Featured Artist: Jhone of Persephone on Etsy

Our latest featured artist is the fabulous Jhone, Propriatrix of Persephone, who makes "pretty things for weird women".

Jhone's designs caught my eye because of their strategic use of images and delightful, intricately detailed mixture of materials.

Several of her designs are inspired by famous persons and artists. There are pieces that feature famous queens, such as Elixabeth I and Marie Antoinette, poets like Edgar Allan Poe and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and pieces featuring famous masterpieces like John Singer Sargent's Madame X.

 Jhone says, "Obsessed with archetypes and tales, my jewelry tells stories." Whether you're looking at a pair of earrings or a brooch the story is always there. See these fabulous steampunk pieces, below.
 

Jhone also makes beautiful floral earrings. The pair below perfectly captures a couple of luscious fuchsia blossoms at their peak, reminding me of sunshine and warmer days.

 

 

We recommend you check out PersephonePlus! You may find a story that speaks to you, or even a story that you'll want to share with someone else.

 

Book Review: Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box

When serving the Clinton administration as Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright became known for her use of pins and brooches as a communication tool during her diplomatic duties.  This book, Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box was written in 2009 to accompany a touring exhibit of her pins.  I read the Kindle version of the book on my iPod, probably not the best format for viewing the pins.  However, while there were some unique and interesting contemporary and vintage pieces, most interesting to me were the stories about how Albright came by her collection, and how she used her jewelry to communicate specific messages in a subtle but very public way, highlighting a creative and very female approach to diplomatic negotiations.  This is a light and easy read, with lots of pretty pictures.

Featured Artist. Ellen Ikemoto of streetnoodles on Etsy.

I’m so very pleased to share with you the designs of Ellen Ikemoto of streetnoodles on Etsy.

Ellen makes beautiful jewelry designs, many of which feature vintage components, including vintage glass pearls from Bumbershoot Supplies. Since vintage glass pearls are some of my personal favorites, I am drawn to see how customers use them, and that is how I learned of Ellen’s shop streetnoodles.

Ellen offers many beautiful designs, so it was hard to decide what to share in this post, but I decided to focus on 2 of her collections, her embellished hair combs and her bird designs.

The combs are glorious confections of flowers, pearls, baubles, some with rhinestones, that are so lovely, I found myself wishing I could see them in person, so I could turn them in my hands to see them from all angles and make them sparkle.  Because I like so many different types of vintage components, I love this type of design that collects so many diverse elements together in one place for me to enjoy all at once.  

The second collection of Ellen’s designs that I hope you will enjoy are her designs featuring birds and inspired by her father.

Ellen says… “this whole series of birds is INSPIRED by my dad...we were never as close as my mom & me...he was a quiet intellectual scholar caught in wartime situation that left him not valuing what he had loved as a child...art, literature, poetry…”

“…years later, when the wounds had healed, dad had passed on... i bought my dad's house. i found in his garage, several boxes of his; one filled with his poetry, one of his calligraphy...and one filled with wonderful wood carvings of birds...so many birds...i found out later that when he had been sent to the internment camps during WWII, he was taught how to carve wood...he chose birds..they reminded him of "home"...but more importantly of his "freedom" lost. when he returned home...he never carved another bird again.”

I am so honored to be able to share Ellen’s designs and this part of Ellen and her father’s story with you. I hope you are as inspired and moved by it as I am and that you will enjoy a visit to streetnoodles to enjoy Ellen’s beautiful designs first hand.

Studio Snapshot. Vintage Rhinestone Pin Inspiration

A vintage rhinestone pin from my small collection, pinned on an antique dress form...

A beautiful piece with antiqued gold filigree, glass stones in various blues and turquoise, plus those remarkable opalescent rhinestones.  Unsigned.