What I'm doing

Here's what I'm currently up to (when not at my day job at the jewelry store):

+ Resetting Mary's diamonds from yellow studs to white lever backs. Very chic.

+ Fabricating more 14k and diamond custom anniversary pins for Nu-Look Collision.

+ Making a scrumptious avocado smoothie! This is the best recipe I've come up with after trying a few others:
1 avocado
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (real stuff ONLY)
1 1/2 ish tsp honey

* These are my best estimates... I'm not big on measuring when it's not required and I like to make it up as I go!

Pictures of MAG Fine Craft Show November 2008

Here are some pics of my booth from this years Fine Craft Show and Sale at Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery! The show was wonderful. Everyone at the Gallery was so helpful and friendly, I met so many talented and interesting artists, and got to meet so many local Rochestarians! I had a ball all around. Take a gander...

Alexis Romeo Jewelry 10x10' booth #16 in the Ballroom
The Ballroom was gorgeous.

My signature domed displays.

Name tag!

I have the best "Artist Assistants" in the world.

Memorial Art Gallery's

Fine Craft Show & Sale

2008

Alexis Romeo Jewelry

Booth #16 in the Ballroom

Preview Party
Friday, November 7
7–9 pm
Mingle with the artists and have the first opportunity
to purchase their fine craft pieces before the show opens to the
public. Complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres, cash bar.
Preview admission: $40 (includes admission to the show
on either Saturday or Sunday)
Patron admission: $75 (includes admission to the show
on either Saturday or Sunday and listing in event program)
Reservations can be made by calling 585-276-8910

Show and Sale
Saturday, November 8, 10 am–5 pm
Sunday, November 9, 11 am–4 pm
Admission $8 each day (includes MAG admission)

SEE YOU THERE!

Getting ready for 2008 Fine Craft Sale

http://mag.rochester.edu/plugins/acrobat/gallerycouncil/FineCraftShow2008.pdf
Check out that link. My earrings are featured on the last page!

Those same earrings are also feratured on the postcards advertising the 2008 Fine Craft Show, http://mag.rochester.edu/gallerycouncil/FineCrafts.html hurray!!
Send me your address and I'll mail you one!

I'm getting ready for the show, finishing some new pieces, getting displays ready, and working full time on top of that. Busy busy!

Come by my booth, #16 in the Ballroom and try those earrings on... better yet, buy them for someone you love!

Preview Party: Novemeber 7, 2008
Open to the public: November 8 & 9, 2008

See you there!

Money.

It blows my mind what people chose to spend their money on. It blows my mind what people chose not to spend their money on.
I don't think I will ever understand or figure it out.

Solitaire

Solitaire

It's been driving me crazy.

It means one gem, people. Just one!

I am so tired of seeing rings with multiple stones listed as a solitaire! I let it go the first 7 times I saw it, but it's getting ridiculous. Jewelers, you know better. Cut it out!

Instead, try a phrase like "center stone" in your description. I think this will suit your needs fairly well.
If you want to bedazzle your ring with lots of stones, wonderful, go for it, but don't call it a solitaire.

thanks, brains

My brain works without me.
I mean this in a good way.

My brain seems to always be doing something, I can't seem to shut it down, especially when I'm sleeping. Sometimes it feels like I never even sleep because my brain is making up wild stories, or figuring out problems, or translating English into Italian, all while I'm sleeping. No joke.
On many more than one occasion I've even woken up, then rolled over to go back to sleep because my dreams were so interesting that I had to see what happened next. Perhaps this is why I don't really like a lot of movies. I'm too exciting. Hah. Too bad I can only recall the dreams for a short time, unless written down, before they dissolve away. I think I believe that saying we consciously only use 10% of our brains.

I think other artists will relate to this (do you?): I go through periods of devouring imagery, smells, tastes, textures, sounds. Gulping them down. Filing them away into the back corners of my brain. Letting them marinate together while I'm doing other things, not giving them full attention. Then all of a sudden things pour back out unexpectedly. Wonderful new things. Sometimes I can even close my eyes, literally blink them shut and there's something new there. A new piece of jewelry I haven't made yet, staring back at me out of no where. It's a mysterious and amazing thing. I'm going about my business. Blink for 1.5 seconds, and it's like there's a poster of a new piece on the back of my eyelids. Where does this come from? My brains are doing the heavy lifting while I'm doing something else. It surprises me every time.
Can't argue with that.
Too bad the back of my eyelids aren't giving me the winning lotto numbers... gold is expensive.

Thanks for being so mysteriously wonderful, brain.
Good night and sweet dreams.

beginning of July

Happy 4th of July!
A few things I love about summer:

our Adirondack campfire

I swam all the way across Great Sacandaga Lake and back again.

fresh figs and cherries

1. miniature intaglio, 2. SHOW!!!, 3. june

I'm back from Europe! Too many wonderful things to list here, save one.

At Portobello Market in London I bought an antique trio of miniature crested fab seals. I have always loved: 1. miniature things 2. gemstone intaglio, so when I came upon this dealer who had two cases full of gorgeous gemstone intaglio pieces, I was giddier than a child at Christmas.

This piece was made circa 1820 by a British carver. It is three 15k seals on a split ring.

The green is bloodstone, a deep green with flecks of red. This one has two birds perched atop a fountain.

The white is chalcedony. This one has a dove carrying a letter in its beak.

The pink is a pale amethyst. This one is some one's monogram.

One is round, the other two are variations of a rectangle and a square with fancy, curving edges. Each has been crafted so that when pressed into sealing wax the design is raised inside of a raised border.

I'm still so excited about this piece. It's delicate, feminine, detailed, and truly a treasure.

I took some very quick snapshots, nothing fancy, but you get the gist:

mini intaglio fab seals

beautiful side details

bloodstone with two birds on fountain

Now for the really exciting news...

Shortly after my return from Europe I found out I was accepted into the Fine Craft Show at Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery!!! November 7 ~ 9, 2008. This is the 8th annual sale and I'm honored to be included. The show is juried and only about 40 artists total, working in a variety of media, make it into the show. Each year the gallery invites a guest juror to decide which artists will be included and which artists will not. This year's juror was Tina Oldknow, Curator of Modern Glass at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY.

I'm so excited to be part of this show because it's one of, if not the best, show/sale in the area displaying the finest works of New York artists.

I hope you'll stop by if you're in the area and take a look at my jewelry in person, try it on, and if you're feeling good, perhaps buy something for a loved one, or heck, why not for yourself?

From Memorial Art Gallery's website:
8th Annual Fine Craft Show

Ceramics, glass, jewelry, metal, furniture, wood, wearable art and more... The Gallery Council's eighth annual event features one-of-a-kind and limited-edition works. Don't miss a rare opportunity to see work by master craft artists who regularly participate in the nation's most prestigious shows. Preview party Friday November 7, 2008, continues Saturday and Sunday November 8 & 9, 2008. Admission $7 each day.

Memorial Art Gallery

500 University Ave.

Rochester, NY 14607

And finally...
June has been filled with teaching my new metalsmithing classes at Studio 34. I now have four different classes scheduled through out the summer:

~ Laminated Sterling Silver Pendant, metalsmith 101
~ Soldering boot Camp
~ Cold Connections: 5 kinds of Rivets
~ Flex Shaft Workshop

I'm having fun teaching each of them. The studio has been nice and comfortable now that we're having this beautiful weather. Big thanks to all of my students! People have come as far as Syracuse and Canada to take my classes, which is certainly exciting. I'd like to create a few other classes, maybe a carved ring class, or a wax carving class. I'm always open to suggestions!

Ciao amici

In the morning I'll be leaving with my sister and cousin to visit my other cousin in London.

London, day trip to Paris via the Chunnel with my sister, back to London to meet the boys, on to Italy (The Motherland) for 2 days, back to London, then back to New York after that.

Italia, la terra di mie progenitore. Madre patria! Che cose da mangiare aspetta!

More jewelry related things will be up in giugno.

Cheers, au revoir, ciao amici!

playing around

Here are some very quick shots using my new camera. I'm already excited about the improvement over my old camera in the quality of detail and small object images:

You can actually read the words on the Sharpie!

This is the original pendant I engraved in sterling silver
that grew into the Strawberry Collection.

Gold dubloons.
Ok, they aren't real ones, but neat nonetheless.

Pics

I got a new camera! I've been playing with it and so far it seems like it takes better pictures, especially of small things like jewelry, than my old one.
More pics will be up more often... as soon as I learn how to get them from the new camera to the computer.

The studio is getting cleaned out and new shelving is going in! I truly have no room to spare in there. Well golly, maybe I'll even take some pics of the studio too!

Going to Europe on Thursday. London, Paris, Rome. I'm particularly excited about the Capuchin Crypt in Rome where bones become art.