OUR JEWELRY

                                        

 

Each piece of jewelry is handcrafted in the U.S.A. and is one-of-a-kind. In keeping with our commitment to reuse, repurpose and recycle, each piece contains vintage or antique beads, and focal points such as pendants consist not only of upcycled beads but also our artist's palette scrapings. For more on our environmental commitment, see Our Mission.

 

Originality is our hallmark. That being said, when we consider our jewelry in light of our other artistic endeavors, it becomes clear that a lifetime of looking at art has affected our sense of color, balance, proportion and symmetry (or lack thereof). It is also clear that, upon reflection, in one way or another we are all the sum of our experiences--including the art we have viewed repeatedly over the years. For most of our pieces, we have provided one or more artistic, geographical or other relational sources. We never sit down with a painting or other work of art, and consciously decide to make a piece of jewelry based on same. Thus, we cannot say we were directly inspired by any of the artworks or historical jewelry showcased on this site. Why then, do we include examples of art and jewelry throughout the ages?  This, too is part of our mission, and we hope you will be inspired by same. 

 

 

 

All of our beads are top quality. That does not mean all are in perfect condition: a certain amount of pitting, patina and the like is a normal sign of age. In fact, there are some, like dzi beads, that sell for higher prices when signs of wear are evident. However, if you come across a photo that looks like it's had a bite taken out of a bead (see below), chances are that's our editorial assistant. We are constantly monitoring her work for quality control, but she occasionally slips one by us. If only we could keep her out of the beer.

                                                                   

 

On the other hand, we do produce work that for the most part we like to call perfectly imperfect. While we can wrap wire with the best of them, our aim is not to produce a piece that looks manufactured. We are much more interested in producing jewelry with an artisanal quality, so that we favor this ancient hand-wrought earring over machine-made perfection:

                                                       

        

The jewelry industry accepts certain commonplace color enhancements of some natural stones such as agate. Where we have knowledge of same or reasonably believe color enhancement has occurred, we disclose this fact in our product descriptions.

We strive to be accurate and complete in all of our product descriptions, and to that end, we are members of the American Society of Jewelry Historians, and several other expert organizations. However, as more fully set forth in our General Terms and Conditions, we accept no responsibility for, and shall not be liable for any inaccurate or incomplete product description.

   

In all events, we welcome questions and are happy to email additional photos upon request. Given that our necklaces are generally on the long side, we encourage customers to use a favorite necklace for comparison.

Because our jewelry is one-of-a-kind, it is not available in multiple colors, styles or sizes. We are generally willing to make certain modifications that customers request. Please see our Alterations and Returns policies regarding same.