When I Get Bored...

....I make new things!! It has been a very slow week at my store so far, and I have been feeling pretty darn bored these past few days. The store is open for nine hours every day, and those nine hours pass incredibly slowly when there aren't many customers around to talk to or interact with. I mean, there are some customers, but not nearly enough to fill all of that time! Which leaves me with lots of "free" time--I can't leave, but I can work on whatever I want to.

I try to use slow time in productive ways--today, I've been playing around with new ring designs all day. I had been working on some new ring ideas throughout the week, and today I finally created a few pieces that I really like. You can see two of the new rings on this page--well, each "ring" is actually two rings that are worn stacked on one finger, with lengths of silver chain connecting them. So I guess they are more like "ring sets," actually...

I have been wearing both sets for a few hours now, one on each hand, and I must report that I am feeling very much like a warrior princess. There's something very fierce and fun about feeling all that metal on your hands.... So far they are super comfortable and easy to wear, and I think I might be making a few more of these for my store sometime soon! Or maybe they will go straight to my online shop--for them to be sold in my boutique, I would need to come up with a way to display them nicely, which could be tricky. We will see! For now, these two are my prototypes and I'll be wearing them all week so I can make any necessary tweaks to the designs. I think I will be doing a little bit of shopping early next week for a few materials so I can make some more.... And maybe ones made only out of chain?? Updates to come!

My First Jewelry Party

It's funny--I was feeling a little bit depressed about sales lately and going to write about that today. That and the fact that I keep accidentally drinking sour milk--there was a bad shipment in my neighborhood recently that still lingers on in many area delis. I am so sick of drinking spoiled milk!!!

But anyway! Something exciting happened last night--I was invited to a customer's staff dinner to give my jewelry out as gifts (that he paid for, of course!) to his many female employees.

It was pretty last minute, which means I spent all day yesterday frantically making a nice selection of earrings to take with me to the restaurant. There were about 20 staff members, but I wanted to have enough variety that each person could pick from an assortment of styles and choose a pair that they really loved. So I made 35 pairs just to be safe. Which is a TON of earrings to try to make in one day! Well, I made a solid 30...a few were taken directly off my displays at the store. I worked right up until 8 o'clock too, at which point I got in a cab and headed to the dinner. I was a little bit worried about going--I was feeling anxious for all sorts of irrational reasons. I was worried that people wouldn't like the jewelry, that the selection wouldn't be good enough, that it would be awkward, etc., etc., blah blah blah.

In the end, of course, everything went really well, as I secretly suspected it would. All of the ladies seemed genuinely happy with their jewelry, which is what I wanted most of all. It was a nice evening, and I'm so glad that my customer and his wife invited me to be part of their celebration. It was a great initiation into the world of jewelry events...maybe I will feel less afraid to host a jewelry party sometime in the future. It's something I've been wanting to do for awhile, but the inherent awkwardness of a "buying" party makes me hesitant. I have always hated anything that feels like the equivalent of a Tupperware party--when you feel not only the pressure to attend, but the pressure to open your wallet. Awkward. But maybe I'll do it--a few friends keep offering to help me host a party, so maybe I should take them up on it. For now, I'll just stick to my store (and online)! What do you think of a jewelry party--yea or nay??

Wedding Pictures!

Here are some pictures from the beautiful Hindu wedding I attended over the weekend! Well, not so much pictures of the actual wedding so much as pictures of me and the outfits that I wore...

The ceremony took place in the morning, and I wore a fancy Indian blouse (courtesy of the lovely Juli Raja--see my previous post!) and scarf, both of which were absolutely beautiful. I had headed out to the wedding the night before still feeling a little bit unsure about wearing a top that exposed my belly to a formal event. But after a brief conversation with the sister of the bride (which included the showing of my proposed wedding outfit), I was assured that it would be perfect. I was really glad that I wore it too--at the ceremony, a solid 95% of the wedding guests were not wearing Western clothing. Most women wore saris, and I felt right at home in my outfit.

It was also about 100 degrees outside during the buffet lunch afterwards, so my stomach was happy not to be trapped under clothing. The lunch was really, really amazingly good. It was also amazingly spicy, because I insisted on trying every dish that was served, which means I ended up with a pile of mouth-numbingly spicy rice and an assortment of equally spicy dishes. I ate most of the meal with sweat dripping down my face and back--from the weather as much as from the spice. But--totally worth it! As I was wisely advised towards the end of the meal, next time I will know to put more yogurt rice on my plate to help my taste buds recover....

There was a nice long break between events in the afternoon, which Nick and I happily spent in the hotel pool. Then there was an outfit change, followed by cocktail hour and later, dinner (in which I served myself lots of yogurt just in case, but was not at all overwhelmed by too much spice! Although I was a little overwhelmed by too much deliciousness...).

As you can see, I ended up dressing Western for the evening portion of the program, but enough other women did too that I didn't feel out of place. I had a pretty, delicately embroidered yellow scarf on courtesy of my friend Dana, and I wore it over a simple black dress, along with a large gemstone necklace that I designed for myself a few weeks ago (one of the main and most convenient perks of being a jewelry designer!). The whole weekend was so much fun. Pretty much NOTHING got sold at my store over the weekend while I was away (a disappointing thing for another blog post), but I'm still grateful that I was able to take a few days off from my store to see two wonderful, talented people get married in style! I'm so happy for them and so glad that I got to be part of their celebration. Big congratulations to Trina and Arun!! (and big thanks to Stephanie Brago for taking all these awesome photos!)

Wedding Weekend!

I can't believe it, but today is my last day of work this week! Tonight I head out to New Jersey with Nick for two days of wedding festivities. The wedding will be a traditional Hindu, Indian wedding, which I am really interested to be a part of. I know that it will be much longer than your typical American ceremony--it will probably last all day. Of course, a really traditional Indian wedding apparently lasts for a week. So, um, thankfully this wedding is not that traditional. Although I wouldn't necessarily mind the vacation...

I was told this and more by the wonderful and super talented designer Juli Raja, who I work with at 12 Lions Studio. Juli had her own Indian wedding almost 20 years ago, and she graciously lent me a Choli (a super fancy Indian blouse) today to wear to the wedding this weekend. Of course, a Choli also exposes your stomach, and I have to admit that I'm feeling a little intimidated about wearing it. I'm not at all used to exposing my stomach in public unless I'm on the beach. But I will give it my best shot--and I will most certainly be posting some pictures next week.

Today before we leave, I am trying to make myself a nice bracelet and some earrings to wear with my new blouse. Something to detract from my exposed stomach! The fact that I'm leaving this weekend also means I have hired two salespeople for my store, which is also feeling intimidating. I feel like an overprotective parent who is leaving the baby with a new babysitter for the first time--it feels so scary! But I did leave my store for a weekend once before, and it was totally fine. So hopefully it will be fine this weekend too. It has just been so tediously slow at the store these past few weeks--ever since summer hit, it seems there are less people shopping on Broadway. So we will see! It will be really nice to have a few days away from the store, though, not thinking about jewelry. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!!

Store Hours Update

So it's official! We are back to regular hours at my store at 12 Lions Studio. If you want to come see me at my boutique, you will have to come sometime Thurs-Sun, 11am-8pm. Which means I am not working tomorrow. I cannot tell you how excited that makes me. As much as I could use the extra money from another day in business, I need to rest sometimes too! It's been so hot in NYC all week, I just might head to the beach. And swim a lot!

The photos on this page were taken recently at the store-you can see how much it has developed and changed since we first opened three months ago. Pretty amazing! I like the mannequins that have been added down the center--it makes the store feel less empty, and it gives some good ideas for outfits to wear.... Closing thought of the day: Thank God for air conditioning!! I would be feeling very miserable today at the store without it :)

(Photos above by Fred Levy)

Jewelry For The Heat Wave!

Look at me--writing more than one blog post in a single week! I guess maybe things are starting to get back to normal after all....

So I have totally been on a gemstone kick lately, as you can see in some of the recent jewelry I've been making (like my super chunky and fun Priscilla necklace on the left. See more about it HERE). Which is partly because gemstones are awesome, and also partly out of necessity. My boutique has been open extended hours over the past month, which means I've been at the store almost 50 hours a week. I just haven't had the time or the energy to do too much new work in my home studio, which means my current collection is limited to what I can make at the mini studio I have set up at my store. And thus, more beading and less metal work!

I miss doing all the soldering that I used to have time to do, but I will eventually hire someone to take over for me at the store at least a day a week, so I can start getting back into it. My Open Book necklace (find it HERE) is now by special order only! And I used to always have them in silver, gold, and mixed metals at my store. But it's been two months probably since I've been able to make new ones. I could, of course, do some super late at night when I get home, but that just seems too crazy. I really like finishing my work day at 8 and not going home to do more. So, next month maybe! Or the store might be cutting back to regular Thurs-Sun hours, which could be nice. I will keep you updated! In the meantime, please enjoy all the new beaded work I am making! Beading is nice for summer too, especially with the crazy heat wave we've been having here in NYC. Nothing too "heavy" with lots of metal--light, colorful, funky and fun. That's been my jewelry motto lately! Come visit my boutique if you'd like to see it all for yourself--you can find me at 12 Lions Studio from Thursday to Sunday, 11-8. The address is 684 Broadway, on the corner of Great Jones St. Hope to see you soon!

Back to Work (sort of!)

So. As you may have noticed, I haven't written a single blog post now in a really, really long time. A person I love very much has been struggling with a very serious addiction lately, and I just haven't had the heart to write about or think about much else. Finding out someone you love is addicted to heroin is a sad and painful experience, and it has resulted in me doing some serious reflecting on my life and on the choices I have made. For a few weeks this past month, I was starting to wonder exactly why I had gotten involved in this whole jewelry business in the first place. Working in a field like jewelry--a field that is so tied up in commercialism, in the buying and selling of things, can feel a little hollow sometimes, a little bit incomplete. When I used to work in theater, sometimes I felt the same way. As satisfying and rewarding as it can be to create art (in the case of jewelry, little wearable works of art), it is also important to keep things in perspective. Making art, you know, does not directly save lives. It does not contribute to people's basic needs, like food and shelter. This doesn't mean, of course, that art has no place in the world or isn't worth making. I have spent the past decade of my life as a working artist, and I will probably (hopefully!) spend the next decade doing the same. I do think that art is important. It's important, useful, etc., for a myriad of reasons that I won't go into here. But I also know that it isn't everything. The world is full of so many things, sometimes, that matter more.

I have literally been trying to finish this post now for almost a week. I just can't figure out how to end it or what conclusions to draw. I mean, I guess there is a lot to feel hopeful about. The person I know who has been struggling just celebrated 30 days clean. Which doesn't mean that it's the end of the story, or that everything is perfect now and back to normal, but it is something to celebrate. I have a lot to celebrate in my own life too. Things are far from perfect, but I am happy in many ways. I do love creating jewelry that other people also love and want to wear. I love working for myself and making decisions for my business. It's not the end of the story for me by any means, but I can (and do!) still enjoy all of the wonderful people and things that I have in my life right now.

And hey, maybe I will be starting some kind of charity jewelry line very soon.... Or create a signature necklace, maybe? Something to help provide support to the families and friends of addicts? Help addicts with the cost of going to treatment? Something else, maybe mental health related? Any ideas, anyone?? I am feeling like I want to find a way to put my jewelry skills to use for a good cause.....