals out of hoarding, set them in 22K bezels and paired them with sunstones (which I also consider redheads). Sometimes you wanna hang out with your own kind.
For the “Her Purpleness”. One of my favorite color combinations is lavender and orange. So I made these:
Lavender Chalcedony & Oregon Sunstone Earrings
For “Wanga”:
Agatized Ammonite Talisman Earrings with Oregon Sunstones & Red Rutilated Quartz
These babies are a little over the top, but I had to make them. The ammonites are “agatized” which means that over time, they turned into agates. Some ammonites turn into pyrite which is also very cool. These in particular were tinted auburn, and really needed to hang with the red rutile quartz stones, and the sunstones. Unfortunately, one of the fossils was a little too thin and fragile, and cracked 🙁
No worries: I took a page from my idol, Judy Geib who often “repairs” opals a la the Japanese art of “Kintsugi” like this:
Judy Geib “Repaired” Opal Bracelet
I used an 18K gold wire to “fix” the crack.
“Of course, part of the problem with redheads is that there aren’t enough of them. They make up just two percent of the population. So they’re pretty extraordinary. Redheads are too numerous to be ignored, too rare to be accepted.” (Grant McCracken, author, lecturer, anthropologist)
Gorgeous & Talented Redhead Bonnie Raitt
Stunning & Talented Redhead Patricia Clarkson (she’s from New Orleans!)
Breathtaking & Talented Redhead Tilda Swinton
Just so you know, I love redheads. I’d love to be one. Bonnie Raitt, Patricia Clarkson, Tilda Swinton are flipping gorgeous (not to mention ridiculously talented) and inspiring women. Plus I love the fiery reputation that comes with being one! If the light is just right, I can sometimes make out little auburn highlights in my hair. That usually happens around cocktail hour.
Cheers!
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