If you follow on Facebook, you might have already noticed, but here it is! You can now find us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/bmjnyc
A special thank you to beautiful daughter Michelle who made it happen and amazing son Jake who said ” Mom, you gotta be on Instagram” about 20 times. Never on the cutting edge of technology, I get there eventually, Please follow us for behind the scenes photos and updates.
You can now find us on Instagram
Barbara Polinsky – Wed Altered Event April 2013 BMJNYC Jewelry
It’s been a crazy busy past two months with wedding season in full swing and many orders both bridal (and unbridled) to make and ship. I’ve also been taking part more industry events. Here are some photos from Wed Altered, the eco friendly design collective which I’m so flattered to have been invited to join.
Please check out the styling blog Dress For The Wedding, they ran a really nice story about the event.
Dresses galore at Wed Altered Event
Photos by Brandi Schaffran-Webb | Alexis June Weddings
Marcie Muehlke, Founder and CEO Celia Grace
I recently met Marcie Muehlke, Founder and CEO of Celia Grace at Wed/Altered in NY and was intrigued by the mission of her bridal company. Not only are the dresses beautiful but she can also track the origin of the raw materials and see the positive results of her efforts in the stimulation of small women’s sewing collectives.
Barbara: What makes Celia Grace wedding dresses sustainable?
Marcie: Whereas most dresses are made from polluting petroleum-based polyester, Celia Grace wedding dresses are made from natural silk. Our silk is eco because it is made by hand on a no-electricity loom, uses very little water to make, and it is colored only with safe dyes. In addition, our silk is made close to where are dresses are sewn, reducing the distance it has to travel.
Barbara: What does fair trade mean at Celia Grace?
Marcie: Celia Grace wedding dresses are sewn under safe, fair and empowering conditions. Our seamstresses are treated like the smart, talented women that they are – they are paid a living wage, get benefits, work reasonable hours, and even learn about democratic participation through their women’s sewing group. We also pay a fair wage for our silk and donate a water filter to a Cambodian family in need with every dress we sell.
Barbara: What advice do you have for women shopping for a wedding dress?
Marcie: Wedding dress shopping should be fun rather than stressful! Do some research and see if there is a brand you love. If those dresses are sold in stores, make an appointment, grab some of your near and dear, and enjoy the process of playing dress up in some incredible works of art (yes, you might even have a glass of wine before you go in!). Don’t forget to look for eco, fair, or local brands or seamstresses and reach out to them directly—they are often great to work with and add another layer of meaning and beauty to your big day.
Celia Grace Bridal
Barbara: Do you do custom wedding dresses?
Marcie: Although we don’t make custom designs, our dresses are perfect to customize with a local seamstress. You can pick your Celia Grace dress and then shop Etsy for accessories or look at Pinterest for inspiration and then work with your local seamstress to make your dream dress come true. Our accessories are also great to customize into fascinator or belts or shoe clips or even ring pillows – a really fun DIY project.
Like/Follow/Pin and learn more about Celia Grace wedding dresses and accessories here:
On the Celia Grace Web Site: www.celia-grace.com
On Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CeliaGraceDress
On Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/celiagracedress/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaGraceWeddingDresses
Celia Grace Bridal Gown being made by women’s sewing cooperative in Cambodia
Celia Grace Wedding Dress Detail
I recently met Marcie Muehlke, the CEO and founder of Celia Grace at Wed/Altered, the independent and socially conscious pop-up bridal shop here in NYC. Celia Grace wedding dresses are hand made by women’s cooperatives, Fair Trade producers, and refugees rebuilding their lives in the United States. Celia Grace offers women so much more than beautiful wedding dresses and accessories. Thank you Marcie for the lovely feature on your blog.
I recently attended the MJSA trade show at which Rio Grande Jewelry was a major sponsor.
In the Spotlight: Barbara Michelle Jacobs Casts from Nature in the Concrete Jungle
Apr 10, 2013
Marketing Manager, Eugene Brill, gave a rousing seminar on e-commerce. He invited designers and other industry professionals to submit articles and ideas for blog entries on Rio’s web site. I submitted my article ” Flora Refashioned,” recently published in Belle Armoire Jewelry. To my great delight, they accepted it and posted it! See their posting titled ”In the Spotlight: Barbara Michelle Jacobs Casts from Nature in the Concrete Jungle“. I am so thrilled to be endorsed by Rio Grande, a well respected industry resource for tools, supplies and training.
Barbara Michelle Jacobs Jewelry in Belle Armoire Magazine. Casting from nature
This past summer I was contacted by the Editor of Belle Armoire Jewelry and asked to write an article about casting from nature. Specifically, how to make coiled twig rings. What a thrill to see it in print! Bell Armoire is published by Stampington Publications who are known for fine magazines on crafting.
FLORA REFASHIONED
by Barbara Polinsky
Belle Armoire Jewelry, Winter 2013
Have you ever seen something ordinary yet so profoundly beautiful that you wish you could freeze the moment in time? What if you can alter that object and use it in a fresh way? I enjoy trying to blur these lines between reality, fantasy and time. I usually trip over my most interesting ideas and this is exactly what happened one spring afternoon.
Just missing the cross-town bus, I decided to meander home through Central Park instead of waiting for the next bus. Enjoying the magnificence of the day and deep in thought, I heard a loud snap and looked down realizing that I had stepped on and broken a branch a branch. Picking up the very ordinary twig I imagined what it would look like turned into metal and embellished with gems.
Fast forward a few years, I’m so delighted with how this lucky find has taken on a life of its own. The likeness of those little twigs, from that sunny say are now being worn people around the world as Wedding Bands, Engagement Rings, Earrings and Bangles. Who would have thought that a walk in the park would have been SO inspiring?
I would like to share with you how my one-of-s-kind wild botanical rings are made. These examples happen to be more sculptural than wearable because the organic elements I choose here are pointy and sharp. If you would like them to be more wearable and sweater friendly, I suggest you select a smoother shape for the top element.
I learned how to make jewelry using traditional Metal Smithing techniques and I often approach design from this perspective because of my background. It is possible to create a similar ring in wax, metal clay or a combination of techniques and materials. The instructions here are merely a suggestion. I create very much the way I cook – by trying a little of this and a little of that and not following too many rules. Any way you choose to do it, I highly recommend starting this project with a walk in the park – you never know where it may lead you.
The term champagne diamond is used to describe untreated diamonds that are yellowish brown in shade. Intensity can vary from soft yellow to deep brown. Once, not so long ago these diamonds were regarded as inferior industrial grade stones and they were sold to machinery manufacturers to be used for making drill bits, files and blades. Over the past twenty years, demand for these sparkly brown stones has changed drastically. They are prized for their natural beauty but I love them just ask much for their Cinderella marketing story.
Champagne Diamonds
clockwise – Shade Range, BMJNYC Champagne Toast Solitaire, Rough Diamonds, BMJNYC Champagne and Roses, BMJNYC Golden North Star Necklace, Faceted Stone.
This story really starts 1.5 billion years ago when the diamond crystals formed but let’s fast forward to 1979 when the Argyle volcanic pipe was discovered in the Kimberley region of Australia. There was much rejoicing. That is, until it was revealed that the mine held a wealth of brown diamonds, not the bright white baubles the investors were hoping for. Eighty percent of the diamonds from the Argyle mine were thought to be brown so the industry faced the dilemma of mucho supply and little demand. This is when the marketing wheels started to churn and these formerly brown diamonds we renamed and marketed with romantic names such as Champagne, Cognac and Chocolate. Design competitions were held to encourage designers to use the stones, the general public became aware of this “new” type of diamond and a funny thing happened – marketplace perception changed. Brown diamonds were no longer looked at as the ugly step sisters of diamonds but they had value for their own characteristics. The golden part of this story for the mining companies is that through clever marketing, they increased demand which increased trading prices significantly. To date, the Argyle mine has produced over 670 million carats of rough diamonds and generated more than six billion USD in revenue. The marketing machine is still pumping and champagne diamonds are hotter than ever.
Additional links:
I love to experience art at face value and have a true respect for technique and skill but it’s often the back story of the artist or piece that that give art deeper meaning and relatedness. It’s how you frame it – pun intended. Chuck Close’s portraits are stupefying in scale and detail on their own but become even more fascinating when you learn that the artist struggles with prosopagnosia, an inability to recognize faces. Some say that Chuck Close’s grid-like artistic portraiture style may have evolved as a way for him to create structure to when reading faces. That quote “We are the sum of our experiences” comes to mind.
Meet Mary Ellen McEvily, Watercolor artist, wife, mother, former Ursuline Nun, retired English teacher, cancer survivor and my dear friend. Mary Ellen recently developed a curriculum for teaching watercolors to cancer patients and their care givers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, offering a welcome distraction and a new vocabulary for self expression. Like Chuck, Mary Ellen’s art is beautiful and sensitive in its own right. Knowing a little bit about her journey explains the depth and connectedness. Here’s a link for more about the Art Expressions Program.
Are there threads from your life are woven into your present work? Can you think of any other artists where knowing the back story is significant in understanding their art? I would love to hear about it.
Be it ever so humble…… here are a few quick snap shots. More to come.
Viewing clockwise:
Soldering station: Charcoal Blocks and Grit bowl by Metalliferous, Antique Bench, “Every Woman Should Have a Blowtorch” – Julia Child poster by UUPP on Etsy.
My beloved bench: Inherited from a dear friend. Story to follow at a later date.
Bench & Tools: Obsessively organized. That’s just how I am :)
Microscope: by Kassoy Every set stone is inspected under magnification before shipping.
