Over a decade ago, my husband and I moved up to the Catskills from Brooklyn for a change in the quality of our lives. The rat race of New York City was very much not for me, but I do love that it’s still close enough for me to pop in and take advantage of it when I want to.
I was recently itching for a trip, which coincided nicely with where I am in the process of developing a new collection. That was the prefect excuse to go into the city to visit my vendors and do some supply shopping, and my trip at the end of July followed my usual formula:
Someone referred to August as “the Sunday of summer” and that feels so spot on. The weather is hot but not quite as blistering as July, trees are a deep green after a season of sun, and the last of the wildflowers are out. Once I see the Queen Anne’s Lace and goldenrod, I know there are only a few weeks left to take advantage of the season.
Inspired by those late summer blooms, I put together an edit of my best floral jewelry — flowers in gold with petals the colors of the sunset, a deep green or two. Take a peek and embrace what’s left of summer with me.
There’s something so wonderfully tactile and genuine about wobbly, imperfect forms. I get why we strive for perfection, but perfection feels a bit cold and untouchable, no? I like it better when you can sense the person behind an object. From an off-center shape or the marks of a sanding file or a scratchy finish, it just feels like it has more soul.
I was recently at dinner with a friend, catching up and inhaling the appetizers, when sort of randomly she asked me, “Why gold?” Wait, what?
“Why did you make the sudden switch to gold?”
Her question reminded me that she (and also you!) don’t live 24/7 with me in my brain, and haven’t gone through the months (possibly years?) of deep thinking about jewelry and how or why I make it.
So maybe it’s time for some clarity. There are 3 main reasons why I’ve recently made the switch to making (mostly) solid gold jewelry:
I love gold! It’s one of the un-fussiest metals to take care of, it’s slow to oxidize or tarnish, and cleaning it is delightfully simple and straightforward. Here I share my best method for cleaning gold jewelry at home — don’t read too fast or you’ll miss it!