HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA #77 // With Roots Brings Jewelry To Life With Tiny Terrariums

 

Our Handmade Holiday Craft Fair is just a few days away, and it's no secret that it'll be full of irresistible gifts for all of your friends and family (and probably lots that you'll want to snatch up for yourself.) To keep you from getting too overwhelmed with such abounding awesomeness this Saturday, we're offering up a steady stream of sneak previews of some of that handmade goodness.

With Roots is a homegrown jewelry line. We say that not only because it's a Brooklyn-based, one-woman business, but also because each With Roots piece features a tiny terrarium with real plants growing inside. Sharon Goldberg, also an accomplished photographer, started With Roots about a year ago. "I had made some custom terrariums for a friend of mine," she says. "He liked them so much he told me he wished he could wear them! I did my research and made it happen, and With Roots was born."

With Roots pieces aren't mere novelties; they're well-made terrariums that are self-sustaining and designed to be worn on a daily basis. In Goldberg's own words, they're "the perfect way to wear nature." At the fair you'll find most of the pieces featured on the With Roots website, including an array of necklaces, a terrarium ornament and perfume bottle terrarium, as well as some one of a kind pieces and vintage glass terrariums. Get there early though, these will go fast.

Hit the jump for a couple more photos of Goldberg's amazing creations.

-- John Ruscher

NEW MEMBER PROFILE // Jeweler Eva Marcus Hits the Big Time

Eva Marcus models a necklace for her lookbook

It was less than a year ago that Eva Marcus left Los Angeles and an acting career to come to New York and start a jewelry line. She searched and searched for a place to go make jewelry, until she found 3rd Ward and got to work. Now she has a shop on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and Women's Wear Daily gave her line a glowing review. Apparently a lot can happen in a year.

"I'm not a very patient person," Marcus tells us. "Once I decided this is what I want to do, I didn't want to drag it out." 

Marcus learned how to make jewelry in Italy from a woman experienced in cuttlebone casting, which is the material her pieces are made from. Initially, she did it purely as form of meditation, though eventually people began asking her where the jewelry came from. "I thought it was kind of like how your mom hangs your pictures on the fridge when you're little," she says. "I didn't think people actually liked it." Meanwhile, disenchanted with show business, she decided to give the jewelry line a go. 

Hit the jump to find out more and catch a glimpse of Marcus' work.

                             

When we ask about the relatively primitive nature behind actually making the jewelry, Marcus explains, "What's funny is I'm not an outdoors person at all, and I don't really pay attention to the trends. I'll just put on a song or something and start sketching and carve that right into the cuttlebone." She loves the rustic, imprecise nature of the entire process and how substantial the finished products actually feel. Her prices range from about $200-$2,000 (hey, it's the holiday season, people.)

We, for one, are thrilled to have Eva on board as a member--and for your further enticement, here's one more gorgeous piece of hers:

--Layla Schlack

ALUMNI CAUSE // Jeweler Christy Cole Struggles to Recover from Brooklyn Bike Accident

"I had come up with all of these ideas and was spending all this time at 3rd Ward--and then I had the accident and stopped being able to work," jewelry designer Christy Cole tells us.

The accident she's referring to occurred while biking through Greenpoint and encountering an inconviently-placed pothole, resulting in bad fall and ultimately a separated shoulder. Having no health insurance, Cole was slapped with a $20,000 surgery bill.  So, doing what any wise entrepreneur would do, Cole took to the internet to raise the cash for the operation.

"I actually raised enough for my down payment, so I had the surgery, but I've got a ways to go until I can pay all the doctors," Cole reports. "It's hurting less every day, but I've got a long way to go with recovery and physical therapy."

One of the things Cole says she's most excited about is returning to 3rd Ward--"I could be a spokesperson, I just love 3rd Ward!"--and of course, jewelry-making.

Some of Cole's creations.Cole originally moved to New York from Texas to go to acting school and upon realizing that acting wasn't for her: "I started taking classes to figure out what I did want to do, and I just fell in love with jewelry." As soon as she took her first class at 3rd Ward, she says her jewelry-design calling clicked into place. She describes her style as both edgy and organic, and we sincerely hope to have her back soon.

--Layla Schlack

ENAMELING UP CLOSE // Learn How to Make Champlevé Jewelry In 3rd Ward's Enameling 2 Class

We're back with the second in our series of posts highlighting the techniques that you'll learn in 3rd Ward's Enameling 2 class. We started out with cloisonné and now we'll take a look at champlevé!

Champlevé involves carving out or casting a piece of metal so that there are recesses in its surface. These recesses are then filled with enamel and then fired in a kiln. The technique was first popularized in La Tène, a style of early Celtic art during the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC.

Below you can take a look at the creation of a champlevé piece by jewelry maker Kira Scott, a friend of 3rd Ward teacher Max Goodman. Check out more of Scott's work on her blog and AnimaMetals Etsy page.

Want to create your own champlevé jewelry? Learn how in Enameling 2!

-- John Ruscher

ENAMELING UP CLOSE // Learn How to Create Cloisonné Jewelry in 3rd Ward's Enameling 2 Class!

We wear jewelry all the time, but the ways in which these beautiful accessories are created often remain a mystery. To shed some light on that we'll be taking a close-up look at some of the processes used in 3rd Ward's Enameling 2 class. First up is cloisonné!

Quick definition for you:

Cloisonné is the process of soldering an outline pattern onto a piece of metal, filling in the resulting compartments (cloisons in French) with colored enamel and then firing the piece in a kiln. This technique has been used to craft jewelry since at least the 12th century BC.

Below is a flower tri-pendant created by 3rd Ward jewelry teacher Max Goodman. Here's a description of the piece from her blog:

After painstakingly soldering the wire to the sterling silver sheet, I wet packed several layers of enamel and added some tubing for effect. I based the design on two separate art nouveau wallpaper patterns. When I’m out of formal ideas I return there often. The colors, though, are all my own. The entire piece is about 6″ long, and will hang in three parts.

Max Goodman's cloisonné tri-pendant before and after enameling.

Learn how to make cloissone pieces and more in Goodman's Enameling 2 class or get started with Intro to Enameling!

-- John Ruscher

MEMBER PROFILE // Jewelry Designer Bernice Kelly's On Fire

Irish designer Bernice Kelly works on small-scale pieces, but she dreams big. Her jewelry brand Macha—named for her Northern Ireland hometown (named after an ancient Gaelic mythological figure) is sold at Earnest Sewn in New York and select shops in cities worldwide.

At 3rd Ward’s jewelry studio, she’s found resources to match her vision. “I use it for all the projects that require bigger and better equipment than I own myself,” she says. “3rd Ward has some super big old oxy acetylene torches that aren't safe to have around the house. I do love to melt stuff!”

After working in corporate fashion design for nearly a decade, Kelly launched Macha in 2009 as an expression of her laid-back, non-fussy attitude and style. “I like to challenge traditional ideas about jewelry so am always experimenting with techniques to make metals appear more organic.”

Kelly, who shares tips with 3rd Ward’s “very approachable” jewelry instructors, wants to take classes across all different mediums. “Just throw yourself into the deep end, and don't be afraid to try something you have no idea about,” she advises new members. Her latest venture, a web design class, means exciting updates are coming to www.machajewelry.com. Stay tuned!

-- Cara Cannella  

MEMBER PURSUITS // Ellen Rose's Bold & Elegant Jewelry

Ellen Rose is not a timid jewelry maker. She uses everything from vintage silk ties to plastic vending machine toys to create bold and vibrant pieces. Her work is neither delicate or gaudy. It's sophisticated in a grandiose way—you might even say royal.

We checked in with Rose, a 3rd Ward member since January, and were excited to hear that one of her pieces, "Baltusrol Necklace," will be featured in an upcoming issue of BUST Magazine! The necklace is a typical Rose creation—a bright, flowing piece that grabs your attention with a beauty that is uninhibited but still subtle and thoughtfully composed.

Right now Rose is continuing to build her portfolio, which also includes her drawings—"detailed, pattern-based black ink pieces that are at once whimsical and macabre." She says that 3rd Ward has been a great home base for her work. "Apart from the facilities themselves, the atmosphere of serious, creative pursuit incites me to approach my work in the same way," she explains.

Roses' work is available from Anthropologie in Chelsea Market at Ninth Avenue and 15th Street in Manhattan and online from her Etsy shop. Check it out and pick up one of her excellent pieces! We're particularly enamoured of her "Night Lagoon" necklace.

Take a look at a couple of Ellen Rose creations below.

Ellen Rose's "Walrus Formal"

Ellen Rose's "Baltusrol Abridged II"

-- John Ruscher