23 Thursday Apr 2015
Posted in Birthstones, Holiday, Information, inspiration, Travel
Tags
April, birthstone, colored diamonds, diamond, diamonds, gems, State Parks, Travel
It’s true. At the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas you can hunt for diamonds. There is a small entrance fee for the park but all diamonds are finders keepers. Below are some examples of the diamonds found at the park. http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com
Examples of diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
05 Sunday Apr 2015
Posted in Birthstones, Holiday
Tags
April, birthstone, colored diamonds, colored stones, diamond, diamonds, Easter, gems
Diamonds come in many colors. Thought this grouping looked lovely for Easter.
03 Friday Apr 2015
Posted in Birthstones, inspiration
Tags
April, birthstone, design, diamond, Diamond Ring, gems, jewellery, jewelry, ring
April’s birthstone is the diamond, so this month I will be featuring posts about diamonds starting with an all diamond ring. You can learn more about it here http://ibnlive.in.com/news/photos-worlds-first-alldiamond-ring-is-150-carat-70-million-and-literally-carved-from-a-single-diamond-with-no-metal-support/469889-79.html
13 Monday Oct 2008
Posted in Event, inspiration, Thanks
I want to thank everyone that helped to make my studio open house this past Saturday a huge success. It was a ton of fun and sales were good. Thank you all for your continued support and inspiration, I couldn’t do it with out you.
The difference a year makes.
My first open house 10.5.07
Open house 10.11.08
11 Saturday Oct 2008
Posted in Event
Tonight I am opening my studio from 6 – 9 PM for the Ballard Second Saturday ArtWalk. The studio is located in Salty Dog Studios at: 4602 14th Ave NW Seattle WA 98107.
Come see where I design and create, have a glass of wine, and buy jewelry. The holidays are upon us and it’s never too early to start your shopping. The pieces range in price from $25.00 to $350.00. I need to let you know that I am only able to accept cash and checks at this time; if you wish to purchase a piece using a credit or debit card you may do so at my online store AlisonTrowbridge.esty.com
Just about one year ago I had my first open house after starting this venture and in the amount of time that I had been making jewelry I felt like I had accomplished a lot. After reviewing the photos of last years open house however, the offerings seemed a little thin. I’ll have to take some photos of tonights gathering so we can see what a difference a year makes.
My friend Randi Starup, an amazing painter, will also have her studio open this evening and is a must see. Her paintings are inspired by nature, but don’t expect to see any landscapes.
25 Thursday Sep 2008
Posted in thoughts
the earrings
The other day I sent a pair of earrings to a customer in Belgium; which immediately made me think of chocolate.
After stopping by the store for some locally made chocolate, I began to think more about the country of Belgium itself and actually became a little jealous of the earrings I had sent and all the things they will witness as they dangle from the ears of their new owner. If only I could have put myself in the envelope.
This jealousy led me to searching the web for more information on Belgium and looking up various travel packages. During the search I was reminded of all the fabulous Flemish art and architecture I had studied in school: Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Surrealist Rene Magritte, Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens, art nouveau architects Victor Horta and Paul Hankar just to name a few. Add to this all the gastronomic treats and I’m truly inspired to visit Belgium, hopefully sooner than later, and all because I’m jealous of a pair of earrings.
17 Wednesday Sep 2008
Posted in inspiration
Tags
Wendy Ramshaw, Chain of Tears for Weeping Woman, 1998
I think this was my first ah-ha moment after realizing that I wanted to pursue jewelry design as a career, it also helped me realize that I made the right choice.
One very cold New Year’s day in NYC I was standing in line with a friend, and just about every tourist in the city, to see a Jackson Pollack exhibit at MoMA. After standing in line for a while, and slowly feeling my nose, chin, and toes go numb, my friend and I realized that by the time we got to the front of the line the museum would be most likely be closed or closing. We quickly looked around to see if there was any place we could go to warm up and regroup, when I noticed that right across the street is the American Craft Museum. Why did I not realize this before? We quickly ran across the street and into the warmth of the museum. It happened to be the last day of the Picasso’s Ladies: Jewellery by Wendy Ramshaw exhibit. She had designed jewelry for the woman that Picasso painted matching the style and feel of each painting. Her designs truly inspired me to look at designing jewelry in a different way and to look for inspiration for my own designs from different areas of my life than I previously had.
I love moments like this one, the happy accidents, had we gotten in to the Jackson Pollock exhibit I would never have found this inspiration that still influences me today. This ah-ha moment happened almost 10 years ago now, but I still think of it when I’m looking for new inspiration for my jewelry.
16 Tuesday Sep 2008
Posted in First Post
Tags
I have finally been convinced, despite my stubborn resistance, to join the rest of the world in blogging. I never really caught on to the whole blog phenomenon so this will be an interesting experience.
My blog will mainly be about design, things that influence my own jewelry designs, and I will most likely throw in a few things here and there that have nothing to do with design as I feel the need.
Alison Trowbridge Designs Weblog 