Artleah, or The world through jeweler’s eyes

By Special Request,or Golden-leaf earrings

2012-01-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Not my style, and the technology for making them is still pretty new.... ButI never say “no” to a client’s request if it’s doable. That’s how these earrings came into being – an elegant set reserved for formal occasions.

They are made of super-thin metal leaf with 18К gilding. In spite of theirlarge surface (hanging down a full 17 cm), they float and spin with everymovement of the air. Each leaf weighs less than 6 grams.

Natalie Shulikina - batic designer .
Sometimes it’s worthwhile and interesting to rely on the artistic taste of acustomer. Especially since in this case, the customer is an excellent
artist herself.

The History of Rings

2012-01-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

Discoveries made between 1922 and 1934 in ancient Babylonia (Iraq) proved the
existence of Finger Rings from about 2500 BC.

On the picture from well known book "7000 years of jewelry "
Finger rings inlaid with lapis lazuli within a fine scale pattern of gold cells.
During the Medieval period is when rings became especially popular. All classes of people wore rings from the poorest to the richest. Rings were typically made of iron, copper, silver, and gold. The material of the ring worn usually indicated the class of the wearer. It wasn't until around the 14th century that faceted jewels appeared in rings.

Some cultures have rings typically associated with them. Cultures such as Native Americans use silver and turquoise in their jewelry. Early Christians used the Greek symbol, the Icthus, which resembles a fish.

One of the best known is the Irish Claddagh that also has an intriguing story attached to it. Richard Joyce was among the crew of a fishing boat from the village of Claddagh, Ireland that was captured, he was to have been married that very same week. During slavery Richard Joyce was put to the trade of Goldsmith-ing. Through the years of capture neither married. Richard Joyce created a ring for his love with a heart and two hands. After Joyce escaped capture, he returned to the village of Claddagh and was overjoyed to see his love again and to know she had never married. She always knew he would return to her. He gave her the ring that has become known as the Claddagh ring. If the Claddagh is worn on the right hand with the crown inward (toward the wrist) the heart is not yet committed. If it is worn on the right hand with the crown turned outward the wearer is committed to someone. Finally if it is worn on the left hand with the crown outward it means "Let our love and friendship reign forever, never to be separated."

Late 14th century. Right one: French, 15th century, engraved with a saracen`s head. British Museum, London.

Rings are worn for a variety of reasons including adornment. There are rings given as a reward for a job well done such as the Super Bowl victory.
They are given to represent commitment as in engagements and marriages. Women religious to signify their commitment to God also wear rings.

Rings can be made of almost any material now. They can be made from plastic, silver, gold, or copper, even wood. They can be made of ceramic materials as well. They can be of simple design or something as intricate as engraved 3D design.

Solomon Ring .The middle band of white gold carries the cut letters, with the yellow gold visible in the apertures. It turns and includes a special inscription in Hebrew with the Magen David symbol.

Article and pictures sourses:
: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Smith
http://web.ceu.hu/medstud/manual/SRM/types.htm

http://www.craftyshops.com/articles.htm

Gold-plated, gold-filled... what does it matter?

2011-12-21T02:15:00.000-08:00

Being engaged in jewelry art for many years, and working with many different people, I have noticed that many customers – and even master jewelry makers – don’t always understand or appreciate the difference between metal covered with gold-plate (also called gilding) as opposed to the gold-fill process (sometimes called cladding, overlay or gold-rolled).

Both involve a base metal (brass, copper, or silver) fused with a top layer of gold, so the surface appearance is the same. But the difference becomes important for other reasons, as I personally discovered with my husband’s cuff links. More about that later...

There are two basic distinctions between gold-plate and gold-fill:

[chart – gold electro-plated]

(1) The thickness of the gold layer for gold-plated metal is 0.5-8 microns; for gold-filled metal it’s 5-120 microns (1000 microns = 1 millimeter).

Obviously, gold-fill has a much thicker layer of gold, which directly affects the price of the piece. In the two tables below, we see for example that a gold-filled bracelet has at least 10 times more gold (30-120 microns) than a gold-plated bracelet (2.5-8 microns). This is why gold-plated pieces are so much more affordable.

[chart – gold filled]

But you also want your jewelry piece to keep its gold look for a long time – especially if it becomes a favorite that you wear often! Notice the difference in the “life expectancy” of the gold-plated compared with gold-filled jewelry pieces in these two tables.

Add to this the fact that in practice, the thickness of a gold layer in gold-plate is often much less than what you see in this table, which makes the metal correspondingly less durable... So is the bargain price really a bargain?
(2) In gold-filled metal there is an intermediate layer of gold alloy between the gold and the basic metal (which is why it’s called “gold-filled”). This layer is missing in gold-plated metal.

[chart – cross-section of gold-filled]

The intermediate layer plays a key role in the durability of the gold look. Gold tends to “diffuse” or mix in with the atoms of other metals. In gold-plate this intermingling happens rather easily, allowing the base metal to rise to the surface and causing the gold look to fade. The intermediate layer in gold-fill, made of a blend of gold and brass, captures and holds atoms in the top gold layer and the bottom brass layer.

This interlocking action makes the gold diffusion process slow and gradual, together with there being more gold to start with! In the long run, the beauty of gold-filled jewelry lasts many years longer, making its higher price more worthwhile.

The lesson of my husband’s cuff links.

When we still lived in Vilnius (Lithuania), I bought my man a set of beautiful cuff links as a gift. They were made from gold-plated silver and inset with rock crystal. He thanked me, put the cuff links back in their box... and never touched them again. Oh, well.

Some years later, already in Israel, I was sorting through things and come across this box. I opened it, and was very surprised to see pure-white cuff links inset with rock crystal. The gold layer had completely disappeared, even though the cuff links had never been worn even once.

So diffusion is unstoppable, no matter how carefully you clean and store your gold-plated jewelry. If you love the color of gold, invest your hard-earned money in gold-filled pieces to avoid disappointment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold-filled_jewelry
http://www.artisanplating.com/articles/goldfilled.html#comparison

The Olive Branch Story

2011-12-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

I met Ellen through the Internet. She contacted me to order a set of wedding rings.
Together we reviewed an entire album of wedding ring possibilities - no less than 500 designs. Personally, I liked many of them. For example, there was a very original design where one thick ring was split into two thinner rings cut apart in a wavering line, so that His and Hers fit together and completed each other.

The bride didn't like any of them. In the above design, she saw it as the line of a life that was severed, broken, gone wrong. He and She had separated. How could I argue with someone else's perception?
By the way, it's easy to invent when you don't feel limited by a trivial thing called practical use. In the album there was a finger supporting a wedding ring that was a miniature paper and silver house, complete with a door that opened and shut. Very impressive. It belonged in a museum.

Ellen eventually expressed what she wanted for herself

in very specific terms. It needed to be a ringlet in a free-style design, delicate and no more than five millimeters wide. Made from pink gold, like her grandmother's ring. With white gold insets. And there should be some message in the design.
The easy way to incorporate a message is to literally spell it out, with letters engraved on the surface. But that's not very original. And in works of art, I always prefer a visual hint over a direct text.
But what could I fit on a band five millimeters wide!? What visual message would work there? I thought – a little branch, made as an incrustation, white gold on pink gold.
A branch. What kind of branch? Maybe an Oriental cherry? (Japanese Cherry, or Sacura.) But the Oriental cherry is not recognizable unless it's blossoming, and I couldn't develop such a detailed design on 5 mm. Besides, what message would a Japanese tree communicate to an Israeli bride?
Maybe some kind of Israeli tree? Inspiration! An Olive Branch, the universal symbol of peace! Peace is the perfect message for starting a new family. And who is better at keeping and restoring peace in the home than the wife and mother?
Within minutes, Ellen agreed. "It's perfect!"
The Olive Branch design ring had a promising future. After all, it made peace between us.

Jewelry - the most conservative art form in the world

2011-11-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Recently I received a wonderful gift: an album called “7000 Years of Jewelry,” edited by Hugh Tait.

“The aim of this book is to bring together jewelry from all the major phases of man’s history” – said Tait in the preface of his book. And he really does that.

Tait’s collection is a chronicle of Jewelry Art through history, from the most ancient known civilizations in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) and Egypt, up until today. The book entries are written by the curators of archeological exhibits that are on display in British museums, with a lot of photos from every period of jewelry-making.

I’ll need a lot more time to study this book (and it’s a lovely project for me to look forward to), but I’ve already gotten a first impression that is definitely clear: with more than a few of the pieces, it’s difficult to tell whether they were made today, or thousands of years ago…

For example, look at this necklace from the grave of Sumerian Queen Puabi (dated around 2500 BC), with lapis lazuli, cornelian and chalcedony beads, attached to a gold chain. It was found around the head of one of the queen’s male attendants:

Compare that design with a necklace recently created by Ester Dvoskin, made of green agate and leather cord:

Many ancient necklaces contain gold spiral wire elements. The spiral is a fascinating and timeless symbol, a picture of eternity or the spinning of time. With the invention of telescopes, they also came to represent unknown worlds – the way the galaxies form spirals in the night sky – beautiful, intriguing and mysterious.

The ancient jewelry designers might have been thinking of “milestones in time”, or even “worlds within worlds,” as they added these dangling pendants and coins filled with spiral designs along a marching line of beads, dividing them into symmetrical groups:

Now here is a modern ornamental piece by Renata Grabois: a necklace made from coral beads with silver medallions.

The same symmetrical design combining spiral wires, coins and grouped beads!

How and why do jewelry design elements have such a long life-span? Maybe the answer is that real Beauty does not answer to changing fashion trends....

Or – put another way – maybe only the truly beautiful things are allowed to survive through the centuries.

Wedding Rings from the Mediterranean Sea

2011-10-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

For a long time I have wanted to create a collection of wedding rings. But it was so difficult to invent something new…. The market is over-saturated with wedding rings, and something like that is meaningful only if it's an original, unique design.

On the one hand, in today's market we have the ability to design in 3D, which opens up huge possibilities! On the other hand, it also means that any design you want, you can probably copy it from the Internet. So, I thought, what handmade design could I create that's impossible to repeat? Nothing in particular occurred to me….

When an idea hatches in my head, it takes on a life of its own. Eventually it turns out that everywhere I look, this idea involuntarily hints at its possibilities and tries to materialize in front of me. Especially when walking on the beach. It was the first summer that I didn't need to go to the university, so I spent every morning on the beach.

The beach in Haifa is sandy - not many stones. So when you do come across stones on the beach, they tend to stand out with very interesting textures. In the past when I found such stones, I was reluctant to throw them back. I knew I wouldn't find another stone exactly like that, as unique a design as anyone could want....

In time I wondered if I could make rings with such textures. My walking on the beach took on a purpose, pondering the texture of one stone after another. How would this one look on metal? I sorted out my beach stones by texture type.

At home I selected a few and filled their surfaces with wax. I removed the wax molds, then trimmed and polished them. I made a cast model of each. As usual, I rejected more than half of these experiments, but a few remained.

It makes sense: When you want to find more creative ideas, go study the Creator's work!

Happy End (Competition) Surprise photographer.

2011-09-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

I talked about my problem at Tel Aviv University, where I was working at the time. And my coworker Ira said that her daughter Marina was seriously into photography.

"Well, ask her if she's interested in the job," I said to Ira, but without much hope. If experienced photographers thought it should be handled by an expert on jewelry shots, what could a girl without experience do?

Marina looked at the handbag, and then looked at my photos. She promptly rejected me as a model.
"Wrong age, wrong complexion," she said confidently. "Try to think of
someone else who could model it."
I started to scroll through names in my head.... Who among my relatives or young friends could be a model...? Then I had it – Judith!
"Marina, let's try my niece. She lives in the same city, which makes things even easier. And it means you need only me to arrange it for you."
On the agreed day, we gathered at Marina’s house. At the last minute, Judith found a suitable dress. We made several hundred pictures, and then we chose from them.
One week before the deadline of the competition, the photos were ready. And then it was necessary to make prints. Three days prior to the deadline, I sent all the documents by EMS (urgent) mail.

In two weeks, I received an answer. At an international competition of the best designers in the world, my handbag had taken Second Place!!
I was walking on air! But I was not surprised. Strange, but all the time I had known
I would do it.

One month to go (Competition)

2011-09-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

Now it was necessary to make quality photos, because it was a virtual competition. The conditions of the competition included two photos: one of the handbag by itself, and another of it on a model. Who should I find to model it? I thought: why not be the model myself?

I made preliminary photos of myself with this handbag. Not bad, I thought, looking at them. But it needed a professional touch.

Some photographers who I contacted admitted that photographing jewelry was not their speciality. Others suggested taking the product to their studio, to make hundreds of pictures, but without me. What if I didn't like the photos? I wanted to participate in the process of photographing.

Time was running out - only 2 weeks were left before I had to supply the documents and photos, and I still hadn't found anyone.

Taking shape

2011-09-01T04:34:00.000-07:00

I began to draw sketches. It was necessary to think about all the links, a fastener, a strap, stones. And no less easy, I needed to make models.

When I began this project, I had a year for its creation before I had to present it in the competition, which was a good thing. It's impossible - and forbidden - to rush things like this.

My desire to capture a prize was huge. Maybe that's why it was so difficult to settle on the design.

Doubts, indecision... each one seemed not quite right. Eventually I returned to the first idea: an upper section shaped like a flower, with a triangular bottom. After making it all out of brass, I bought the silver. At that point I barred myself from further indecision.

One month before the deadline for submitting the work, the handbag was ready.

Making jewelry . Competition.

2011-08-19T03:15:00.000-07:00

My hobby is to wander on the open spaces of the Internet in search of interesting jeweller designs. But I don’t meet really original work too often.

Once, in March 2007, I came across a jewelry artist's journal and I saw the prizewinners of competitions in 2006. There were amazing works! By amazing masters! I so much wanted to make something at the same level and participate in this competition.

From a financial standpoint it was quite possible, since entry fees were cheap.

Shortly before that, I had learned an ancient Argentinian technique of weaving with metallic wire (I later saw examples of this technique in Albert and Victoria's museum in London). In my teacher's gallery there was an assortment of small silver handbags, simple and not so interesting in design. But I liked the idea!

So, that settles it, I thought to myself. I'll create a handbag.

Making Jewelry

2011-08-04T01:03:00.000-07:00

Ester and Renata have gone on to study advanced jewelry processes. One of them is wax technique, which makes it easier to make patterns for delicate open work. I am very glad, and very interested to see what kind of jewelry they will produce with their new skills. Renata has always created large, impressive jewelry, while Ester’s collection has been light-weight, small pieces (though not open work).

They invited me to join them, but I'm going in a different direction.

I have begun a line of Home Décor objects. I've started to do larger pieces of glass and metal that can be mounted on a wall. I used to fuse small slices, and 90 percent of my furnace was empty; now my fusing fills it to capacity.

I can see that home décor needs a completely new approach, it’s a challenge. And I adore a challenge.

Ancient jewelry of Middle East

2011-07-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

The art of jewelry has influenced many cultures. Traditionally, jewelry displays distinctive character, presents intense artistic images, and carries rich cultural assets through plasticity and expression. The language of jewelry is fairly complex and hard to interpret. Just like popular ancient languages that dominated in certain historic periods, such as Aramaic, Hebrew, Persian, Greek and Latin, the language of jewelry and the jewelry items themselves have changed and developed in time, according to laws and customs of historical development. Stylistic evolution from the Early Oriental to Hellenistic-Romanian trends served as a basis for the stylistic changes in the art of jewelry making. Aside from its external beauty properties, every jewelry object has a second, internal life triggered by its semantic significance and perceived through one’s mind, intuition or aesthetic sense.
Every artifact serves as a symbol of information. Apotropeic emblems, borrowed from everyday life, epos, or myths, and used in the art of jewelry making, carried a certain magical connotation. Popularity of a particular mythological plot line was connected to the very zeitgeist of the given time period, since the jewelry maker lived through it and tended to be deeply involved with the contemporary events. The art reflected the master’s interests in what was currently happening with the society.
Through the evolution of jewelry items it is possible to trace not only the historical and cultural situation, but also economical, political and social sides of ancient civilizations, as well as symbolism and semantics of the art produced.
The ancient masters employed various techniques, including casting, granulation, filigree, and inlay, among others. Certain items of jewelry serve as a testament to the advanced artistic skills of the jewelers. Amon
precious and semi-precious stones used by jewelers in the ancient world the most popular were garnets, rubies, cornelian stones, pearls and emeralds.

: http://www.kunstpedia.com/articles/ancient--jewelry-of-middle-east.html#ixzz1PR9S5eaz

Selling a part of myself

2011-06-30T00:51:00.000-07:00

There are things that you can part with easily. And there are jewels that are difficult to give up to the buyer.

Like these earrings. They are made of iridized and dichroic glass. I wore them a few times, and they became my favorite earrings. But they were shown with the sales items – it's logical to show the best works. A regular client has come and chosen them. I made a sale, but I don’t feel real pleasure. In fact, I cannot simply turn out another one. Glass is unpredictable, much more than many other materials.

I completely understand artists who do not want to sell their pictures.

A Short History of Bracelets

2011-06-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

The earliest known bracelets hark back to 2500 BC, worn by the ancient Sumerians of Southern Mesopotamia. Bracelets, along with other jewelry like anklets, earrings, necklaces, and rings, were worn by the women to show off the wealth of their husbands. As such, they were a symbol of status - much like some jewelry is to this day. They often had religious connotations in addition to the perception of wealth and adornment. Bracelets were enjoyed for many centuries after this time but emerged as highly coveted pieces of jewelry in Ancient Egypt in 2000 BC.

However, bracelets became increasingly popular with men during Grecian times - soldiers wore defensive bands of leather often decorated with gold, silver, and other gemstones on their forearms. They were called Bracels, from the Latin term for arm, "Brachium". The Grecian women realized that these accessories would look good on them, so they began wearing smaller versions - called Bracel-ets. The idea took favor and the fashion spread far and wide.
The history of bracelets spans ages, reaching up to the present time. They have been crafted from different materials, and have always been popular - bracelets have varied according to dress styles and, of course,dictated by fashion. Bracelets are worn by men and women alike today, and bracelets today are not only of traditional materials, but also of acrylics and modern plastics. They make for trendy, unique items of jewelry. Many bracelets are also crafted from metals like silver and gold, which have become popular because of their beauty, uniqueness and hypoallergenic properties.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Mark_Clayson

A Customer Portrait

2011-05-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

In all advice on marketing, it is recommended to make a virtual portrait of my potential buyer. Since most of my sales are transacted through the Internet, I am naturally not familiar with those who buy my jewelry.
Still, it’s really interesting for me to imagine who she is.... the woman who has bought (or will want to buy) our jewelry.
So here is my best guess:

1. She is at least 28 years old – an age when most women have acquired their own sense of style.
2. She prefers artistic inspiration from the East more than from the West.
3. She wants ornaments that emphasize her appearance, not hide it.
4. She would rather look elegant every day than sparkle a few times for special occasions.
5. It's more important to her to express her own individual style than to follow a fashion trend.
6. She appreciates the difference between mass-produced objects and works of art.
7. She will not compromise her own personal taste to please others
http://www.artleah.com/

Fashion or Style?

2011-05-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've never considered our jewelry to be very "fashionable", but I've always thought of it as "stylish". Although the difference between these two concepts is not so obvious, I somehow instinctively knew that there was a difference, and a profound one at that.

I finally found a good list that expresses what I was sensing:

Fashion is material. Style is soul.

Fashion is a costume. Style is a character.

Fashion originates on the outside. Style is born inside.

Fashion is duplicated and manufactured. Style is uniquely crafted.

Fashion equalizes people. Style distinguishes people.

Fashion is followed in submission. Style is expressed in freedom.

Fashion is for a short time. Style — for a lifetime.

Style does not exclude following a fashion, but from a psychological standpoint the motives are vastly different. Among other things, style is not limited by financial possibilities, as is our access to the latest fashions.
Style expresses much more precisely who we are. It hints at our personal boundaries, values, self-awareness and attitude toward life. "Style" is what we are looking for when we are trying to be "fashionable".

The difference between style and fashion

2011-05-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

New York women are among the most fashionable
women on the face of the earth. They are also among the least stylish. Confused? If so, you aren’t alone. You’re just among the many people who confuse stylish with fashionable.

To have a personal style is to have a statement you want to make with your clothing. You use your body as a palette and try to make your outfit into a work of art. Thought goes into a personal style. There are three “yous,” you as you see yourself, you as others see you, and you as you want others to see you. The aim of an impeccable personal style should be to bring these three yous as close together as possible. Questions to ask include: does this outfit match the personality I’m trying to convey? Do I have the attitude and mindset to pull it off? Is it showing the right amount of originality, yet is it not so out there as to become a freakshow? A good personal style takes into account the right amount of risk vs. safety for any occasion. A good personal style also takes into account what works for your body, especially your weight, skin tone, height and muscle tone.

http://www.artleah.com/

How did women go so wrong

2011-04-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

The fashion gurus have got it all wrong, claims an expert in visual perception. Far from making you look thinner, wearing clothes with vertical stripes will accentuate your girth
Women of a certain age will be replacing their wardrobes and Geordie football fans will be crying into their Newcastle Brown Ale. Scientists have discovered that the fashion mantra that wearing vertical stripes makes you look thinner is not true. In fact, horizontal stripes are more flattering to those with a less than perfect physique.

The accepted wisdom from fashion gurus is that an outfit with vertical stripes appears to elongate your figure by drawing the eye up and down. Horizontal stripes supposedly do the opposite, making that unruly paunch look even larger than it actually is.
http://www.artleah.com/

Happy Passover

2011-04-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

Women are getting more beautiful

2011-04-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

FOR the female half of the population, it may bring a satisfied smile. Scientists have found that evolution is driving women to become ever more beautiful, while men remain as aesthetically unappealing as their caveman ancestors.

The researchers have found beautiful women have more children than their plainer counterparts and that a higher proportion of those children are female. Those daughters, once adult, also tend to be attractive and so repeat the pattern.

Over generations, the scientists argue, this has led to women becoming steadily more aesthetically pleasing, a “beauty race” that is still on. The findings have emerged from a series of studies of physical attractiveness and its links to reproductive success in humans.

In a study released last week, Markus Jokela, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, found beautiful women had up to 16% more children than their plainer counterparts. He used data gathered in America, in which 1,244 women and 997 men were followed through four decades of life. Their attractiveness was assessed from photographs taken during the study, which also collected data on the number of children they had.

http://www.artleah.com/

Jewelry - Art or Industry?

2011-04-06T00:03:00.000-07:00

I read up on the history of jewelry-making. Until just a few decades ago, jewelry was manufactured in small workshops, where you could find one of a handful of masters hard at work.

Each workshop had its own personality and style. Each was known for turning out products of jewelry that could properly be called "works of art."

Today there are jewelry factories where hundreds of people work. The jewelry industry is doing great.
As for jewelry art... authentic, unique objects that express the soul of the maker... This is something you have to hunt for. Generally, you find them only at craft competitions, in home workshops, and on the Internet.
Now they can properly be called "rare works of art." On photo ring "Sea Shell"designed by Renata Grabois
http://www.artleah.com/

Bird of Happiness

2011-03-26T03:19:00.000-07:00

Time passed in my jewelry making course .It wasn't long before I could make many things. One step at a time, my own workshop was organized. I bought all the tools, and I found myself technically able to do most processes in my home workshop, without requiring technical studio support.

Then our course came to an end. One of our last assignments was to make a locket (a pendant with a compartment that opens). Our teacher showed us a locket he had made himself – a small cylinder decorated in an Eastern ornamental style. Most of the students made something similar.

But I was not interested in repeating someone else's idea. For a long time I pondered and puzzled over what to make.

I don't remember how my idea came to me, but it was of a bird sitting on a branch. Still, it took me a couple of months to decide the technique and technology, and then to try it out.

Finally, when it was finished, friends paid me the most important compliment I could have wanted to hear: "Did you make that yourself? I can’t believe it!"

In Russian fairy tales there is talk about "the Bird of Happiness." That's what I named this pendant.
http://www.artleah.com/

Elegance in ancient world

2011-03-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

Roman women were highly regarded throughout the ancient world for their elegance and good taste. Because their clothing was relatively uniform, they distinguished themselves from each other via elaborate, plaited hairstyles and finely crafted, pounded metal jewelry .

One of the most recognizable forms of adornment from the Roman world is the snake bracelet. Romans believed that the snakes represented good luck and brought prosperity to wearers. Try making a snake bracelet for yourself and see what kind of luck it brings you.
http://www.artleah/com

Online advantage

2011-02-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spoke with the owner of an art boutique in Zichron Yakov. She has a very beautiful shop with jewelry, ceramics, art objects and pictures. I and my colleagues from my Internet jewelry shop have worked in collaboration with her for many years.

She told me that most of her inventory these days is cheap jewelry and art items stamped, "Made in China." Individual works by artists are too expensive to sell in a retail shop. The taxes are so high that the final price must be up to three times that of the original artist's price, and her customers are reluctant to pay it.

At first I felt sad. But then I thought: maybe that's good news for my own business! There are certainly customers – both in Israel and abroad – who are looking for something special, unique, "out of the box" of mass produced artwork. And if they can't find it in a real shop, they will come sooner to a virtual shop. I have fewer expenses, so I can set affordable prices even for very special original pieces.
http://www.artleah.com/

When life is hard

2011-02-24T06:56:00.000-08:00

I read a beautiful story recently.
A man died and went to the next world, where God showed him his life.
It looked like two parallel trails of footsteps in the sand. One set of footprints belonged to the man, the second set belonged to God.
The man could see that through all his life, God was walking next to him. But there were some parts of the journey where one set of footprints disappeared for a while. And he noticed that these lonely footprints coincided with the heaviest, darkest periods of his life.
"Those times when my life became so hard... why, my God, did You choose to leave me then?" he asked.

"You are mistaken," God answered. "When it was very hard for you, I carried you in My arms."
So important to remember it, when life is hard.

A Whack on the Side of the Head

2011-02-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I bought a present for myself. It was a book called, “A Whack on the Side of the Head.” by Roger von Oech.

I was proud of my purchase - what an irresistible title!
The book was able to deliver what its title promised....

I have read many books on psychology, and they tend to deal with (more or less) the same principles of human behavior. But this book was a first for me. It transformed my thinking, in the same way that your view of the world is transformed when you get flipped upside-down.

This advice, for example:

"Want to feel rich? Start giving your money away to others."

Sometimes it's healthy and useful to get a "whack" on your head.

A Cure for Fear of Criticism

2011-01-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks, I have been promoting our Internet shop. This has included many posts to advertise our presence in different communities. Sometimes it brings new orders and inquiries, and other times a storm of caustic replies to both the advertising address and the shop address.

Of course I'm delighted with the first category of responses. The others... are usually unkind, irrational and at times even unrepeatable. The popular term "flaming" is an accurate description - just reading them can produce a nasty burning sensation in the soul.
But there is another way of looking at this phenomenon, expressed well by an American politician (quoted in a book by one P. Breg), who took a broader view of on-line flamers:
"If nobody flames your email address or criticizes your posts, you should be worried. It means that you are a passive and uninteresting person."
That makes sense. A negative response means that you have managed to move someone to at least respond. No reaction at all means a failure to arouse any interest at all.
So I am choosing to interpret the negative replies as proof that I am able to provoke a response. It certainly takes the sting out of being "flamed"!
http://www.artleah.com/

Postcard Kabbala

2011-01-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

Two of my friends are great fans of Kabbala classes and websites. They eagerly tell me about the great heavenly knowledge they are receiving.

It doesn't move me to join them, for several down-to-earth reasons.

1: I don't trust the sincerity of a community movement in which huge amounts of money are being made. To put it bluntly, "Truth for Profit" just doesn't sound like God's way.

2: I am not impressed with the "revelations" posted by Kabbalistic rabbis, given as answers to people with real-life issues. The vague "pearls" seem to be truisms chosen at random from Kabbalistic writings, whereas a specific question deserves a specific answer.

3: I doubt that the comprehension of Lifechanging Spiritual Truth can be mass-marketed. Huge halls containing hundreds of expectant people may be a venue for getting across a few Common Beginning Truths. On the other hand, this has also been the setting throughout history for Group Indoctrination and Brainwashing.
The discovery of Real Truth is a journey best taken alone. Or with one or two friends whose love of the Truth is a proven fact.
Is Kabbala part of that Truth? Well, I'm pretty sure I won't find the answer in those huge halls or vague "pearls". It would be like trying to study the work of an artist from the cheap postcard reproductions you find in souvenir shops. If you've stood before an original Van Gogh, you can be reminded of that experience by looking at the copy. If you haven't, all you can hope to get is a sense of structure and style.
Great Spiritual Teaching that may be contained in Kabbala cannot be discovered by studying its cheap postcards. The most profound Truth revealed by this method is the predictability of the Great Human Ego, forever seeking short-cuts to Heaven.
http://www.artleah.com/

"Why Art? or, Solving the Big Head Problem"

2011-01-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

Art performs many tasks in society. Perhaps the most important is to enable people to see things that were formerly invisible, or which were brought into existence by the artist. Artists push at the envelope of social understanding, and those in the vanguard are often rewarded with scorn and calumny. The second wave of artists, treading where the visionaries have paved the way, are more able to be understood, and do a little better. At last, the idea becomes common currency and society as a whole lurches forward.

DAVID LANCE GOINES

http://www.artleah.com/

Change and its constituents (there are two, and both are a problem)

2011-01-14T06:07:00.000-08:00

People who fear they will be hurt by a change speak up immediately, loudly and without regard for the odds or reality.

People who will benefit from a change don't believe it (until it happens), so they sit quietly.
And that's why change in an organization is difficult.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/10/change-and-its-constituents-there-are-two-and-both-are-a-problem.html

The Quality of an Impulse

2011-01-06T02:49:00.000-08:00

In the jewelry class, the other participants were turning out "works of art" by the dozen. I was not so successful... but I didn't envy them.

There was a lot of fast soldering and cutting going on, but the results were inaccurate and looked amateurish - objects that could not be properly called "a jeweller's work." What's the point in following your creative impulses, if the products are low quality and unprofessional?

Once upon a time, I did pictures on fabric with the batik dyeing method, an impulsive art form that occasionally struck me as a passing mood. My mood of the day would dictate the color scheme, and my mood of the moment would guide my placement and shaping of the color spots.
While learning jewelry technique, I saw the oxidation effects on silver, and the combination of bright and darkened metal invited me to play on it in the same way. At this time, we were also learning how to frame a gem. So I added Rose Quartz to my "batik" silver piece.
Thus, I suddenly and unintentionally produced my first complete design: a silver pendant and ring with pink quartz. The name was given to it by my daughter Julia: "Sand and Water."

I myself could not decide if I liked the visual results or not. But two things were clear and satisfying to me:

(1) It was not like mainstream jewelery, and

(2) It was quality work.
The beginning of the story

Seeds of Happiness

2010-12-27T23:12:00.000-08:00

Once the woman had a dream. She walked into a shop, and behind the counter there stood the Lord God.

"My God! It's really You!" she exclaimed with surprised pleasure.
"Yes, it is I," answered God with a smile.
"And what it is possible to buy in Your shop?" the woman asked.
"I have everything that IS possible," came the Answer.
"In that case," she answered with excitement, "please give me health, happiness, love, success and a lot of money."
God smiled kindly and knowingly, then He disappeared into the storage room behind the display counter.
After a while, He returned with a small box in His hands.
"This is it?" The surprised and disappointed woman responded.
"Yes, this is everything you asked for," said God. Then He added:
"Perhaps you didn't know that in My Shop, only the seeds are for sale."

In Spite Of

2010-12-21T22:20:00.000-08:00

We were going into a third day of terrible fires on the beautiful Carmel

mountains near Haifa.

Unseasonable drought, unreasonable heat.

Lost and injured people.

Continual TV news reports showing a national disaster in the making.
On-line postings speculating about a new Intifada (Arab uprising against Israel) using fire - even though Israel's forests belong to Arabs and Jews alike.
And in the midst of it all, we were invited by our relatives from the center of the country. They were having a house-warming celebration.

My husband said that he wasn't in the mood to go. I did not accept that. We Israelis often live and work, love and play, in spite of extreme psychological pressure, financial hardship and other negative conditions.

That "in spite of" response is a kind of defiance, pitting our prayers and talents against logic and the odds of success. Israelis even have a special word for it: "davka." Somehow it results in success... for individuals, communities and the country as a whole.

Stories abound of beautiful Israelis from all walks of life, doing remarkable things with their lives, in spite of... personal tragedy from terrorism, handicaps, financial poverty, the wars that plague our region, and other obstacles that usually cause failure. These examples inspire the rest of us to do what's right, rather than always "looking out for Number One."

I believe that the "in spite of" mindset has given me high vitality and a healthy outlook on life. And I'm not alone. Believe it or not, in spite of all our troubles, Israel registers a higher "happiness with life" than the world average: 7.0 on a scale of 10, ranking above France, Jamaica, Japan and even Singapore.

(http://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/hap_nat/nat_fp.php)

Oh yes... in spite of the Carmel disaster, we went to our relatives to celebrate.
http://www.artleah.com/

To go on work in evening dress.

2010-11-25T01:47:00.000-08:00

I don’t remove this chain –said me a women with thick gold chain on

her neck.

Many women have one favorite jewel, something like gold chain, or brilliant earrings, that they like to wear every day, to work and in the evening. I always thought, that it’s the same –what to wear evening dress, even very beautiful as casual wear. I guess –there are only few women, that think –it’s a good teste.

And recently in internet depth, I found good sentence about that. In the end of XIX century in the book for women with name “ What Suit For You” is said: “ Not only your dress have to suit to your jewels, but also the furniture of the room – there where you are.

Not natural, and Not beautifull, when you wear diamonds for the walk, or with home dress. Even artificial diamonds seems ridiculous with such wear.

SO
Even favorite does not suit for any situation.
http://www.artleah.com/

Touched by a magic wand

2010-11-17T06:20:00.000-08:00

Under the fire of a torch, silver begins to melt and fuse like shining water... and its final form and texture depend on the moment when I remove the heat. One second, I have a small, flowing river; the next, it has suddenly fallen asleep in midstream. Frozen, but not with ice, it is suspended in motion as though touched by a magic wand."
THAT is "reticulation" for me! It is one of the most unpredictable techniques in making jewelry – thus one of the most exciting.
http://www.artleah.com/

You think you have a talent?

2010-11-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

You think you have a talent? Then you must do something with it! You do not have the right NOT to use it…

Painting is an art. And art is a power that should be aimed at developing the soul. If art does not do this job, the abyss that separates us from God is left without a bridge.

The artist owes his talent to God and has to settle this debt. To

do this, he has to work hard, know that he is free in his art but not in his commitment to life. Everything he feels and thinks is part of the raw material with which to improve the spiritual atmosphere around him.

Beauty, whether in art or in a woman, cannot be empty; it has to be at the service of humankind and the world

Paulo Coelho
http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2010/04/24/kandinsky-on-painting-2/
http://www.artleah.com/

The Eyewitness

2010-11-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

Artist Pablo Picasso surprised a burglar at work in his new chateau. The intruder got away, but Picasso told the police he could do a rough sketch of what he looked like. On the basis of his drawing, the police arrested a Catholic nun, the French Minister of Finance, a washing machine, and the Eiffel Tower.
Moral of the story: A work of art says far more about the artist than about anything else.

If You Need Proof

2010-10-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Once a Greek philosopher came and said to one of the Jewish sages: "We philosophers believe that the world is eternal and always was as it is; you Jews believe that the world was created. But you can prove it?"

"Yes, I can," the sage answered. "Come back tomorrow."

The next day, having returned to the sage, the philosopher saw on a table a parchment with text written on it. Examining it, the philosopher said, "This manuscript is wonderful! The idea expressed in it is interesting... and the text with its calligraphy is beautiful, so skillfully written! Who wrote it?"

The sage looked surprised. "Why, nobody wrote it! There was simply an inkwell on the table, and the wind blew, spreading the ink around on the parchment... and this is how it turned out."
"You can't be serious!" the philosopher exclaimed. "Behind every manuscript there has to be an author!"
"But isn't the world much more perfect and complex than this manuscript?" the sage answered. "If writing must have an author, how much more you can be sure that the world has an Author."

Criterion of Personal Success

2010-10-25T02:22:00.000-07:00

My cousin came for a visit from America. We talked a lot together, and one thing in particular I remember from everything she said: After she landed a higher-paying job, her self-respect went up quite a bit.

I got the message, and it's not a new one. Certainly, money (or lack of it) directs a lot of events, people and priorities. But is that the only way to measure personal success in this life? And if not money – then what?
After thinking about it for a long time, I worked out an answer (though again, it's not a new one). Ready for my revelation? It's actually an equation.
The measure of someone's success is the percentage of days lived happily, compared to the days they have lived.
So no matter what it is that gives you happiness – money, creativity, love shared with someone, family life, spiritual fulfillment, or public recognition – your personal success is being measured every day.
http://www.artleah.com/

Very Good Taste

2010-10-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

"I've had very good taste since I was a child."

We were with a group of friends, and I looked more closely at the woman who said that. Let's call her Sara.
She's a successful scientific professional. In her spare time, Sara said, she creates matched sets out of ready-made findings.
It seemed they were all on display that day.
A bright blue blouse. On her neck, turquoise beads the same color as the blouse. A chain and a pendant filled with glittering-white marcasite stones – also on her neck. A bracelet with turquoise stones. And turquoise earrings, too. An enormous ring made of turquoise, and one more made of gold. Oh, and one more gold bracelet. And, last but not least, a garnet brooch on her jacket lapel.
They say there is no disputing about "taste". So I didn't argue... but I made a mental note for myself. Actually two notes:

1. "Every individual is an island" when it comes to the perception of what is fitting, harmonious or beautiful. Even if a person is absolutely convinced of "good taste", it takes more than that to convince me.

2. It's not always true that "seeing is believing"; sometimes it's "disbelieving". After all, if someone had simply told me that Sara "has good taste", I would have accepted it as an established fact.

Immortal Art

2010-10-12T03:44:00.000-07:00

An ancient art of fire enamel, if described in simple way, is a mass of glass put on metal and then fired numerous times at a very hot temperature. This truly elite, rare technique provides a unique combination of the precious jewelry materials usage with a freedom of oil painting. Each work is so unique that can not be repeated even by the author. fire enamel pieces are practically immortal - some of them, found at archaeological sites of ancient

Egypt

, haven't lost their brightness and are untouched by time. In modern days, only very few artists had master this truly elite technique.
Enamel miniature created by Asya Ostrovsky
http://www.artleah.com/

WHY ART? or SOLVING THE BIG HEAD PROBLEM

2010-10-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Near as can be told, as long as we have been people in any true sense, we have filled our lives with things that have had no immediate or obvious survival benefit. If art in its myriad manifestations has been around so long, is universal and highly valued, it may be that there is some good reason for it. If so, what might that be?

I propose that art provides humans with an evolutionary advantage by allowing them to externalize and collectivize both the memory of the past as well as enabling us to plan for the future.

Individuals perish, and with them their memories. If, however, the individual experience is externalized and codified in art, the collective organism retains the information even though the individual expires. Language is communication in the present. Art is communication over time. When writing was invented, about 3,000 BC, symbolic language and art merged.
Even more significant than retaining the past, art concerns itself with the future. I propose that art is the next step in human cerebral evolution beyond Rapid Eye Movement (REM) dreaming in that it takes advantage of language in a way that dreams do not (I will discuss this at length below). Because it is an external (i.e., it takes place outside of the brain), collective event, art is not dependent upon the processing abilities of a single individual. It "networks" a large number of brains to address alternate future realities, thereby preparing the collective as well as the individual for events that have not yet occurred. Art is practice for the real thing.

Why Art? or, Solving the Big Head Problem" was published in abbreviated form in Communication Arts Magazine, January/February, 1996 (pages 24 - 29)
David Lance Goines
http://www.artleah.com/

Hands and Head

2010-09-23T02:32:00.000-07:00

As I started my training at the course in jewelry art, I looked around.
There were 12 trainees in our group. Some of them were women who wanted to do something interesting during their sabbatical (a year-long holiday given every seven years to certain professionals, like teachers). Others were guys interested in some metal-working experience. (What's the classical jewelry craft about, if not metal-working?)
We were taught to solder, bend and grind metal. By the time that first lesson was over, I could think up a whole series of decorations which I was now able to make.
But I put a lid on the daydreams. I knew that my head would leave my hands far behind. First it was necessary to train the hands, to master a lot of technique, to understand what was within my reach and what was not "doable".
The studies were organized in such a way that by the end of a three-hour lesson, everyone would finish making an "end product". Many of the students succeeded in that.
I was not so lucky.
http://www.artleah.com/

Wear White Clothes Today

2010-09-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

Gmar Hatima Tova to All
Yom Kippur is a holiday that raises many questions. Numerous rituals, prayers, and themes are unique to this holiest day of the Jewish year. This fact sheet will provide an introduction to the practices of Yom Kippur.

It is traditional to wear white on Yom Kippur as a sign of purity

http://www.hillel.org/jewish/holidays/yomkippur/yk_fact.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_Shana_Tova_Gmar_Chatima_Tova_mean

http://www.artleah.com

When you start

2010-09-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

The correspondent takes interview from the millionaire

I asked him "Sir, What is the secret of your success?"
    He said "two words"
"And, Sir, what are they?"
    "Right decisions."
"But how do you make right decisions?"
    "One word." he responded.
"And, sir, What is that?"
     "Experience."
"And how do you get Experience?"
    "Two words"
"And, Sir, what are they?"
    "Wrong decisions"
        I think about it every time when I start new project…
http://www.artleah.com/

What is Beauty

2010-09-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Even more subjective is the popular appeal of facial features, which is connected to the absolute commonality of a stereotype. In plain language, beautiful people are those who most closely resemble what the majority of us imagine to be "us". At least that's the finding of American psychologists.

At the end of the last century, the features of hundreds of famous beautiful women and handsome men were compared by means of computer analysis. It turned out that the anthropometrical parameters of all the "stars" were similar to one another.

Actually, this "dislike" of the human brain for the task of processing complicated visual information was revealed as far back as the 19th century. Psychologists called the phenomenon “lazy brain”. It is evident not only in the critique of a person’s portrait, but also in the choice of a car, a dog, even a watch.
The California researchers conducted experiments showing some pictures to participants and asking them to rate the beauty of each. At the same time, the participants' reaction rates were measured. Those pictures that were finally recognized as beautiful had been classified very quickly, in the shortest time. And all the parameters matched a widespread (common) standard.
All of this confirms a fact that has been suspected for a long time: The most boring and unoriginal experience, visually speaking, is looking at a photo model’s beautiful face on the cover of a fashion magazine. Now it's been proven by science.
Ring "Picasso", created by Renata Grabois. Far from the stereotype of "beauty".
more about that
http://artleah2010.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-is-beauty.html
http://www.artleah.com/

What is beauty?

2010-09-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

"What is beauty, and why do people worship it?” This question has disturbed mankind since ancient times.
Some time ago it was considered that a certain average standard of beauty was an evolutionary advantage, increasing the chances of survival and reproduction. According to that theory, nature produces many copies only when the original is worthy of reproduction.
http://www.artleah.com/

More recently, scientists decided to prove the existence of visual harmony with algebra, and they discovered that... a standard of beauty does not even exist. Nature has presented an illusion to us, for practical reasons.

Meanwhile, psychologists have proven that these practical reasons have nothing to do with "evolutionary survival".
Experts at the University of California found that people recognize "beauty" based on the ease of processing visual information. The easier it is for the eye to absorb the person’s facial features, the more "beautiful" the face is thought to be. The ultimate in "perfect" looks is simply our brain's ability to process visual data with as little effort as possible.
Even more subjective is the popular appeal of facial features, which is connected to the absolute commonality of a stereotype. In plain language, beautiful people are those who most closely resemble what the majority of us imagine to be "us". At least that's the finding of American psychologists.

What make humans different from animals?

2010-09-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

What indeed?

Both species rate food, shelter and sex as high priorities. (Although we assume that animals view that last activity as procreation rather than recreation, who really knows?) As for intelligence, humans definitely have competition: everyone knows how clever and perceptive dogs and cats are; and research shows a high level of intelligence in dolphins, not to mention monkeys....

But what kind of animal feels a need to decorate itself? Far as I know, none but man. And this is a very important distinction.
What lies at the root of this eagerness for adornment? The desire to stand out, to be noticed? Belief in the magical properties of ornaments, tattoos, talismans? It's clear that all of them play a part.

We might speculate that at the earliest stages of mankind's development, people might have been distinguished from animals mostly by their command over, and appreciation for, a sense of the beautiful, the aesthetic, the tasteful.
http://www.artleah.com

When is a Trinket a Talisman?

2010-05-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

I came across a lecture on Egyptian jewelry art, by a Professor Jorge Angel Livraga Rizzi.
That's a very interesting name for an Egyptologist, and it was a very interesting lecture.
According to him, the ancients believed that jewelry had certain magic meaning, and in some way could protect us against spells, curses, disasters and even physical attacks. There was a time when all peoples believed in it. But the Egyptians (said the Professor) had a stronger than average conviction that pieces of jewelry were not just items of personal adornment; they connected with natural forces that helped the person who wore them.
That tradition (or superstition, depending on your viewpoint) has continued to this day in some cultures. Did those talisman pieces offer protection? Apparently not for the ancient Egyptians, whose empire crumbled and left the jewelry behind for other cultures to analyze....
But the symbolism embodied in much of the jewelry we wear today still makes it more than a trinket.

What is"in Fashion" Today

2010-05-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in an Israeli company's clothing store. Some costume jewelry was also on display there. The styles were very "modern", which is another way of saying "in fashion today".

How was that expressed? First, all the jewelry pieces – pendants, rings, earrings, you name it – were not simply big. They were huge! They were also "pieces" in the crude, literal sense - chunks of metal or wood connected by chains with links measuring several inches long and wide - the stuff you see in the hardware store.
I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand: yes, these decorations are creative and look good against clothing of modern design. On the other hand, they remind me of all "modern" things: easily, quickly assembled, with a short life expectancy, made to be left behind for the next "modern" style. In fashion today, forgotten tomorrow.

To my thinking, it has little to offer in helping a woman to establish that unique self-identifying statement called "style" which (ideally) each woman should possess.

I got hooked on jewelry work

2010-04-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

Very soon after I got hooked on jewelry work, it became clear that despite the huge variety of jewelry found in Israeli shops, all of them seemed to be mass-produced items. It was impossible to find a pendent, for example, that would be not just 99, but 100 percent suitable for certain beads. There was only one option – to make the pendent by myself.

And that's how I started my training in the world of jewelry art.

http://www.artleah.com/

What remains from a fairy-tale after it has completely been told?

2010-04-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

These are the words of an old song; I do not remember who composed it. For some reason, they occur to me each time when I finish some work. The thing seems to start living its own life, leaves for the customer or puts itself up for sale…
What remains in it from my infatuation with which I have begun it? What from my energy remains in it?.. Neither I nor designers whose things will be for sale in my shop of ArtLeah expose wares in which the designer does not have a hand in.
Today most of very expensive decorations are fully designed with 3D-modeling programs. They usually use standard elements.
Then a machine-tool makes wax models, then a molder makes foundries, and only then a polisher who has had no notion about its original design renders the product marketable. Today's expensive jewelry with diamonds is eye-catching and beautiful. But very rarely do I see the imprint of master's individuality on them...
http://www.artleah.com/

How It All Began

2010-03-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

Once they opened a stall at our railway station in Israel, where a collection of trinkets was on sale: beads, earrings, bracelets… They also sold component parts for all this costume jewelry.

I had never known before that there was such a wide variety of bijouterie on sale in Israel, or that any woman could create anything she likes from the separate pieces. The same shops that sell all these things also run special courses, where someone can learn basic jewelry techniques in about half an hour.

To make a long story short, I was admiring the costume jewellery displayed in the stall for a long time before I at last made up my mind. I bought some glass beads, snaps and cord, and made my first set – a bead necklace and bracelet. It was beautiful. And so I got hooked on making jewelry for myself.
http://www.artleah.com/
other posts about it and