dear ada

claude schmitz.

One thing I've learned in writing dear ada is that I love jewelry. Not necessarily to wear, but most definitely as sculptures, small treasures of craft and storytelling. These wonderful brooches by claude schmitz are two shining examples of that very thing. Modern and beautifully edited to their purest state, they have an elegance and simplicity that belies their complex crafting. Plus the color combinations and mix of materials are remarkable. Yum, yum indeed.

gemma draper.

These brooches by gemma draper are made from wood, bone and semi precious stones. I love how blunt and primal they are, driven in great part by the materials they're made from. But it's more than that too. Nothing is too pretty or fussy here, resulting in a unique and very powerful beauty. I'd love to hold one of these pieces in my hand for some reason. Amazing!

doerthe fuchs and georg dobler.

Here's a contemporary jewelry show at flow gallery I'd love to have seen. This top piece, which makes my heart skip a beat by the way, is by doerthe fuchs and uses wirework and semi precious stones to create its exceptional form. The stunning brooches below are by georg dobler and feel so modern and fresh in their play with scale and color. Both are so strange and glamorous at the same time! Total fabulousness abounds here as far as I'm concerned!

petra mandal.

I'm seriously grooving on the amazing jewelry by petra mandal. Oh my the shapes, the wonderful mix of materials, high and low, and can we talk about the colors. I love the plastic-y matte of the pastels juxtaposed with the sparkly and sharpness of the semi precious stones. This work is so magical thanks to all the contradictions, brought together by a skilled hand and sensitive eye.

Thanks to emmas blogg for the original link.

odd fellows antiques.

I'm dying for these lollipop shooting gallery targets from odd fellows antiques found via the fantastic d. sharp. Oh would I love to have one of these beauties gracing the walls of my humble abode. The colors are to die for and I lu-hu-ve the happy, dandelion meets mid-century star burst shapes. Plus the rusty, mottled finishes are pretty fabulous in their own right. Yep, I love these things, pure and simple!

nina dinoff.

I want this beautifully crafted, simple, modern, perfect necklace from nina dinoff. See more of her fabulous jewelry here.

anna fornari.

Yikes, am I ever loving the primal, seed-like forms found in the jewelry of anna fornari. Talk about glamorous! There's a wonderful tension between the raw, nature inspired shapes, brought to life by such finessed and elegant materials. Things are shiny and precise in places and ways they probably wouldn't be in nature which only adds to the intrigue and the tease. "How realistic are these depictions?", I find myself asking. "Don't be so quick to assume they're simply a rendition of something natural", I then think to myself. And then I stop and think "or maybe they are". Who knows for sure, which is something I always love in art. Who really knows for sure?

carolanne patterson.

Take a look at this fabulous jewelry by carolanne patterson. I love the mix of materials, the unexpected use of textiles and metal together. Soft and hard, pretty and not, there are some wonderful tensions at play in this work, all of which translates into some very compelling, desirable objects. Mm, so very nice indeed.

maria jauhiainen.

Have you seen the amazing metal work and jewelry of maria jauhiainen? I stumbled across it this weekend and oh my, what a nice discovery. The remarkable delicacy of her work is only surpassed by the beauty of the subject matter she's captured. From the skeletons of real leaves to the stylized depiction of the the structure of a ginko leaf, some of her pieces are very realistic, others illustrative and graphic. And the crafting itself is undeniably compelling. Wow. Such smart, modern beauty.

barb smith.

I can not get over the beauty and crafting and story of the jewelry of barb smith. Sterling silver, steel, watch crystals, hair, pearls. Poetic and bold, feminine and tough, it doesn't get much better than this as far as I'm concerned.

There's a very sensitive eye at work here, not only making breathtaking jewelry but also wonderful photographs. The one below makes my heart sing. It has everything I love in one place, a pretty bird on old wallpaper, a distressed patina from age, architectural elements like the tile and brick and yes, a color palette that simply makes me sigh. Perfect.