Stricken with "Earbug," Google Leads to Miraculous Recovery

About a month ago, while shopping in a store, I heard a new song. I immediately realized that, central to the tune sat an older hit. I couldn't place either but the melody remained alive and started eating its way through my head. Last week, in another store and out of state in Ohio, I caught a few words from the new hit, "on the floor" and "Morocco." Google led me right to Jennifer Lopez's creation "On the Floor," but a little further searching brought me to the wonderfully rewarding and well-researched piece by Ben Zain on the progression of a famous tune through various hands and lands. (D.H.)

Here is a link to this article:
http://thereasoner.com/articles/the-songs-j-lo-copied-and-the-one-song-those-songs-copied

Perhaps we should consider reviving the tiara as an embedded device
accessory to hide a cell phone antenna. Finally, a decent signal!
Diadem of the Duchess of Angoulême, photo courtesy of the
Louvre Museum, released to the public domain.

Embedded Device Digital Jewelry

We are right on the edge of a new wave in jewelry. One which will take computing devices off our desks, out of our pockets, and fit them to our bodies as wearable jewelry with microcomputer components.


Several companies have begun production of digital fashion jewelry. One device marries a ring with digital storage--storing passwords, opening computers and doors. The potential is huge and the opportunities for imaginative designers, engineers and entrepreneurs limitless. Businesses are already contemplating storing your ID's, credit cards and cash in these devices. Companies are also looking to break up cell phone components with the speakers in earrings, microphone in a necklace, an LED ring, and bracelet with video graphics. (D.H.)

" M.C. ESCHER: SEEING THE UNSEEN" AT THE BERKSHIRE MUSEUM

This entry is a little off-track from my usual jewelry discussions, however, I do want to mention a fabulous art exhibition soon closing at The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. This small gem of a museum heroically organized  "M.C. Escher: Seeing the Unseen."

I took my art school student son to see the work, but the show was also a trip back in time for me. I also majored in fine art, in the 1970s, at a time when Escher was extremely popular and commercialized in the United States. His work, which I viewed in books, are in person much larger in scale and more nuanced. Obsessively, meticulously detailed, they are mainly black and white, and include woodcuts, linoleum cuts, lithographs, pen and ink, preliminary sketches, and original wood blocks. My favorites were the lithographs for their sparkling shades of grays.  On display are also some of Escher's tools and props.

The Dutch artist Escher is perhaps best known for his mind-bending tesselations and graphics where space turns on a dime. There are so many works to see in this exhibition that you will really have an opportunity to trace his growth.

The show closes on May 22, so hurry! D.H.)

Antique & vintage goldstone jewelry

THE ALLURE OF GOLDSTONE

Goldtone is a specially treated glass which is classified as a man-made gemstone because of its inclusion of copper. Earliest factual evidence places its invention on the island of Murano, near Venice, Italy in the seventeenth century by Vincenzo Miotti, who was granted exclusivity in its production. The secret recipe was guarded by the Miotti family for centuries.

The materials involved are quite inexpensive, but, there is a lot of finness in achieving a dense and even blend in the goldstone mix, necessary for its characteristic sparkle. By the 19th century, the process was independently rediscovered by French chemists. The Miotti family had also quit glass production and their methods were divulged. In the 1870s, goldstone was selling for $5 to $15 per pound, depending on quality.

Brown goldstone is the most common color. This type of glass is achieved by the addition of copper salts and iron oxide to the glass-making process. The liquid glass is left to cool very slowly with little oxygen, turning the copper salts to metallic copper.

Here is the recipe of the 19th century French chemist Pelouze:
"It is obtained by melting together 250 parts sand, 100 parts carbonate of soda, 50 parts carbonate of lime, and 40 parts bichromate of potassium. It will be seen that by this formula the spangles with a basis of copper are replaced by spangles with a basis of chrome."  (Dieulafait, 1876)

Other colors of goldstone sometimes seen are blue, purple, green or red. These are achieved by using colored glass or metals other than copper. Since goldstone is a type of glass, which can be molded in many shapes, it is ideal for jewelry making. Currently most goldstone is made in China. (D.H.)

~More About Goldstone Jewelry~

Large Victorian Revival Coral Celluloid Earrings

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something BoHo

Wedding fashions have taken a big leap, (I think) forward, since my own marriage in 1973. I admit, I did none of the planning myself and it was really my mother's wedding since I was busy trying to graduate from college. I gave my Mom two months notice. I wore her dress and pearl earrings and my bridesmaids made there own dresses. The rules of fashion were so rigidly narrow for church weddings--white or ivory for the wedding gown; "pearls" or "diamonds" for jewelry. Even the wedding cakes were uninspired. White on white.

One escape was a "flower child" union, barefoot in a field with flowers in the hair. This hippie or bohemian outlook on life and fashion did not die, but keeps reinventing itself. Resurfacing in the 1990s as BoHo, and skyrocketing to general awareness by celebrity endorsement, (notably, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Mischa Barton, Nicole Ritchie, Lily Cole, and the Simpson twins) there was renewed approval of a "folk" look. We are now past the first crest of this most current wave of flounces, smocking, long white skirts, Ugg boots, and embroidery. But, the need for self-expression is still strong, and the Boho vintage look is still mined and re-invented by fashion designers (Marc Jacobs, Pucci, and Dior). Romanticism, Goth, and "Twighlight" proponents also fuel the fire for "group individualism". From writer Bob Stanley, "the late 1960s are never entirely out of fashion, they just need a fresh angle to make them de jour".

The Recession has promoted a more sensible and thrifty attitude towards clothing and accessories. It's a relief to see movie stars and models mixing it up with vintage, thrift store, and new. Once, you begin looking backwards for inspiration, a huge palette for your expression becomes available. I am a proponent, since quality can be found in vintage at a fraction of new's price.

An example of undervalued vintage jewelry, superb as bridal jewelry, can be found in the Victorian Revival period. Coral-colored celluloid was popular and often pressed into flowery arrangements. It looks fabulous and fresh with lace. The combination is very feminine yet unique. (D.H.)

~More about the coral celluloid earrings~ 

VICTORIAN BUTTONS & FABRIC DYED TO MATCH

Victorian Buttons and Fabric Dyed with Lily-of-Valley Leaves

When I found these Victorian buttons, I knew that they would have had "language of the flowers" significance. Victorians used pictorial symbols, often to express sentiment. But, last Spring, I also got the notion that dying fabric with lily-of-the valley would be the perfect accompaniment for these antique buttons. Lily-of-the-valley leaves makes a great dye.

Here is one recipe:
Chop two pounds of fresh, mature leaves from a flowering plant into small pieces and add twice the amount of water. Wear rubber gloves and take care with handling and disposal of water. All parts of lily-of-the-valley are toxic. Boil, simmer for one hour, and strain. Prepare your natural fiber, light-colored fabric by simmering for an hour with a plant dye fixative of four parts cold water to one part vinegar. Wash out fixative by rinsing until water runs clear. Simmer wet fabric in dye until desirable color is obtained. Your fabric will dry lighter. Launder in cold water, separately.

About the buttons:
These five matched black glass Victorian buttons each have a 1" diameter and  are decorated with lily-of-the-valley sprays. The pattern is set in a recessed, matte black bowl, filled with a background of leaves. The bellflowers are raised and polished glossy. A brass inset on the backs for attachment. Stamped on reverse: "Pat'd Dec 28, 1880." Tiny flea bites to front edges. One bigger bite to back of one button and pressed mold crazing evident to backs. (D.H.)

~More about these buttons~

 A MODERNIST COPPER AND ENAMEL BRACELET

1950s Modernist Bracelet

"Beatnik" was the key word for 1958, according to author Susie Dent, who studies such things. The beatnik revolution defines a movement by artists and writers against the establishment in the 50's and early 60s. Fashion reflected the sentiment. Women wore tight pants with loose shirts and sneakers, often all black clothing. There was an interest in beads, ethnic and handmade jewelry, and materials of choice were sterling and copper. Sleek studio jewelry of the earlier Art Moderne period provided a solid framework for the "hip cat" jewelry of the fifties.

This 1950s link bracelet combines the warmth of copper and the cool beauty of turquoise enamel. Calla leaves with crisply defined veins, parade in a line. They will look beautiful at any angle as they dance across your wrist. The underlying links are s-curves. 7 3/8" long, unsigned and very good condition. (D.H.)

 ~more Retro and Modernist Jewelry~