Marianne Hunter

Just a short post about an artist we have met before, Marianne Hunter.

This is a gorgeous work in progress, with multi Brazilian stones, Australian opal and gold. Which one do you like?

with kyanite

or with ancient glass?

Featured Designer: Nanna Salmi - an eternal bond between you and your hors

Text: Sandra Kemppainen, Nanna Salmi

Photos: Mardo Männing, Teemu Töyrylä, Nanna Salmi

Living in Lahti, Finland, Nanna Salmi has worked with weaved cotton and wool her entire life. She began working with horse hair 13 years ago, inspired while brushing her horses’ tail and thought perhaps she could weave the hair caught in the brush.

“Sometimes, while grooming Nitte and brushing her tail, I would hold her tail hair in my hand and wonder if it would be possible to make a strong ribbon using her hair, and that it would be interesting to try to do something that nobody had done or seen before. But I never tried, since there were so many projects I was already working on. The idea was like a wavering morning mist... it appeared and then disappeared again.” - Nanna

When she had perfected the technique, she decided to make a bracelet with a golden bit (Mistral - below) for the barn’s owner as a gift. They gathered the hair from three generations of the owner’s mares and created the gift, which brought tears of joy into the owner’s eyes.

Nanna strives to design jewelry which is simple and pure. The main feature of her pieces is of course the hair belonging to the horse. The metal parts surrounding the hair and ribbons have to be like frames. There are two kinds of jewelleries in her collection, those obvious horse gear related designs and the others, more classic ones, where horse hair plays the main role as a material and designs are not obviously horse related. 

“The goldsmith was an inspiring coworker, and my friends assured me that what I did was something very special. I felt truely fortunate: For a designer or an artesan it´s very, very rare to come up with a genuine new idea, most of us never do. I was lucky, really lucky. And I´m greatful for that.”

Once there was a young husband who wanted a bracelet made for her wife when their first child was born. She hadn´t been able to ride for a couple of months and the baby was going to keep her busy also in the future. Her husband thought that it would be a wonderful gift to his wife to let her like carry her beloved horse around her wrist.

In her workshop there are horsehair bunches hanging on the wall, drawings on the desk. Small plastic bags with names on them and in those bags there is always a small bundle of horsehair: tail hairs from the customers. Some of them also have pictures of the horses.

“Sometimes the content of the bag can be quite rousing... I have received hair with blood on and that tells me that something very sad and terrible has happened. Usually, when I receive the hair, I already know a lot about the horse: the name, the character, “the job” etc. People tell a lot about their beloved ones when ordering the jewellery. It is very rewarding to be in a close contact with customers. I hear a lot of stories and often it is discussed which pattern would both reflect the horses’ temper and be the best for that specific item.”

"When I was a kid, all I wanted for Christmas – every Christmas – was a horse. Actually, a pony. A black Dales pony. With 2 white feet and a star. Not that I thought about it much.

I spent a great deal of my childhood in denial about the possibility of owning a pony: we spent half the year in Florida and half in Canada, which is not an inexpensive proposition for my imaginary pony and my parents.

Fifteen years later, after graduating from university, I visited a ranch in San Diego to enquire about riding lessons. One of the first horses I was introduced to was a green-broke 15.1hh bay Arabian mare named Myriah.

When we approached the gate, she came racing in from her pasture to say hello, so very pleased to have attention and so very excited at the possibility of treats. It was love at first sight. I became a working student and my project was Myriah. Three months later, she was offered to me for purchase and I jumped on the chance quicker than you can say “unrequited pony dreams.”

And so, for almost 15 years, I was the proud mother of a brave, sweet, amazing Arabian mare. We moved thousands of miles together, from sunny southern California to steamy South Carolina to snowy Quebec. She carried me through woods and over streams and down roads and in rings; she kept me company patiently through 2 pregnancies and 4 houses and years of midlife growing pains and life-consuming entrepreneurship. That mare braved bears and deer and horse-eating cows for me; she could float 3 feet off the ground like the hotest halter horse and seconds later be gentle as a lamb with my 3 year old son. She had such a special combination of fire and softness.

I saw her through Cushings, sweet itch, navicular and devastating laminitis. I could treat an abscess with my eyes closed (and so could my 2 year old – I caught her applying diapers to her rocking horse’s feet more than once). I learned to a million ways to disguise the taste of bute and where to get pills of pergolide that she would actually swallow. I researched supplements and hoof boots endlessly.

Even during the years she was retired, and we could not ramble the country roads together as often as we both would have liked, I was just as excited to greet her at the pasture gate as I was way back in San Diego. I know she watched for me too, and sometimes after dinner she would walk up behind me and rest her chin on top of my head and we’d watch the evening fade together.

I lost her this year. We won so many battles but we finally lost the war.

So it turns out that my true dream horse was not black, not Dales, and had no star. She did have two white feet though.

And she was perfect."

Tamara, CAN

Nanna’s horsehair jewellery is worn around the world on cross country tracks, desert trails and show arenas. Clientele include little jumper girls, Olympic and World champions - along with hundreds of riders, who love their horse. The collections are designed by Nanna Salmi, who is both a designer and master weaver. 

This unique collection has been crafted using ancient techniques and materials - woven horsehair and diamonds with silver, gold, white gold and platinum - combining old world craftsmanship with contemporary modern design.

Nanna's unique designs have been displayed in shows such as Hampton Classic, WEF Wellington, WEG Kentucky, Hickstead Dressage, Longines Royal International Horse Show, CSI-W Geneva, GCT Monaco, Valkenswaard and Athens, CSI Amsterdam, Internationales Festhallen Reitturnier Frankfurt and of course Dublin Horse Show.

Nanna´s customers are both Finnish and international top riders, royalty and heiresses, the ordinary riders and horse owners... But one thing is common and the most important one: They all love their horses almost more than anything else in the world!

See her work on her website or on her Facebook page.

Featured wire jewelry designer: Anna Cordner from Noria Jewelry

Welcome to a unique and fantastic world of intricate and at the same time very detailed and delicate statement wire wrapped jewelry. The world of Anna Cordner, the owner of Noria Jewelry. She runs her shop from her home studio in northern Virginia. Anna opened her shop in April of 2009.

“My mother’s father is a geologist and lapidary, my dad made jewelry when I was young and my mother involved me in her many arts and crafts projects. 

I always had a keen interest in rocks as a child and my grandfather’s knowledge and enthusiasm fueled this interest. 

The crafting and creative atmosphere my parents provided for me led to a talent in drawing. As a youth I made jewelry from beads I made from polymer clay, strung glass beads on necklaces and learned to use needle nose pliers to open and close jump rings.

Making jewelry was a very natural, easy and fun activity but it wasn’t until after the birth of my first son that I considered selling jewelry. I found I needed to seriously undertake a creative outlet to help me adjust to motherhood but to justify the cost of buying supplies, selling my creations had to be a part of the equation."

"I started out making beaded bracelets. 

Then one day I was on the internet and stumbled upon another artist’s wire wrapped jewelry. I had never seen advanced wire wrapping techniques and was highly intrigued. 

I researched wire wrapping online and decided to venture beyond beading. 

Through much trial, error and experimentation I began to understand and eventually gain a command of wire wrapping. 

My long-forgotten drawing skills have been put to use drafting sketches and designing new pieces."

“It is the continuous experimentation and learning that I find so enjoyable, besides pouring my mind’s fanciful wishes and artistic fantasies into something tangible.”

Can you describe the steps you take in designing and creating a piece?

“I start with a sketch. I know some designers prefer to create more organically but I rely on having a precise roadmap for my pieces. 

I can recreate them almost exactly if I have my sketch. 

Generally, I begin with a base shape of wire then embellish with ‘supporting’ detail flourishes. Other times the stones primarily determine the design.” 

What inspires you?

“I find inspiration from Indian mehndi and henna and their use of bold colors. 

I also find much inspiration in the vast elements of Victorian and Edwardian styles, particularly the floral motifs and filigree lines. 

Stones are inspiration to me, from the rough and uncut specimens to sparkling gemstones. 

Lastly, nature is a great source of inspiration. Sometimes when I find myself at a creative roadblock, I look at various types of flowers, finding patterns or color and delicate lines to help me along in generating my own designs.”

What inspires you?

“I find inspiration from Indian mehndi and henna and their use of bold colors. 

I also find much inspiration in the vast elements of Victorian and Edwardian styles, particularly the floral motifs and filigree lines. 

Stones are inspiration to me, from the rough and uncut specimens to sparkling gemstones. 

Lastly, nature is a great source of inspiration. Sometimes when I find myself at a creative roadblock, I look at various types of flowers, finding patterns or color and delicate lines to help me along in generating my own designs.”

Lorena Balea-Raitz: Romanian Point Lace

I guess to create something was always in my blood. I grew up watching my mother drawing pattern and designing. I can’t picture her without needles, hooks, yarn or thread in her hands. 

Thread, yarn and needles were always around. 

I started to create my own clothes at the age of 15. This is when I had my first fashion show as well. My entire school was my audience. 

It changed my life and I knew it was the way to go for me. I studied fashion and design in the US and Romania. Romania my home land plays a very special role in my designs. 

The second big fashion show was in Los Angeles. All my designs were inspired by Romanian Point Lace: a tradition lace making ancient technique used to decorate homes. 

All my necklaces are inspired by this technique. In Romania it’s known as Macramee. 

I use different  classic Romanian Point Lace elements to create my necklaces. The basic technique will not be changed and this way I want to keep my culture alive in every single necklace. 

Romanian Point Lace is very little known in the western world and most people who know it create the basic home décor elements. 

I want to go a step further and go beyond tradition  but still I want to carry it with me. 

Designing starts for me with the cotton thread. I can spend hours in a yarn store touching, feeling and combining the different colors and textures. 

Each color gives me a new idea. I start with one element and I end up with a new creating. I do not regret the way things turn out . It works for me. 

Thread was always a part of my designs. Last year I decided to start a jewelry line based on Romanian Point Lace.  

To me fashion accessories are a must and complete an outfit. I do not know a single woman that does not have a necklace. 

Even if you can’t afford the latest fashion a statement necklace can make your outfit not only complete but unforgettable. 

To create jewelry using this ancient lace technique  is new to me and I enjoy every minute of it. 

I find inspiration in the traditional Romanian Point Lace elements and I spice it up by using crochet elements with volume. 

Every necklace is unique. I try to stay original and I create only one of a kind designs. I never recreated a necklace. I want  to make my customers feel special. I want them to know that they are the only one in the world to wear this necklace.

Lorena Balea-Raitz

Find beautiful items like these in Green Window to the Soul Shop.

Text and photos: Lorena Balea-Raitz

Featured designer: Jason Burruss - Cold-fusion jewelry design

 Jason Burruss, has been creating  jewelry for over half of his life. He has dedicated his waking hours to the creation of functional art in every way that he can.

From endless streams of rings, pendants, bracelets, talismans, finished necklaces, pins, and sculptures he has created an extensive portfolio of artworks, most customized to the person, often with symbolic and philosophical intentions. 

His lifetime has been dedicated to setting gemstones since his first gem cabs and beads at the early age of 14. 

Over the last decade, Jason has innovated his own form of cold-fusion metalwork and created a spectrum of designs from cultural and natural inspirations.

“I strive daily to create new designs and styles that never existed until I have conceptualized their lingering visionary image into form. 

Then, when the new perception and understanding of my own art is opened, I see there are so many doors beyond. One epiphany leads to ten, and every day I am driven to create. 

This is the role of the designer, to perpetually imagine new visions of artwork.”

The role of the jeweler is to create functional artworks that are esthetic and sentimental to the owner.

Jewelry is very personal in essence. It requires a trusting relationship between the buyer and the artist and is an often a personal experience. Jason’s higher end jewelry designs are deeply customized to the buyers, his talismanic works feature symbolic meaning, philosophical intention, and color psychology.

I actually prefer communicating and working through facebook and etsy. Years spent working on my previous website only helps me realize that these two social networking sites are wonderful tools for small business and artists. 

They help keep me in touch with my buyers and are efficient for my needs. I enjoy conversing with people from all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds and learning daily about the ideas, thoughts, and philosophies of humanity.

The most fun part of my wonderful job is being pushed to create new ideas of pieces that have never been created before, or recreating sacred and ancient symbolic forms in new and futuristic designs.

I find so much happiness in learning through the creation of a piece of art, thus I research and write philosophies for all of my pieces. Many of these pieces are inspired by the thoughts of the owner, in essence many of my artworks are much like commissioned artifacts.

JASON BURRUSS is a jeweler specializing in cold-fusion jewelry design. 

An adamant perfectionist, his dedication to the aesthetics of symmetry in design allows him to create his own form of designer jewelry. 

Working as a jewelry designer for 15 years, he experimented with several art mediums before he decided to become a full-time silver worker.

Now residing in Denver, CO, Jason pulls inspiration from the Universe around him which he uses to create Integral masterpieces of design. 

These designs are based not only on design and aesthetics, but inspired by the realizations of psychology and philosophy conceptualized from the meditative process of a disciplined creative process.

Jason draws inspiration from the geometry and colors of the world around him, natural occurrences in which he believes define his purpose, and life changes created by the evolution of his own conscious being. 

His larger pieces are created with written philosophy of the conscious understanding which caused these pieces to become manifested within his natural reality. 

Jason believes that his true Universal Purpose is to inspire the evolution of humanity through the evolutionary process of self. Creating desire to evolve, he believes is the key to perpetual happiness.

Jason seeks to inspire all to become their true self. To create a culture based upon small business and freedom through creativity of self-expression. 

This is his purpose, of which he writes philosophy and creates art in order to symbolize his philosophies of psychological and philosophical conscious awareness. 

"True happiness is attained from the perfection of one's own self. Follow your own passions and create your own path for this is the purpose of your beautiful life. 

Everyone is destined for greatness, no one can deny you this path but yourself. 

Know your truth, follow your path, perfect your being and you will discover true happiness. 

For you are a rose in a garden of shrubs, what makes you different is what makes you beautiful." 

Text and photos: Jason Burruss, models: Velocity, Sarah Berry

Tiffany & Co.

We have all heard of them, we have all been enchanted by their diamonds. Here is the story behind Tiffany & Co.

For centuries they have been around, a trademark for luxury and diamonds, a brand for royalty and superstars. But when and how did it all start?

The 1830s in New York City were a time of dynamic growth and golden opportunity for anyone with a little capital and an abundance of imagination. In 1837 New York became the proving ground for 25-year-old Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young, who opened a “stationery and fancy goods” store with a $1,000 advance from Tiffany’s father.

The young entrepreneurs were inspired by the natural world, which they interpreted in patterns of simplicity, harmony and clarity. 

Tiffany first achieved international recognition at the 1867 Paris World’s fair. The company was awarded the grand prize for silver craftsmanship. Tiffany was the first American company to employ the British silver standard (92% pure). Largely through the efforts of Charles Lewis Tiffany, this standard was adopted by the U.S. Government.

The Tiffany & Co. silver studio was the first American school of design. Apprentices were encouraged to observe and sketch nature, and to explore the vast collections of sketches and artwork assembled by Edward C. Moore, the celebrated silversmith and head of the studio. 

By 1870 Tiffany & Co. had become the America’s premier silversmith and purveyor of jewels and timepieces. At the turn of the 20th century the company had more than one thousand employees and branches in London, Paris, and Geneva.

Having introduced major gemstones to the United Stated through purchases of the crown jewels of France and Spain, Mr. Tiffany’s enterprise was now the world’s diamond authority. 

At the same time, the world had embarked on the Age of Expositions that took place in Europe and America. At every venue, Tiffany won the highest honors. The company’s exhibit at the 1889 Paris fair was heralded as “the most extraordinary collection of jewels ever produced by an American jewelry house.” 

Tiffany produced an equally praiseworthy collection for the 1900 Paris fair, along with magnificent silver pieces based on Native American designs. 

This unprecedented number of awards led to Tiffany’s appointment as Royal Jeweler to the crowned heads of Europe, as well as the Ottoman Emperor and the Czar of Russia.

In 1878 Tiffany acquired one of the world’s largest and finest fancy yellow diamonds from the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa. Under the guidance of Tiffany’s eminent gemologist, Dr. George Frederick Kunz, the diamond was cut from 287.42 carats to 128.54 carats with 82 facets, which gave the stone its legendary fire and brilliance. Named the Tiffany Diamond, the stone became an exemplar of Tiffany craftsmanship.

In 1886 Tiffany introduced the engagement ring as we know it today. Previously, diamond rings were set in bezels. But Mr. Tiffany’s ring was designed to highlight brilliant-cut diamonds by lifting the stone off the band into the light. This famous ring was named the Tiffany® Setting. To this day, it is the most sought-after symbol of true love.

With the death of Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1902, Louis Comfort Tiffany, the founder’s son, became Tiffany’s first art director. His position as America’s leading designer was well established by 1882, when President Chester Arthur invited him to redecorate the White House. 

By 1900 the younger Tiffany was a world leader in the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. The famed artist created a remarkable range of designs, from technically brilliant leaded glass to colorful enameled and painterly jewels based on American plants and flowers.

Throughout the jeweler’s history, the most prominent members of American society were Tiffany customers. Vanderbilts, Astors, Whitneys and Havemeyers adorned their evening dress in Tiffany diamonds and commissioned the company to produce gold and silver services. 

President Lincoln purchased a seed pearl suite for his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, in 1861; and a young Franklin Roosevelt purchased a Tiffany engagement ring in 1904.

As the 20th century progressed, Tiffany designs captured the spirit of the times, from the extravagance of the 1920s to the modernism of the 1930s and the aerodynamic age of the 1940s and 1950s. 

Tiffany china set the stage for White House dinners and Tiffany jewels accented the elegant clothes of the world’s most glamorous women, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Vreeland. 

Very often Jean Schlumberger created their jewels. This great 20th century jewelry designer arrived at Tiffany in 1956. His bejeweled flowers, birds and ocean life remain the pride of Tiffany & Co.

In 2012 Tiffany marked its 175th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, the Tiffany Diamond was reset in a magnificent necklace of dazzling white diamonds. After traveling to gala celebrations in Europe, Asia and the United States, the diamond in its new setting returned to its permanent place of honor on the Main Floor of Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue store. 

This priceless gem is symbolic of a heritage based on the highest standards of quality and design excellence. These standards have made Tiffany & Co. one of America’s great institutions, a world-renowned jeweler with over 200 stores worldwide, and something more: the trusted maker of gifts that will be treasured for a lifetime. 

Photos in this story:

- DONALD CLAFLIN JEWELRY DESIGNS

Photo credit: Carlton Davis

Donald Claflin jewelry designs, from left: sapphire ring with colorless and yellow diamonds; amethyst brooch with diamonds and emeralds; yellow beryl brooch with diamonds; sapphire ring with colorless and yellow diamonds; green tourmaline brooch with emeralds; colorless and yellow diamonds; sapphire ring with emeralds and diamonds

- CHARLES LEWIS TIFFANY AND CHARLES T. COOK

Photo credit: The Jewelers’ Circular

Company founder Charles Lewis Tiffany is seen here in his Union Square store at the age of eighty-seven, with Charles T. Cook, who assumed the reins of leadership after Tiffany died in 1902.

- THE NEW YORK FLAGSHIP

Photo credit: © Andrew Bordwin

In 1940, Tiffany & Co. moved to its current location at 727 Fifth Avenue, at the corner of Fifty-seventh Street. The granite and limestone building, with Art Deco influences and stainless steel doors, is adorned with a nine-foot bronzed figure of Atlas shouldering a clock.

- CHARLES LEWIS TIFFANY

Photo credit: Courtesy Tiffany & Co.

Charles Lewis Tiffany (1812-1902), Founder, Tiffany & Co.

- The Tiffany Diamond:

JEAN SCHLUMBERGER’S RIBBON ROSETTE NECKLACE

Photo credit: © Tiffany & Co.

Schlumberger’s Ribbon Rosette necklace with the Ribbon clip and Diamond

- AZTEC COLLAR (1900) DESIGNED BY PAULDING FARNHAM

Photo credit: © Tiffany & Co.

Aztec collar featuring orange fire opals designed by celebrated 19th-century Tiffany designer Paulding Farnham for the Paris Exposition of 1900

- DIAMOND, EMERALD AND PEARL BROOCH (1887)

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

Diamond, emerald and pearl brooch, included in Tiffany’s 1887 purchase of the French Crown Jewels

- BROOCHES OF GEMSTONES AND LACQUER INSPIRED BY TIFFANY’S 19TH-CENTURY AUDUBON DESIGN

Photo credit: © Tiffany & Co.

From Top: diamond, amethyst, tsavorite, yellow sapphire and lacquer brooch set in 18k yellow gold; diamond, tsavorite, spessartite and lacquer brooch set in 18k yellow gold

- CARNATION BROOCH

Photo credit: © Tiffany & Co.

Carnation brooch of pink sapphires, diamonds and tsavorites in platinum and 18 karat gold

- JEAN SCHLUMBERGER’S GOLD AND ENAMEL BRACELETS

Photo credit: Carlton Davis

Jean Schlumberger’s classic bracelets of paillonné enamel with 18 karat gold and gemstones.

- THE TIFFANY DIAMOND

Photo Credit: Carlton Davis

The finished necklace with the 128.54-carat Diamond and white diamonds totaling more than 100 carats

- MARY TODD LINCOLN SEED PEARL NECKLACE AND BROOCH (1861)

Photo credit: © Tiffany & Co.

Seed pearl necklace and brooch purchased by President Abraham Lincoln for his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, to wear to the Inaugural Ball in 1861

- TIFFANY ORCHID BROOCHES

Photo credit: Carlton Davis

Brooches created in the style of Paulding Farnham, the celebrated 19th-century Tiffany designer. The meticulous crafting process required a real flower to be dipped in wax. The brooches are then enameled, fired and bejeweled. From left: Slipper orchid with diamonds, Wildcat and Dancing Lady orchids with diamonds, Splash petal orchids with diamonds.

- TIFFANY PEACOCK BROOCH

Photo credit: Carlton Davis 

Peacock brooch with black opals, green tourmalines, sapphires, and diamonds set in 18 karat yellow gold