Catching Up...

I would like to start writing this blog again but it' been so long that I don't feel like I can just start writing without taking a moment to briefly write out some of the things that took up my time since, oh, last February...

I created a new line of jewelry: Chakra Kahn It has been very popular and has expanded to include bracelets, silk wrap bracelets/anklets and earrings. In May I was a vendor at the Burlington Yoga Conference, where I debued this line. It was well received by the yoga community and now I'm thinking about vending at Wanderlust in Stratton, VT.

I made a book... a Blurb book. It is 98 pages and includes photos of all of my work and all of my publications...everything about my jewelry in one pretty place. I had several copies made and use them for promotion. Doing the layout took forever! I spent several weeks gathering the images and putting everything in order. Also, it wasn't cheap (since it was so many pages and hardcover). I do recommend this though, it's a really good way to showcase your work.

I set up several studio spaces...
At home, upstairs...this is where I roll out PMC, cut out metal and put things together.










In the basement I hammer, drill, use the torch and fire in the kiln.











Then I have a studio called Ancient Arts Studio that I share with Rebecca Freedner of Heartfire Henna in the South end of Burlington where I do some finishing work and meet up with customers to show them my jewelry. I participated in the Art Hop in September and I'm excited to participate in the Holiday Hop on Dec 14th and 15th!
I started a new blog called Kahnvert. It features many of my stylish customers and Vermont Designers. That lead to me writing an article on fashion for Thread Magazine. I really enjoy exercising my writing muscle!

With Brando's help we made a new booth for my jewelry. I will blog about this separately when I have a chance this winter cause there's a lot to say about this wonderful new set up. The greatest thing about it is that the displays can all hang on the wall in my Burlington studio, it's like a booth transformer!

I was honored to win...2(!) Daysies. from Seven Days annual guide to reader's favorites from around the state. One for Best Local Jewelry Designer and one for Best Craftsperson!

I made a lot of jewelry for Trinket and enjoyed another great season at the Burlington Artist Market. I've been doing trunk shows at friend's/customer's homes, I really love doing these! I recently reached 500 sales in my Etsy shop!

Okay, that's most of the things that have happened and now I can begin writing here again! Seeing it all written out here is making me feel really good about the direction my jewelry is going in, it's hard work but satisfying work and I look forward to blogging more about it all! Thanks for reading!

Chakra Kahn

My new year started with a massage. (Not a bad way to start the year.) Then in that dreamy, blissful, post-massage, "open-to-the-universe" state I stared at a chakra poster on the wall of my friend's practice. Such beautiful Sanskrit symbols.
[Chakra is Sanskrit for “wheel”. It is a concept best described as centers of spiritual energy within the body. There are 7 major chakras. Each one has specific associations with certain elements, glands, colors, gemstones and physical and emotional disorders. Each one is also related to a personality trait, which can manifest in positiveor negative ways depending if it’s energy is balanced or imbalanced.]

I decided I wanted to make a chakra necklace for myself. I wondered if there were any great, silver chakra pendants out there. At home, I searched the internet, searched Etsy and many jewelry sites. I found nothing like the idea I had in mind. I researched, I read, I drew symbols again and again. I got REALLY into it. I just loved everything about this and it made me recall my love of crystals and my lil bag of chakra stones I carried as a teenager. I was so excited to make my necklace. I knew I wanted the root chakra, it has so many attributes that are important to me right now. I added 24k gold to the surface but left an oxidized rim of silver showing. It hangs from a strand of tiny garnet beads - the stone that "goes" with that chakra/color.

It is my new "everyday" necklace and it is a great reminder for me to exercise and take care of my body. I love the way the gold looks, it just glows. I added a tiny bit of gold on my signature on the back too.

I also like the fact that it's pure silver and pure gold touching my skin and meaningful stones surrounding my neck.

Before this I would wear a "J" pendant or my astrological sign pendant (I made both) but they just didn't do it for me. The "J" is just my initial from my name -and I didn't name myself and the astrological sign has to do with this external force, for me it's too abstract and I don't want to feel like something else dictates who I am. What I love about the chakras is it's something that comes from within. Energy, I can believe in energy and my energy and improving my energy. I like that it could always change, I'm not tied to one symbol, I could wear a different one depending on what I'm working to balance. It's this concept, this system that has existed for so long and it's connected to so many things. The importance of color, the meaning of these stones adds so much to it for me. So I made them all...

Then I had to come up with a name and (HELLO!) Chakra Kahn immediately came to mind. It's actually a name I thought of years ago for a line of jewelry but at that time it didn't occur to me to make chakra pendants. Now it REALLY fits. These pieces seem to truly resonate with my friends and customers. We are all seeking balance, we're all seeking meaning and beauty and something real. Many have felt very connected to specific chakras and many have had a hard time choosing, some even want a set of all 7 (workin' on a special set)!

I make each one by hand and they each have a cracking/natural edge which looks great and very old and rustic. They are so light and comfortable to wear and they layer so well with other necklaces. I'm also making them available on cord, on sterling chain, and as single pendants.

You can read about the meaning of each individual pendant in my Etsy shop.
I will also be selling them through yoga studios. More on that soon...

Mom's Present

Today is my mom's Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! She has a lot of jewelry from me. A lot. Definitely the biggest collection and it spans more than a decade of designs. Which makes sense, she is my mom and she has helped me to become the jewelry artist I am today. You can thank my mom for the smaller size of every pair of earrings I make. They happen because she likes the pair I wear and says "I want those... but smaller". Years ago she asked me to make her a silver watch. I bought the only sterling watch face I could find on Ebay. A lovely Ecclissi (which I knew about from Celie). I also purchased a box clasp and I made the rest out of PMC+. It is covered in ancient scripts and the inside texture is all music notes.

It came out great (bad picture though) and she wears it often. Since she has nearly one of everything of mine and the watch, it's hard to come up with new gift ideas for her.
She always enjoys getting my newest creations but tailored to her style. So for one of her gifts, I thought of my new Wrapture line but knew she wouldn't be interested in a boot wrap or arm wrap - a little too Bohemian. I wracked my brain trying to come up with something she'd use often and carry with her in her bag that I could make and "Wrapturize". Then it hit me... a glasses case.

So I made a leather and silk and fabric case for her eye glasses. Luckily it just works out that an eye glass case is just about the same size as a bracelet! So I made the bracelet the decoration on the case. It can attach and detach easily.

The bracelet has gold, silver and garnet sewn to it with fuschia thread.



Both sides are decorated the same so when the bracelet is detached, the case is still pretty. It doesn't seem lacking but when the bracelet is attached it's extra special. I love making things transform! She loves the 2-in-1 and she just told me she needed a new case so it worked out perfectly.

I liked it so much I just had to share it.
More Wrapture coming soon.

A New Year, A New Line Emerging... the year of the Wrapture.

I've had the idea to make arm/boot cuffs for a couple of years but it's pretty much been simmering on the back burner. Many things have aligned for me to finally move forward with this. Last fall I bought an old Singer sewing machine. Found it at a barn sale right in town. It came with a beautiful wood table that it folds down into. It's one from the 1920's and it works so well. Best part, it sews leather which really opened the door for this new line.

I've also been eager to make an attempt at combining the best of the fashion world with the best of the jewelry world. (Maybe even have a fashion show!) While in NYC over NYE we stopped in an amazing trim shop and I bought some feather trim, some lace and leather and from there the idea really took off.

My new line is called:
Wrap·ture
n.1. To cover, envelop or encase in something that gives way to feelings of ecstasy.

I've been pretty wrapped up in it too! For 2 weeks I've had my sewing machine crankin' and piles of leather and fabric scattered around. I made 7 to start and through them have learned so much about how I want these pieces to work.

I've always loved getting 2 for 1's or items that reverse or transform (including transformer's as a kid!). So it was important to me that these pieces be really versatile. They can be worn so many different ways which really adds to their value.

I see this as being great adornment for the global nomad. A piece of jewelry that you can move from arm-to-boot-to-calf, maybe head, depending on your mood, outfit, desire. The thin wrap even detaches from the thick wrap and can be worn separately as a wrist wrap or anklet. Such a great travel piece.

Made of Silver and stones, brass, upcycled leather, feathers, silk, tribal fabrics and lace. These designer wraps are bigger, bolder and brighter than typical jewelry and can adorn many places on the body. Yet they are more substantial then a mere accessory. Hand made, with silver hand stitched, each one's a unique work of wearable art.

I love this look. Very Warrior Goddess.

My boots are really simple and I love the idea of dressing them up, and being able to change them up.

Which made me realize, you don't need the boot! In warmer weather this would make a great calf cuff.

The Wrap is made up of 2 components and the inner wrap can detach and be worn on it's own on the wrist. It fits 3 times around.
x
Or it could be an anklet, wrapped twice around.

Just wanted to share where I'm at with this so far...I'll debut them this spring. Gotta figure out pricing and such, but for now I'm really excited!

A Jewelry Artist's Perspective on Project Accessory…

So much to say about this show, where to begin….

I had to watch this show. It’s the only reality show out there that is close to my reality. I’ve watched some reality shows in the past and other shows where cast members compete and get eliminated. I’ve actually never seen Project Runway. When I heard about this show I thought “wow, a show for me!”

First of all, they don’t even really say the word jewelry. It’s just “bling”, this makes my skin crawl. To lump jewelry designers with shoe and bag makers and make them all compete under the category of “accessory” is just disrespectful to these very different trades.

Here its not jewelry, it’s costume jewelry. It’s decoration. Here they are all just ways to decorate the clothing on the body, they’re secondary to the clothing, the fashion. And they all carry the same weight.

To me jewelry is so personal. Bags and shoes, while they definitely can be works of art, they are utilitarian, I put my bag down and I take my shows off and still I wear my jewelry. Jewelry carries emotion, history, it’s made of metal and can last through the ages. On this show, all of that is stripped away and it’s simply ‘bling’ something shiny to accompany a cocktail dress. So few techniques are shown, just some hammering, sawing, wire wrapping. It makes me sad.

Of course I still wanted to watch it because its the only show out there that does include jewelry, unfortunately it only went as far as Swarovski crystals and base metals. Not even silver or precious stones.

Now the challenges were interesting and the materials were varied but the idea of rushing through art, having 1-2 days to make something was so frustrating. This is not fast food! I understand the point was to make it competitive but with more time they could have made better pieces and they could have aired only the dramatic bits but given them a week to work.

I’m interested in the fashion world because, frankly, the jewelry world lacks some pizzazz. We don’t have runway shows and copious spreads in fashion mags. Most jewelry magazines are “how to” and are read by makers, not buyers. But seeing things in this show and hearing statements like “very sellable” and “fashion forward” make me cringe. The idea of creating something in style means its only going to be out of style by the next season.

Another bee in my bonnet: only seeing the work on beautiful, skinny models. Sigh. It was all just so superficial which I guess is all that can be expected from a reality show on TV.

Watching did help me to feel firm in my desire to make work for real women. Work that lasts year after year and goes with all kinds of styles. Timeless pieces, well made and made to last. Not throw away, pieces that are always in style. Modern, yet my own. Made for real budgets. Work with its own meaning not just meant to go with a style or outfit. It made me realize I don’t really want to be in the fashion world. I want to combine the best of that world with the best of the jewelry world and come up with something new…

Update...make that $3100!

Sold out! Thanks so much to everyone who purchased a Repairing Vermont Pendant. I'm so happy to say we've raised $3100 for the VT Irene Flood Relief Fund!

We've Raised $2500!

Thanks so much to everyone who purchased a Repairing Vermont Pendant. I'm thrilled to say we've raised $2500 for the VT Irene Flood Relief Fund.

I've heard many stories from those who've purchased pendants. Most have been devastating but many have also been heartwarming and hopeful. I'm so proud to live in Vermont, we have a strong sense of community here and we strive to take care of each other. I'm proud to have played a small part. We can't always help in the ways that we would like, but we can think of ways that we can help within our own means. I still have silver pendants - they make great presents - a gift that gives twice. (Scroll down to see the order button.) Happy Holidays!