MOVED!

Hi Folks,

I've picked up and moved my blog to my web site.

You and now find me at:

http://www.bmjnyc.com/Site/Blog/Blog.html

Celebrate Reclaimed Silver with Celebrate Green

It's official and very exciting - Celebrate Green and I have just launched the first three styles of the CELEBRATE RECLAIMED SILVER collection, available exclusively in their shop on The Open Sky Project.

Celebrate Green was founded by dynamic Mother-Daughter team Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson, who educate, entertain and inspire positive change so that together, we can create a real and sustainable difference in the world.

A few months back I bought their new book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family . I have always recycled and found creative uses for things but the thought of digging much deeper seemed daunting. In their book, Lynn and Corey encourage making small changes and I started doing just that. In baby steps, over months, I've reassessed many of the buying choices I make and have found better alternatives - painlessly. I encourage you to read their book and try it for yourselves. Once you start it becomes a fun challenge to keep doing better.

Take the first step by signing up for Celebrate Green News

Check out the promotional Video below!

Celebrate Reclaimed Silver Jewelry Video

Beauty in Imperfection in Belle Armoire Jewelry

Hot off the press! Last summer I wrote an article about the creative process behind my collection, Beauty in Imperfection. A friend suggested that I submit the story to Stampington Publications and it was just published it in their lovely Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine. (Thanks Alma!) What a kick! Belle Armoire and their dozen or so other titles are available at Barnes and Noble

Here's a copy of the text:

Beauty in Imperfection

Belle Armoire Jewelry Spring 2010

By Barbara Polinsky

It’s not perfect, and that’s the point. File marks, visible seams and solder – things that other jewelers might consider bewildering - are the trademark of my collection.

Inspired by the imperfection that abounds in nature, people, and in life, these rings, bracelets, pendants and earrings are a tribute to acceptance. The forms are clean and simple. As in life, It’s the blemishes that add the depth and character.

Beauty in Imperfection was born in a moment of frustration. I was working in the studio, trying unsuccessfully to fabricate a new design. That day, nothing was going right and I kept making careless mistakes. In total exasperation, I squished the entire piece I was working on through a rolling mill! When it emerged through the other end of the mill, I was astonished at the graceful irregular form. I sat back and smiled. Through this experience, I began to think about how much time and energy we spend in pursuit of perfection. This accidental discovery has been golden (pun intended). The ordinary, ho-hum bracelet that I was trying so diligently to make has been reshaped and transformed into something so much more genuine. Viewed only technically, my bracelet is a disaster - an ornamental fender bender, almost inconceivable through the eyes of an experienced metalsmith. Examining this same bracelet with introspection and sentiment, it is so much more valuable than the sum of its parts. What do you think? As a final flourish and visual metaphor, a small white faceted diamond is handset into each piece of jewelry. It serves as a reminder that precious gifts in our lives are not always in plain sight and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The more I think about this concept and share it with others, the more I see how freeing and powerful it is. Our personal experiences and definition of perfection may vary but I believe that our desire for acceptance is universal.

I’m so touched and honored by the stories people are sharing with me. A friend of mine gave her teenage daughter a small pendant to applaud her uniqueness and protect her from the body image messages in the media. Some are choosing to wear these rings as wedding bands - Representing each person’s individuality and their commitment to each other: two pieces coming together as one – but not seamlessly. When I feel uncertain about something I find comfort in slipping on a bracelet or ring. It’s my subtle way of acknowledging that things don’t always unfold as I anticipated and it is my cue to be open to new possibilities. As a designer, it is so exciting to watch this product evolve and know that it is affirming to people at the same time.

I invite you to make a Beauty in Imperfection™ bangle. Don’t worry if you make a mistake – it is allowed, even encouraged. This project can be both enjoyable and meditative. The following steps are not precise and are open to your experimentation and interpretation. No two bracelets will look alike and each will get better with time and wear. Just like us!

Materials:

Sterling Silver Wire - 12 gauge for a lightweight bangle

Medium Solder

Diamond (1) faceted, small -approximately 1 to 2pts in size

Tools:

String

Ruler

Wire Cutters

Bracelet Mandrel

Pickle Solution

Pliers

Various Hammers

Soldering Set-Up

Torch

Charcoal Block or Fire Brick

Cross Locking Tweezers with Wooden Grips

Scissors for cutting solder

Flux

Fine Tweezers

Jeweler’s Files

Tumbler with Steel Shot or Polishing wheels and compound

Magnifiers

Flex Shaft

Drill Bit – fine

Tapered Bur

Bezel Pusher – fine

Burnisher-fine and slightly blunted

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare

• Cut wire to desired length using wire cutters. To determine length, wrap a string around your hand at your knuckles, excluding your thumb then add ¼ inch. (71/4 +1/4 = 71/2 inches)
• Form the wire into a circle making sure the ends are touching. You may want to use pliers or a bracelet mandrel

Clean

• Pickle your piece to clean for soldering

Solder

• Set the formed bracelet on soldering surface
• Flux and dry area to be soldered
• Cut a piece of solder and place it under the joint
• Heat the wire until the solder flows joining the two ends
• Quench in water
• Examine the connection making sure it is secure

More Cleaning

• Remove any sharp edges with your Jewelers file
• Pickle

Forming

• This is the fun part! Now, you get to shape and stretch your bracelet. There are so many different ways to accomplish this. You can hammer on a mandrel or steel block; note the material and shape of your hammerhead and the marks left on your piece. Experiment with different hammers. Interesting effects can also be made working on forming stakes or by embossing. Try gently pressing a section in a rolling mill. Explore, engage and enjoy!

Note: If you feel your silver becoming work hardened, stop, anneal, pickle and continue forming until it is a size and shape you are happy with. If the seam opens or if it has been stretched it too much, no worries, remove a small section, solder and pickle again.

Polish

• Tumble for 30 minutes or hand polish using a light touch, as not to remove your hand wrought patina.

Shimmer

• Decide where you would like to set your stone. Make sure the area is wide and deep enough to support the stone.
• Drill a hole through the bracelet. The hole should be half the diameter of the stone. You will probably want to wear magnifiers for these last few steps.
• Enlarge the hole with a tapered bur. The widest part of the stone needs to sit just below the surface.
• File a small amount of the metal around the hole leaving a tiny metal lip.
• Insert stone making sure it is sitting below the lip you created. Using a slightly blunted steel burnisher, gently push down on the metal lip to secure the stone.

Tip

When ever possible, I use reclaimed Silver and Gold. This bangle is a perfect opportunity to recycle silver bits and pieces that are waiting for a new lease on life.

Barbara Polinsky is the Designer and Owner of Barbara Michelle Jacobs Jewelry. She lives in NYC with her husband Alan, and children Michelle and Jacob.

For more information about Beauty in Imperfection and her other collections visit her at www.bmjnyc.com or email her at Barbara@bmjnyc.com

about Beauty in Imperfection article by yours truly published in the March/April issue if Belle Armoire Jewelry by Stampington publications!

I wrote and submitted this article last summer, thought it was going to be published in an earlier issue then had forgotten about it.

Approved vendor of THE GREEN BRIDE GUIDE!

This week I stumbled upon the Green Bride Guide and knew that I just had to be a part of this great organization. I took their "Green" survey and was qualified because I use recycled metals and antique or ethically mined stones but it got me thinking about what else I could do.

After a little research, I

- Joined 1% for the planet where I have committed (based on tax returns) to donate 1% of my sales to my choice of their affiliated and approved vendors.

-Sourced packaging made of renewable resources which I will be switching to for silver jewelry. The new Celebrate Reclaimed Silver collection will be packaged in renewable sinamay. More info to follow soon.

-Researched and purchased "green" chemical alternatives for the studio.

Not bad for one week! But stay tuned for more....

Diamond Industry - The big picture - Mining to Mine

DIAMONDFACTS.ORG and the World Diamond Council compiled this fact sheet for media use. It's an overview of the diamond pipeline, the process that starts with removing the stones from deep within the earth and ends with a beautiful finished piece of jewelry. I think you'll find it to be an interesting read.

http://www.diamondfacts.org/pdfs/media/media_resources/fact_sheets/Diamond_Industry_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Douglas Rushkoff speaks at Etsy

Douglas Rushkoff's lecture at the Etsy offices was the perfect excuse I needed to finally come visit the Mother Ship in Brooklyn. I'm so glad I did - the space is a wide open loft with a fun and lively vibe where familiar looking artwork is scattered about on display. It's no surprise it felt like home. Bernadette Sweeney who heads Etsy Customer Support greeted guests and showed me around the new offices. I also had the opportunity to meet Adam Brown who works on the Marketing and Press Team. Etsy does an amazing job of building community so you feel connected from home but there's still something extra special about visiting in person. One of there Monday nights I'm going to make it to a Crafts Night, really.

As a craftsperson and small business owner, I found the lecture riveting. Rushkoff talked about the creation of value and how we can trade the value we create with others. He explained the 400 year evolution of business practices which are entrenched in our corporate mindset today. Like many psychological coping mechanisms, when we can look back and examine the history based on past events and circumstances, it becomes obvious that the old system, while it developed as a way to survive, is working to the detriment of the entrepreneur today. Thank you Doug, for the wake up call!

Douglas Rushkoff is an award-winning writer, documentary filmmaker and scholar. He made the PBS Frontline documentaries Merchants of Cool, The Persuaders, and the upcoming Digital Nation premiering February 2. His book, Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation And How To Take It Back, traces how corporations went from a convenient legal fiction to the dominant fact of contemporary life. Watch Life Inc. The Movie for a 9-minute summary.

The wonderful evening was topped off by dinner with Tesia of Vena Amoris, her lovely blog is devoted to and chock full of information about Wedding and Engagement rings. I'm tickled to have been featured and enjoyed a fun evening together.

THANK YOU!

Wow! Now that 2009 is over and I have a moment to reflect, I just want to thank everyone for your help in making 2009 such an amazing year. My very small business has grown tremendously thanks to Etsy, my awesome customers, reliable suppliers and the spectacular reception of the Wedding and Celebration ring styles.

I feel great about 2010 -there are some fun and exciting things brewing. Look for designs with recycled diamonds, inspiration from Walden Pond and maybe even some bar accessories..... Excuse me while I go buckle up. I have a feeling it's going be a wild ride!

Best wishes for much happiness and only good things in this new year.

B.