ARTS RWC: JEWELRY on the Square is Friday, July 12th!

The second of four ART on the Square shows will be this Friday, July 12th, featuring the return of JEWELRY on the Square!  And we will have our biggest and most diverse bunch of jewelry ever.  The artists will be ready to go by 530, so do go to Hamilton and do your jewelry shopping while bopping to the "Surfin Safari" Beach Boy tunes.  If that doesn't scream SUMMER, I don't know what will!

And don't forget, we will give out $100 worth of gift certificates for you to buy some jewelry with that night.  See the artists on Hamilton for the details!

As we always do, we would like to introduce you to one of the ART on the Square artists, Jeweler Ann Jones of San Francisco.  Her specialty is Re-purposed Jewelry, and her business is called "AJ's Eardrops."  You may have seen Ann at the June show, but if not, you get another chance.  Read on for her amazing story (told by Ann) and make sure you see Ann's fabulous creations on Friday!

The Beginning of AJ’s Eardrops

My earrings were a result of having my ears pierced at age 60! I’d always worn large clip earrings, however, the weight and pinching of those beautiful ear adornments finally drove me to get my ears pierced. I didn’t realize it would be a very long time until I would be able to wear large earrings on newly pierced ears, due to the weight! I had taken many photographs that I printed on lightweight canvas, so one day as I was looking at the color and design on canvas, I held the cloth up to my ear and decided to form shapes that would produce interesting earrings. When folded, the colors became the focus of interest, and not the photograph. 

The photographs did produce unique earrings but I also wanted to use my artistic talent to create a different look using pure color.

When I was looking at just one day of recycled plastic in my recycling bag, I thought – why not use paint to create artistic designs and produce earrings of any size or color, so I could make a different statement with my jewelry? Out of color, grew shape, and then a multitude of unique earrings that dropped from my pierced ears. They were featherweight so it felt like I was actually wearing nothing on my ears…no pinching, no weight, just uniqueness. As I wore my creations, many people – friends, family, or even strangers started asking where I found those earrings. I told my story and the rest is history – AJ’s Eardrops began. 

A Typical Day

A typical day for me usually begins with going for a walk, taking photographs of interesting subjects,  stopping along the way to purchase a Mocha Freddo from Peet’s coffee or Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks as a drink of choice, chicken salad from Whole Foods, miscellaneous deli containers, yogurt container, or bottles of water used to give my dog, myself, or my husband a drink.  So, for the day, I wash all of the plastic from my family’s consumption, look at the possibilities, and store based on use…earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc. Some of my re-purposed materials are in the wash process, others, the paint process, cut or shape process, varnish process, metallic finishing process, and again, varnish process, applying the appropriate jewelry findings, assembling, packaging, and shipping process. There are many stages involved every day but the best of anything is that each piece is new, unique, and cannot be replicated. The fun is in the uniqueness, whether it be color or design. After hundreds of earrings, I can still say, each and every pair is unique unto itself.

The Process

When my raw material for the earrings is plastic, first and foremost, I play around with the materials and decide the type of recycled plastic I am using…is it pliable or rigid, thick or thin? Does the plastic bend easily or not? Will the plastic take paint or will it not adhere to the surface? After I decide on the type of plastic it is, I place the color. Once the type is decided, I will use colors that I feel are prominent based on the season or wants and needs of my customers. Should I use lichen or emerald green? Is the metallic look for the season or colors selected enhanced by gold leaf, silver, antique gold, deeper rich silver, bronze or copper? Once the color is applied, a design is cut out…perhaps in strips to bend, rectangles, circles, or just plain shapes based on how the color is applied to the plastic. The movement of the color often determines the shape, however, specific individuals, based on facial shapes and angles, will prefer a specific size and shape. In that case, the design is based on an individual. When an original photograph snapped by my son, grandsons, myself or my husband is a base or canvas for the eardrop, the shape will be determined by the colors in the photograph or again, specific images or shapes within the photograph.

AOTS

What a wonderful experience I had displaying my jewelry art at the June  AOTS event in Redwood City.   Everyone involved in the event was organized and so very helpful.  The designers were so unique in all of their products.  The individuals who took time to stop by my display had wonderful questions and comments about my designs and I thoroughly enjoyed all of our conversations.  The entire Redwood Square area is so beautiful, comfortable and vibrant.  

We like you too, Ann, and we are happy to welcome you back to show your unique creations at JEWELRY on the Square. 

See you all on Friday!  Girls night out, anyone?

And Remember to Always Follow your H'art!