Natural surface gems

Possibly the best part of my job is shopping for gemstones. Who wouldn't love shuffling through piles of beautiful sparkling gems looking for the ones that speak to you as a designer? Then the anticipation as the gems are filed and stored and waiting to sit down with you and your sketchbook to be dreamt (is that a real word....maybe dreamed?) into stylish jewelry pieces.

Traditional gemstones are classically beautiful, and often carry a lot of meaning to the wearer. Some are birthstones, and are good luck for the wearer. Others are thought to heal or relieve certain ailments. The history of folklore behind gemstones goes as far back as the ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures. For instance, the Greeks believed that an amethyst in a persons goblet could stave off drunkenness. The really funny part about this piece of folklore is that an amethyst dropped in a goblet of water makes the water look like wine. I suspect that if a person's guests were drunk enough, they could save quite a lot of wine by trading off for this trick late in the evening. Especially considering that the Greeks were notorious for their long lasting feasts flowing with wine.


The gems pictured here might not remind you of any that you are familiar with, but many of them are related to gems that you know of. The long slice of crystals in the top image is actually amethyst in its naturally occurring form. The white and black stones are opal with fossils trapped inside! A lot of stones that you might not recognize have a very interesting story. I am fascinated with the story of their creation.

Most of what is pictured here is druzy. Druzy is a word referring to the stones that seem to have glitter across the top surface. The glitter is natural! These gems are created when water saturated with silicate is pressured into porous rock underground. If this water and rock are cooled rapidly, the silicate in the water fuses with the rock and sort of freezes into these tiny crystals! How cool is that?! Maybe it's the science geek in me, but I just love to learn about how these fancy rocks came to be.

NY International Gift Show and Spot On Designs

The New York International Gift Show is immense. It seems impossible to see every corner of the vast showroom floor. Vendors from all over the world are separated into categories like handmade, just for kids, house wares, wearables.....etc. Some areas are separated into the product's country of origin. I got lost in one section so large that I became panicked with the thought that I couldn't find my way out!

I was there to show my support and congratulate a very special person. Her name is Penny Rakov, owner of Spot On Designs. I found her booth tucked into the handmade section and she was smiling brightly. Penny worked so hard to get here. This show is for retailers to purchase items at wholesale to stock their gift shops, boutiques, museum stores, etc... and despite paying thousands for her 10 by 10 feet of glory and being shuffled into the mix of a few thousand vendors, Penny's show is a sucess. She has done wholesale shows in the past, but never a show with such a huge amount of traffic!

Penny makes beautiful glass murrini. The process for making the murrini is really fascinating. She creates patterns from bars of colored glass and then goes to a hot glass shop to heat up the patterns and stretch them out. Later, after annealing and cooling, the long bars are sliced to reveal the patterns. The results are incredible. Each of her patterns is like an original wonderland with intrinsic detail. She has a great eye for color, making some really exciting blends. One looks like candy, the next like a summer sky, another like a plant cell under a microscope.

Penny and I have been working together for a few years now. She hired me to set her murrini into artisan crafted jewelry pieces. The opportunity was very exciting for me, as I had just opened my own studio and needed to generate some regular income to keep it open. Our relationship has grown as has the product line. It started out as a few pendants, bezel set in sterling silver. Later we made some items in gold. Eventually we started working on stunning neckpieces involving up to nine murrinis scattered like a constellation around the neck.

Our latest project was my favorite: a line of cocktail rings that are real show-stoppers. I have really enjoyed using more of my skills to create a design for these rings that relates to the pattern in the "stone" (we call them stones when we talk with each other - even though they are glass) The under side of the setting is a dome of silver with a spattering of holes drilled to let in the light like a stained glass window. The rings are generally quite large, stones ranging from the size of a nickel to more than 2 inches in diameter! Quite a lot for a ring!

So way to go Penny, taking the world by storm and vending at a REALLY big show. Thanks for letting me be part of it, and way to be a happening entrepreneur. For more info on Spot On Designs check out the etsy store: www.spoton.etsy.com.

Langman Gallery Press Release

Philadelphia Jewelry Artisan Layne Freedline Represented by the Langman Gallery in Willow Grove, PA

Date:

Willow Grove, PA; September 2009

Summary:

Philadelphia jewelry artisan Layne Freedline’s award-winning work is now available at the Langman Gallery in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

Body:

Layne Freedline’s stunning, award-winning jewelry is now available at the Langman Gallery (Willow Grove, PA) and will be part of the gallery’s Art Jewelry 2009: Distinctive Personal Adornments by American Designers exhibition taking place from November 1st to December 31st, 2009.

The Langman Gallery has presented jewelry, fine art, and unique crafts by American artists since 1972. The gallery is among the most reputable fine art and craft galleries on the east coast and maintains an extensive, established clientele of American art collectors who truly enjoy handmade objects. In addition, the Langman Gallery was recently named one of NICHEmagazine’s Top 25 Retailers of 2009.

Langman Gallery

2500 Moreland Road

Willow Grove Park

Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090

215∙657∙8333

langmangallery.com

About the Artist:

Layne received her bachelors degree in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Temple University and completed several prestigious apprenticeships before opening Layne Designs in 2008, a jewelry design label specializing in one of a kind heirloom quality jewelry pieces. Layne is a fine jeweler who personally designs and creates each piece in her metal shop outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her designs are featured in the 2010 Philadelphia Art Cooperative Calender, and her designs have been honored by and published in Jewelry Artist Magazine. To see a gallery of her award-winning jewelry, please visit www.LayneDesigns.com.

Press Release:

Title:

Philadelphia Jeweler Layne Freedline’s Design Wins Jewelry Artist Magazine Design Challenge

Date:

Philadelphia, PA; September 2009

Summary:

Philadelphia jewelry designer Layne Freedline wins “Design Challenge” award in Jewelry Artist magazine’s September 2009 issue.

Body:

Layne Freedline’s outstanding original jewelry design won the “Design Challenge” hosted by Jewelry Artist magazine. The sketch of her gorgeous pendant

http://laynedesigns.com/gallery.html#/8

was selected as a finalist out of thousands of submissions. Layne was awarded the final honor this fall when her finished pendant appeared on page 9 of the September issue of Jewelry Artist.

http://www.interweavestore.com/store/p/3753-Jewelry-Artist-September-2009.aspx

About the Artist:

Layne received her bachelors degree in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Temple University and completed several prestigious apprenticeships before opening Layne Designs in 2008, a jewelry design label specializing in one of a kind heirloom quality jewelry pieces. Layne is a fine jeweler who personally designs and creates each piece in her metal shop outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her designs are featured in the 2010 Philadelphia Art Cooperative Calender, and many of her pieces are currently available at the Langman Gallery in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania http://www.langmangallery.com/

To see a gallery of her award-winning jewelry, please visit www.LayneDesigns.com.

Press Contact:

Layne Freedline

PO Box 1058, Oaks PA 19456

laynedesigns@gmail.com

artist statement again

I was surrounded by collections as a child. The primary colors of the
old fiestaware in the kitchen, the muted tones of the antique oil
paintings in our living room, the colors and textures of vintage rugs
and fabric. All of these things formed within me a love of design.
From my first childlike trophies of bottle caps came a career in
professional jewelry design.

My favorite style component is to make metal appear as liquid or
ribbon creating a sense of movement beside the quiet nature of a
stone. This procedure assures that the beginnings of my jewelry are
rooted in natural materials; metal, stones and fossils.

Jewelers must be extremely sensitive to quality. At the same time we
are asked to be tougher than the metal in our hands. The rules are
not as one would expect. Mere strength does not master metal.
Training, patience and an understanding of chemistry is the path to
metalsmithing and jewelry making. I have traveled this path for
almost ten years.

While I am inspired by natural materials, I transform them into my own
style derived from an eclectic mix of modern fashion, 1930's glamor,
art deco and abstract expressionism. The resulting works are hard to
place in time. They seem modern and antique, still yet moving. My hope
is all who wear Layne Designs feel a sense of freedom, a sense of
history and a connection to the natural. These are wonderful
qualities in heirloom jewelry, a treasure to be passed from generation
to generation.

artist statement again

I was surrounded by collections as a child. The primary colors of the
old fiestaware in the kitchen, the muted tones of the antique oil
paintings in our living room, the colors and textures of vintage rugs
and fabric. All of these things formed within me a love of design.
From my first childlike trophies of bottle caps came a career in
professional jewelry design.

My favorite style component is to make metal appear as liquid or
ribbon creating a sense of movement beside the quiet nature of a
stone. This procedure assures that the beginnings of my jewelry are
rooted in natural materials; metal, stones and fossils.

Jewelers must be extremely sensitive to quality. At the same time we
are asked to be tougher than the metal in our hands. The rules are
not as one would expect. Mere strength does not master metal.
Training, patience and an understanding of chemistry is the path to
metalsmithing and jewelry making. I have traveled this path for
almost ten years.

While I am inspired by natural materials, I transform them into my own
style derived from an eclectic mix of modern fashion, 1930's glamor,
art deco and abstract expressionism. The resulting works are hard to
place in time. They seem modern and antique, still yet moving. My hope
is all who wear Layne Designs feel a sense of freedom, a sense of
history and a connection to the natural. These are wonderful
qualities in heirloom jewelry, a treasure to be passed from generation
to generation.

artist statement in progress

Input is appreciated...I've been working on this for ages!
_______________________
I was surrounded by collections as a child. The primary colors of the old fiestaware in the kitchen, the muted tones of the antique oil paintings in our living room, the colors and textures of vintage rugs and fabric. All of these things formed within me a love of design. From my first childlike trophies of bottle caps came a career in professional jewelry design.

My favorite style component is to make metal appear as liquid or ribbon creating a sense of movement beside the quiet nature of a stone. This procedure assures that the beginnings of my jewelry are rooted in natural materials; metal, stones and fossils.

Jewelers must be extremely sensitive to quality. At the same time we are asked to be tougher than the metal in our hands. The rules are not as one would expect. Mere strength does not master metal. Training, patience and an understanding of chemistry is the path to metalsmithing and jewelry making. I have traveled this path for almost ten years.

While I am inspired by natural materials, I transform them into my own style derived from an eclectic mix of modern fashion, 1930's glamor, art deco and abstract expressionism. The resulting works are hard to place in time. They seem modern and antique, still yet moving. My hope is all who wear Layne Designs feel a sense of freedom, a sense of history and a connection to the natural. These are wonderful qualities in heirloom jewelry, a treasure to be passed from generation to generation.