July 20, 2012

Distracted by a Rock

A few days ago, I was reading through the Jewelry on Etsy Team chat thread, and there was this photo of this wonderful bracelet by my friend Ida of Adroit Jewelers.
Sterling Silver Bracelet Pinky Promise
Now I don't have to tell you that Ida creates beautiful jewelry, because one look at this photo will have already convinced you of that. And I don't have to encourage you to visit her shop, because you're probably on your way there right now. And you're in for a treat for sure!

Ida works wonders with wire. When touched by her gifted hands, a strand of recycled sterling silver finds new life as a sweet dragonfly ...
Dragonfly Earrings
And piece of sea glass from the beach does double duty as a functional eyeglass holder and gorgeous one of a kind pin.
Genuine Sea Glass Eyeglass Holder Pin
No wonder I can't resist visiting Ida's shop again and again! Not only do I admire her work tremendouslt, by Down East Maine reckoning, she's practically a neighbor - meaning we both live in the same county!

Which brings me back to the inspiration for this post. Rocks. Yep, rocks. Now you may be thinking, since I'm a jewelry designer myself, I'm talking about gemstones. No, I mean the kind of rocks Ida and I both know so well - the rocks we trip over on the "rockbound coast of Maine," that seem to spring up like weeds in our gardens, that make fabulous photo props for our jewelry.

Take another look at the rock in the first photo. Ida has used it perfectly to display her bracelet. It's natural, unassuming, and exactly the right shape to hold "Pinky Promise" up to the camera!

And again ... an imaginative use of a rock!
Amazonite non-pierced sterling silver wire slip on hoop earrings
So ... distracted by rocks, I remembered a story.

It was probably about twenty years ago when, spading up a patch of lawn for a new vegetable garden, I unearthed this delightful specimen -

My first thought - and I still adhere to this opinion - was: "Picasso!" No, no, no, not picasso jasper - Picasso the artist. I think my rock looks like it might belong in Joe's vintage copy of Aristophanes' Lysistrata, illustrated by Pablo himself.


Bearing in mind that 99.9% of the time Joe and I see eye to eye on almost any subject, you can imagine how I anticipated hearing him say "Picasso!" when I handed him my find.

Well. He took it in his hand, turned it this way and that, pondered awhile, and then said ... "General de Gaulle?"
Since that day, "General de Gaulle" has earned his keep in manifold ways, serving as door stop, paperweight and, more recently, photo prop.

In this shot, he wears a cuff on his nose ...


And here he's sporting a pair of earrings ...

Copper becomes him, don't you think? 


Well, after all, those are French style earwires.


Here's a rock that makes me think of a potato.

Which reminds me, it's time for me to start cooking. 
Maybe Ida will drop by for dinner.

©2012 Rough Magic Creations.

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for this delightful musing. Funny how we can become so fond of simple objects.

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    1. Absolutely! They have such distinct personalities, don't they? Or, as with Picasso/de Gaulle, maybe they simply reflect ours ...?

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  2. What a WONDERFUL, descriptive, enlightening, and FUN post ... I never knew you and Ida were basically neighbors ... and share the same affection for rocks that most of us pass by without a glance.

    Perhaps my rock garden is the beach...similar findings there.

    I'll tell ya what, Mollie...I would sure like to drop by for dinner. Keep up the super great posts!!

    xxoo Pam

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    1. Yep, Ida and I are only about 30 miles apart - just a "stone's" throw by Maine standards. I wonder how many times we've passed each other on the sidewalk or in a shop and never realized ...

      Hey, head on up the coast for dinner any time! I just stocked the pantry with real spuds! :)

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  3. Mollie, what a wonderful surprise to have you include me in this lovely post! You have a great talent with words! Thank you so much! : )

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    1. Hey Ida! I had such a wonderful time writing it up! :) So happy you like it!

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  4. What a great post. AJ will be beaming.

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  5. I love this post, Mollie. What a fun, lovely way to spotlight the talented Ida of Adroit Jewelers.

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    1. So glad you enjoyed it, Norah! I had a wonderful time writing it ... and I have lots more rocks around that look like ... oh, this and that. ;)

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