Thursday, April 12, 2007

Nordic symbol of life

One of the most popular "point of purchase" items that we sell at the gallery are these little pewter pocket charms! "The acorn was the ancient Nordic symbol of life. An old folk belief holds that carrying an acorn insures a long life," they say.

Each comes with a fortune-shaped enclosure card with the saying above. They sell for $2 each or $2.50 with a pretty organza bag. Call for availability: 231-932-0775.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Raw • Uncut • Unpolished

Colorado studio jeweler Todd Reed has made his name working with raw diamond cubes and other natural diamond shapes. "It started as a way to question society about the idea of perceived value. In particular how it relates to our ideas of beauty or perfection," he says.

There are certain ad campaigns including, "She'll like you at a half carat, but she'll love you at a carat" that prompted Todd to make this line of jewelry. His uses the most perfect diamond in the world, the actual raw diamond. Uncut. Unpolished. Natural, with perfect geometry.

Todd is a self-taught goldsmith who enjoys the hard work that goes into each piece. He has won many international awards, and is frequently included in books, trade publications, and consumer magazines. His work can be seen at the finest shows and exhibitions in the world, and Gallery Fifty is proud to present his jewelry.

I especially love the pieces that mix raw and cut diamonds — the juxtoposition and contrast is especially effective.

We have a few examples of Todd's work in stock, but expect more of his jewelry in the coming months. For more information or images check out www.toddreed.com; or contact us at 231-932-0775.

From paper to pen

New York artist Michael Harrington creates these one-of-a-kind pens from — believe it or not — paper. He adopted his technique from an old holiday tradition. Paper beads made from winding a triangular piece of paper (like the beads children often use to string holiday garlands) are the centerpieces of his pens.

The beads' designs make the pen barrels appear to be fabricated from marble or plastic. To get this effect, Michael either dyes the paper, applies layers of resin, or works with the pattern of the paper.

Gallery Fifty does well with the pens that are saturated with resin. Michael coats the paper with resin, allowing it to seep into the bead and then he sands it. Then a second and third coating/ sanding cycle. "My pens are very labor intensive," he says.

And it shows. Because his pens are all unique, you'll need to contact us directly for a description of what's available. We can send an email photo with current stock and pricing. Call 231-932-0775 for more information.