She has always looked to Wonder Woman for inspiration. It seems just meant to be, and perfectly fitting, that she would then work on the Wonder Woman movie coming out next year!
When I think about Anna I think about all the wonders within her: the sensitivity, the thoughtfulness, the resilience, the fierceness, the knack for storytelling, the ability to make people laugh, and the beauty she possesses, both inside and out. She and Clay have known each other for decades, and when I came into Clay's life, she was so welcoming of me. Over the years, she has embraced me not only as Clay's partner, but as her sister. She certainly has become a barometer and role model of how women can be to one another.
Today the UN announces Wonder Woman (the fictional character) as Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. So go and think about and celebrate all the Wonder Women in your lives that serve as inspiration, friend, family, source of strength, and source of fun.
Anna certainly is one of mine :)
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The fact that the guy happens to be Zack Snyder is quite an honor. An incredibly talented director, creative visionary, loving husband to Debbie Snyder and adoring father to their kids, he is somebody we are very lucky to call a friend. He also runs a well oiled machine and serves as one of the best leaders a movie crew can hope for.
He is also a great athlete: skilled at many sports and a beast in the gym. After he sweats it out, he cleans up and puts on beautiful clothing befitting a proper gentleman.
Yes, I think our bracelet fits in quite nicely ;)
I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend rocking your very own arm party! Stack on your favorites and go have fun, while wearing special jewelry!
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I'm so happy the double chain rings found a lovely home on her fingers! Ever since she got them, she has been flaunting them to everyone she meets. She says they make her want to do a Beyonce dance move every time she wears them! You know the one from Put a Ring On It? Everyone's done it at some point. Admit it ;)
Well we like Alisha so much we put not just one, but TWO rings on her! How's that for closing the deal?
Hope you have some dancing in your future this weekend! Whether you go out and shake your booty to some DJ or do your best Beyonce in front of your bedroom mirror in your pajamas, make sure you also wear special jewelry!
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Lots of work happens after the actual filming of the movie. Editing, sound mixing, visual effects. I happen to have a soft spot for post production, having worked in the industry (audio in particular) for 8 years before pursuing my dream of becoming a jewelry maker. I know a lot of talented people working behind the scenes, well after a piece gets prepped and shot, just before it gets released to the audience.
Our good friend Tricia Mulgrew is just one of the many people working hard to deliver VFX to films. As a producer, she is hard at work not only during production, but before and after as well, overseeing the whole process. She puts together a team of very talented people who create scenes, characters and situations that are out of this world.
Aside from that, she is also a kind and generous soul who loves travel, sports, and treating her friends to fun experiences. She also knows how to give back to herself by choosing quality, handmade pieces.
We love that our silver sea dragon cuff found a home with her. I'm sure she will add many wonderful stories to that piece for years to come!
Speaking of stories, go make some fun stories of your own this weekend. Treat yourself, have fun, and wear special jewelry!
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We have decided to start a portrait project featuring the many people, a lot of them dear family and friends, and focus on a few things that make them special. We have also been trying to spread the hashtag #wearspecialjewelry to inspire people to wear pieces that have a story. Everyone has their favorite things in the closet or house. An old t-shirt you've had for 20 years, a scarf your mom made last winter, your wedding bands. They run the gamut: different origins, materials, price ranges, because special doesn't have to mean expensive, fancy or rare. Special means you see it, and it evokes a special person, place or memory to you.
For our first post, we featured our dear friend (who was also our first ever customer when we launched our online store) Eric Matthies. An extremely talented man with a heart of gold, he continues to represent us everywhere he goes by sporting his tusk cuff in brass.
We hope you continue to look out for these posts! The photos are taken by my supremely talented husband Clay Enos. For those who know his work, you're sure to recognize these portraits as having his signature special style. They will come out every Saturday so you can be inspired: inspired to make things, to express yourself, and of course, to wear special jewelry!
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In our very global world, because of the internet, we are all connected more than ever before. It's fun to see some universal themes happening in cities all over the world: celebration of anything and everything local. While we are all more aware than we've ever been about what's happening outside our own backyards, we are also yearning to celebrate what's unique about our own homes.
I launched my Pilipinas collection on June 12. I picked that date on purpose because it is Philippine Independence Day, so it was a perfect time to celebrate some ancient design motifs from the Philippines, but reinterpreted with my own twist.
In the book Philippine Ancestral Gold by Florina H. Capistrano-Baker, John Guy and John N. Miksic, there are beautiful photographs of these necklaces. These beads are meant to look like "suso" which means snail in Filipino. These beads are particularly made to look like auger shells. You can see the intricate detail in these beads. Aside from the beads graduating in size, each one is also granulated on the top. There are various versions of this type of necklace available in the Ayala Collection of Philippine Gold, which can be viewed at the Central Bank Museum in Manila.
This is my version of the ling ling o, a symbol very common in the Mountain Province, in the northern part of the Philippines. It is said to symbolize fertility, with the inner holes depicting a fetus, as well as the bottom part with the slit depicting a uterus. The belief is that ancient spirits inhabit these symbols, and that they bring good luck to the wearers.
I plan to add more pieces to the Pilipinas collection in the future! Even though many people around the world know a little bit about our culture, it seems there is still a lot to learn about our ancient goldsmiths, craftspeople, artisans. While many of these artifacts remain inside glass cases in museums, we can certainly learn a lot about our ancestors by trying to figure out what inspired them, how they did things, who they were.
By doing so, I think we will learn a lot about ourselves as well. In our ever changing global interconnected world, the universal themes of art, creation and inspiration will keep us ever more grounded and connected with one another.
Hope you're all enjoying the summer! Or if you're in the southern hemisphere, winter! But no matter the weather where you are, don't forget to wear special jewelry!
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I wanted the first blog post to tell you about how all the different paths in my life have led me ultimately to become a jewelry maker. I guess the signs were there all along. Good things happen when you finally learn to listen and pay attention to the arrows pointing to your calling. I am so grateful and lucky because I am surrounded by people who love me unconditionally, and help me live a life of creativity, art and discovery. I get to make things with my hands and call it work? Pinch me, I guess dreams really do come true! So THANK YOU infinitely for helping make things happen.
Because telling you my life story will take too many pages (and you have some brunching/hiking/exercising/sleeping to do), I employed my resident designer/photographer/husband Clay Enos to make this infographic for you.
I can't wait to see what the next 30 years has in store, but I hope we'll still be in business, employing people, and giving back.
Hope you will continue to be part of this adventure.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and wear some kickass jewelry!
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