WINTER WONDERLAND

While the winter of 2011 has been difficult for most of the United States, no one can deny the pristine beauty of fresh-fallen snow. It gleams in the sun, sparkling from stark tree limbs denuded of summer’s leaves.

Nowhere has it snowed quite as much as in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. Gazing out the windows of our house in the forest there, the sparkle of new snow was nearly blinding. It reminded me of Swarovski Elements crystals that are specifically faceted to flash brilliant light from each bead or stone.

When Artbeads issued a Winter Inspiration challenge, I knew immediately what to make – a lariat of Swarovski Elements. I began by choosing three types of Crystal Yarn (www.artbeads.com/swarovski-crystal-yarn.html): cream mohair woven with 4mm bicone Elements in crystal; white cashmere with 3mm bicone Elements in crystal, and black cotton studded with 3mm crystal pearl Elements in the mystic black shade. To me, these represented the different shades of tree branches during the course of a day in their various coverings of snow -- sometimes bare and black, sometimes fluffily coated with new snow, and sometimes crystal hard with icy snow – but always with the crystalline sparkle of winter.

Then I selected a variety of Elements to embellish the lariat:

• A 14mm Ceramic Cosmic Ring in Marbled Black (www.artbeads.com/swarovski-crystal-rings-4139.html) to collect the strands in the front; and a selection of crystal pearls and pendants to drip from the ends of the Crystal Yarn. The ring is cut with small facets angled to catch the light and create a soft reflection.

• The Elements that I felt were the most appropriate to grace the ends of the lariat are the 20mm Column Pendants in Crystal (http://www.artbeads.com/6460-cry20.html). These beautifully faceted columns remind me of the huge icicles that hang from our eaves, shimmering in the light, as do the 18mm Aquiline Pendant in Crystal (www.artbeads.com/5531-aqualine-swarovski.html )


• My impression was that the 24mm Silver-Plated Graduated Drop in Crystal AB flashed the look of sunlight off new snow (www.artbeads.com/4139b-miv14.html).

• For a contrast in color, finish and feel, I included some 10mm Baroque Pearls in Platinum. Swarovski Elements Crystal Pearls are designed to imitate the irregular shape found in naturally occurring baroque pearls. With their leaded crystal core, Swarovski Crystal Pearls have a heavier, more realistic feel than faux glass pearls and are resistant to perspiration, UV rays, perfumes, and scratches. (www.artbeads.com/swarovski-5840-baroque.html)

• Lastly I chose several 6mm Silver-Plated Channel Drop in Jet and in Black Diamond to represent the end of the cycle, here in the Northeast: the old snow becoming sprinkled with dirt as it awaits either melting temperatures or a fresh coating of snow. (www.artbeads.com/swarovski-channel-drops.html)

What Elements would inspire you to design a necklace representing winter?

"Artisanal Treasures" Indeed!

What a word: Artisanal. Artisan. Artist. .... The article in today's New York Times Style section, by Tim McKeough, page D4, is entitled "Artisanal Treasures" and subtitled "Valuing the personal in an era of mass production". Yes! Amen and Hallelujah! Not a concept as compelling as it should be today, especially in this down economy.

"Valuing the personal" -- knowing that an artist's eye was captured by the materials and compelled to create from them; knowing that an artist's hands produced the treasure, rather than a machine; knowing that the treasure is a unique object -- perhaps one-of-a-kind or of limited production -- rather than having been mass produced.

The profiled entrepreneur, Stephen Burks, begins by saying: "Modern manufacturing processes are good at churning out one identical product after another. But shoppers in search of a little more character are increasingly drawn to objects handmade by artisans around the world." Are you in search of “character” in what you buy?

Each piece of jewelry I produce is personal, each has a history of some sort, each piece is handmade painstakingly -- an investment of time and love. Everyone asks how long it took me to make the statement piece "Be Mine" (http://www.msturman.com/collection/0671.htm)-- but how can I begin to quantify the wealth of energy and commitment, no less the pleasure, inherent in its creation, or the ease of simply wearing it with something simple and black and standing out in the crowd? I assure you: I did not churn it out.

Mr. Burks continues to talk about treasures “having that immediacy of making, and that direct connection to people and community groups” – isn’t that what we are searching for these days with our Facebook and Twitter postings and connections? So why not in the treasures that we buy, wear or live with?