Over the weekend I "listened" in to Carolyn Pollack (Carolyn Pollack Sincerely and Relios) on QVC while working in the studio. I was so happy to see that she has a few new pieces built around one of my favorite gemstones, chrysocolla.
I like it so much in fact, it is what I feature in the top and bottom borders of my new web site. (Although, the color in the site borders looks much browner than the stone actually is...photog thing that I haven't quite figured out.) Good quality in this stone is not that easy to come by and I was lucky when I found a bit of it in Tucson 2009 that is just lovely (that's what I used in the necklace and bracelet shown here). This year, the stone was a bit scarce and what I did find was much more expensive than it had been the year before. Guess that's the way of everything these days.
Anyhow, back to Carolyn. I just love her silver work -- especially the flowery, lace designs reminiscent of the leather tooling that is used on saddles and boots. Having taken a few courses in metalsmithing way back in the "early years," I have so much respect and admiration for artisans that have the talent and the skills to create a wax model that eventually gets turned into a glorious piece of metal art. I did some of that back in those days...but none of it was as magnificent as the pieces her group turns out day after day. I also have great respect for both her and her husband who have built a business in Albuquerque where all of the pieces are actually manufactured by a small group of artisans. As many of you might know, I am in the process of researching and developing the possibility of starting a cottage-type studio here in town where women can learn the skills of jewelry making and help support their families at the same time. There's much more to my plan than that...and it's difficult to find a model for jewelry manufacturing in this country...but Relios is one that I respect and admire. So my hat is off to them!
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