A True Bricoleur

This week I received a wonderful package in the mail- a beautiful hand-crafted ring from Dan Kemp in Iowa. I feel very lucky to wear this piece. He has superb craftsmanship and a truly professional finish to his work. All made from recycled materials in the back of his caravan studio.

'Everything around us has a story to tell and I take pride in giving my materials a second life as a piece of art. In particular the reused silverware jewelry inspires me to reflect on the materials' past life. At a flea market, I found an old spoon with lots of visible wear on one side of its bowl and I couldn't help wondering who owned that spoon and how many homemade meals they must have eaten with it.' - Dan Kemp

His unique pieces have wonderfully whimsical names like- Evening Star, Narcissus, Orange Blossom, First Love, Daybreak and Woodland Rose.

Fashion

A few things I am currently fond of. Fashion photography is a fun art form. I love the mix of fashion, textures, accessories, hair, make-up, exotic locations and gorgeous creatures.

All images from: http://ilovewildfox.com/  www.flowergrowswild.com   www.dailybohemia.com

Jewels

Here is a collection of my favourite jewellers at the moment- I hate the cheap rip off shops mass producing tacky reproductions of things. Nothing compares to the real thing.

 

Wellington, New Zealand (now based in New York) jewellers D_Luxe make beautiful crafted rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. They are getting a lot of coverage later which is well deserved. 

www.d-luxe.co.nz

Isaac Ibbotson is a jeweller from Nelson, New Zealand. He works mostly with silver, gold and native woods. http://www.quoil.co.nz/artists/isaac_ibbotson/

This clever jeweller created the ring from The Lord of the Rings but have many other wonderful pieces. Incredible craftmanship. www.jenshansen.com

Dan Kemp is a jeweller from Ames, Iowa, USA. He creates elaborate gorgeous pieces from mostly recycled products- a true bricoleur. http://www.etsy.com/people/dankartistry?ref=ls_profile