Old Photographs and Fashion

I've been going through the huge pile of photographs in my den. To my horror some had bonded with the plastic film on those old "magnetic film" pages in a couple of albums. Fortunately the ones lost were mostly sightseeing pics. But 25-year-old pics of my children were starting to brown around the edges and the colors were fading and the deep darks were lightening. This is ironic because I worked for Kodak in the 1980's. So, my big project for this long and snowy winter has been to scan and fix photos that will soon be useless and nothing more than bits of paper.

Oddly enough, the old black and white baby pics of my grandmother (1898) and other family members were in better condition. The images were fairly clear, although they still required a bit of adjusting, mostly the shadows. Well, while looking through 115 years of photos, including tintypes (yes, those photos were actually on tin), I came across some very stylish ladies. Some I knew and some I didn't. Then I wondered what they might have worn as jewelry? (Or not, depending on the situation.)

The photo at the start of this post has a date of 1919. I have no idea of who she is (please, please mark names on the back of your photos, people!). This was probably a school graduation photo since she's all dressed in white. The only thing she's wearing is a flower corsage and a really big bow in her hair.

Fast forward to the 1920's. This lady appears to be wearing another corsage or maybe a fabric flower. (Fabric flowers are seen often in today's fashions.)



Now to the 1930's. Here's my grandmother wearing in a typical streamlined suit. Notice the the hat has a brooch or pin in it:

I got to thinking what she might have worn, so here's a typical pin (from "Vintagecostumejewelry"):

This reminds me of the color forcasts in previous posts.

This photo has absolutely nothing to do with jewelry but it's simply too cute not to post here (my mother, late 1920's, she's about 4 yrs. old):



Last but not least, for all the men reading this: be glad your baby photo didn't look like this: my grandfather is the baby, his brother is in...the dress. This was common among middle class families at the turn of the century.

(At least the older brother didn't have long curls like my other grandfather had to wear! He was still embarassed by that photo until the day he died. But he had really nice hair...)

The Jewel Box

For as long as people have adorned themselves with jewelry there has been the need to safely store these items in receptacles that may protect them from exposure to elements that may affect the finishes and degrade them. Early on only the richest and most privileged needed to be concerned with such matters. The use of ceramic jars may very likely have been the earliest form of jewelry storage. The Egyptians were most likely the first to fashion boxes for the storage of gems and jewelry adornments.

The Industrial Revolution and the mass production of many products including jewelry ushered in the demand of common folk for jewelry storage. The first manufactured jewelry boxes were made of cast lead base metal, often with electroplated finishes of copper, silver or gold. Through time we have seen incredible diversity in the materials and designs used in the crafting of jewelry boxes which are eternally sought after by girls and women from 5 to 80 and beyond.

I recall my first jewelry box was a recycled cigar box, after a couple of years it was elevated to a musical box with a ballerina inside…I believe it was made of cardboard. There are jewel boxes made of leather, exotic woods, glass and even some that are encrusted with gemstones or other sparkling embellishments. You can find jewel boxes in all shapes and sizes…some designed for function with multiple compartments, drawers lined with anti-tarnish fabrics and mirrors and other that are sought after more for their form and collectability. Today my favorite jewel box is actually a jewelry armoire that lets me hang necklaces without getting them entangled with each other and offers a variety of storage options. I also love the little trinket boxes I have collected that hold my favorite earrings and small pendants that I enjoy wearing more than occasionally. My favorite pieces of jewelry are items that have been artfully designed, handcrafted, limited in availability and made with high quality standards…just like the jewelry crafted by the artists and designers of the Starving Artists Team.

What’s in your Jewel Box? Looking for unique pieces to add to your collection? Have a look at some SATeam creations….

 

Galadryl Design on Artfire

TJR Jewellry on Artfire

Northern Girl Jewelry on Artfire

Nicole Valentine Studio on Artfire

Azoho on Etsy

Beadsire on Etsy

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on Artfire.

Interview with the Artist: me!! Part 1

Hi! I thought I'd interview myself today (yes, the lazy way out for a subject). I will say up front that my Etsy shop, BeadsOnHand, is on "vacation", meaning that it's currently empty. Although there are other kumihimo pieces on Etsy, my silk necklaces are more complex. I am not saying my work is better than others, just different. So, on to the interview.

Briefly, kumihimo literally means "bringing together". Kumihimo braiding may have been done in the earliest Japanese eras, 8000-400 B.C. but fibers wouldn't have survived in the damp climate. There is evidence of braids from 300-500 A.D. burial mounds where are found ceremonial clothes adorned with braids. Yes, Japanese samurai warriors used braids to tie on their armor plates, but braids were also used in daily life and religious ceremonies.

What made you choose a fiber art? I started knitting when I was 7 and made sweaters for my Barbie doll (the only time I ever played with dolls). I sew, knit, crochet, and quilt. The wonderful array of fibers in yarns and weaving constantly amaze me.


When and why did I start braiding? For some reason that I can't remember I decided I wanted to try this new technique after seeing a kumihimo gallery at Braidershand. Unfortunately there was very little information on the net about 6 years ago showing how to braid. Finally, I found a site with very simple instructions. I made my first braid using a disk cut out of a cereal box! Six years later you can find many sites with kumihimo galleries showcasing work from accomplished artists around the world. I have used books from two of these artists: Jacqui Carey and Rodrick Owen.

My then-husband made me this wonderful maru dai. The maru dai is the traditional braiding stool; mine is slightly taller than the regular 16". To braid you would kneel (or sit on a chair with the maru dai on a small box, for those of us who can't kneel hours on end).

Why do I prefer to use silk? Well, it's the traditional fiber used. But it is also very comfortable to wear against bare skin even in hot weather. And silk is a very strong material. Here's a photo of my home made tama (bobbin for holding the silk) and the silk. Since a set of 8 "real" bobbins is about $100 I covered some prescription bottles with polymer clay. I can vary the weight by adding or removing pennies in the bottle. Weight is very important to braiding, and that would be a whole other discussion.



How long did it take me to be comfortable braiding, and reasonably proficient? Well, 6 years later I have made every mistake in the book! All SATeam artists have spent hours, days, months, and years learning their craft. Kumihimo is the same: you are teaching your hands to braid and your eye to combine colors, shape and form.

Did you need to learn anything else? Yes!! Years ago there were no clasps availabe for braid ends. So, while attending a jewelry show I met a wonderful woman who worked with copper, Penny Cox. This was the first time I had met someone who worked with copper professionally. She inspired me to try my hand with it. (I think I'll do a second part of this interview next week.)

Can you show examples of your work? Both of these necklaces were posted on the Starving Jewelry Artists forum. The first is a combination of my love affair with glass leaf beads and different braids using the same colors:



And a close up view:



And a close up of the clasp, in copper of course:



Finally, another necklace and detail of the braids:




So, Part 2 next week. I can hardly wait!!

Copper, the King of Metals!

In the past four or five years since I started making jewelry the price of silver has almost tripled. It's gone from around $11 an ounce to just over $30 an ounce. In fact, the price of copper is the new hot metal topic for the next year Jim Jubak on copper . This should make people appreciate the beauty (and cost) of the lowly metal: copper. So, here's a brief history of copper.

Copper might be rightly called the "king of all metals", not gold!
Briefly, the use of copper dates back at least 10,000 years and is found in different parts of the world. (The only other metals that may have been used earlier were gold and meteorite iron.) Archaeologists have found a copper pendant in the northern Iraq area that dates back to about 8700 B.C. Copper is an element (remember those Periodic Tables back in school?) and is one of the few metals to occur naturally as an "uncompounded metal" meaning that it's pure copper when mined (all this information is from Wikipedia). Mix it with zinc and you get brass. Mix with tin and you get bronze, as in the "Bronze Era" , ca. 3000 B.C., for those of us who remember a bit of ancient history. The mixture of copper and tin made a much stronger metal. Last bit of history: the Romans used lumps of copper as money. Julius Caesar made coins from a copper zinc alloy.

Interestingly enough, copper is also a trace metal essential for the health of all living things. By itself copper is either pink or peach colored. If it "oxydizes" it turns green when exposed to oxygen (like the green roofs and the Statue of Liberty). If exposed to sulfides it turns a reddish orange or brown color. The layer of oxydation usually protects the wearer from the bare copper underneath. I say "usually" because some people's body chemistry still can turn oxydized copper green, as in green ring marks on fingers. Others, including myself, can wear ear wires with no problems. (Oxydized copper follows the same process as in a previous blog entry on Tuesday, Jan. 4, "The Loss of Electrons" by Cat's Wire.

Because copper is very "soft" it has been a favorite of jewelers and artists for ages. The Starving Jewelry Artists use copper in many beautiful pieces. For instance: this oxydized cuff from TwiningVineDesigns



This "Tree of Life" pendant from Unearthen Designs



And if you have an urge to try working with copper yourself you could try this earring tutorial from Danagonia