What's Your Jewelry Style

by Judy Larson

As a child of the late 60's and Early 70's, I find that many of my favorite and most worn pieces were ones I acquired then. They are more Southwest nature-oriented pieces that integrate well into my retirement wardrobe of jeans, t-shirts, and turtlenecks.

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But then I look in my jewelry boxes and see the beautiful pieces inherited from my Mother and Grandmother and at times love wearing those pieces from the 1920's through the 1950's. And pearls, oh my, pearls! I feel so dressed up, even in jeans, when wearing classic simple pearl jewelry.

I do not often repeat a design but will utilize the same configuration in different ways. I love the juxtaposition of the luminescence of white pearls paired with the ruggedness of black rocks and combine them quite often. While working on a Nature Inspired design around a rock and a stick pearl, I realized the basic configuration could lend itself to how I see jewelry and the three different categories I tend to separate it into: Classic Traditional, Retro, and Nature Inspired. This is what I came up with.

Classic Traditional: This jewelry has simple clean lines. The jewelry may not contain a lot of different colors, but when it does, the colors tend to be softer and more muted. The metal is usually bight and shiny with no patina added. There will sometimes be a bit of added sparkle. I could see a clear CZ set below the pearl to the upper right of the stone.

Judy Larson's What's Your Jewelry Style - , General Education, , what's your jewelry style

Retro: I see this jewelry as fun and funky but not fussy. Designs and/or embellishments are based on architectural elements, news, science, and discoveries of a specific time in the last 50 to 75 years. The embellishment on this piece was inspired by the hallway wallpaper in my daughter's mid-century modern home. "Happy" colors are used in this category. The metal will either be bright and shiny, or a bit of patina will be added. If patina is added, the majority will be removed so the metal will still sparkle.

Nature Inspired: Designs and embellishments are inspired by nature. Colors used tend to be more earth toned. There will always be patina added to highlight the designs.

There are many natural and cultural elements added to that jewelry created by different cultures around the world so I put designs from other cultures here as a sub-category.

What style are you drawn to? Many of us tend to stick to one style and get in a rut. Branch out a bit. We don't all have the same tastes. Challenge yourself make a basic design in several different ways/styles to appeal to different people. You might just surprise yourself with a new line of jewelry!

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Deluxe Soldering Kit

G15-5

G15-5
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $116.97
Gold Club Price: $87.73

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Category: General Education
Technique(s): General Education

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Judy Larson

My philosophy has always been "I will never live long enough to learn everything I want to learn, go everywhere I want to go and see everything I want to see!" So, what I make and how I create it is always changing and evolving. I was born shortly after WWII to parents who grew up during the Depression. They always had a "we can do it, we can make it" attitude which rubbed off on my two younger brothers and me. My brothers are amazing and can make and do ANYTHING! When I was a little girl, my mother gave me an old carved cigar box, which I cherish, filled with pop beads, wooden beads and yarn for stringing. That was the beginning of my jewelry making journey.

On a visit to the Grand Canyon when I was a young woman, I was fortunate enough to help a Native American silversmith sand cast my first silver bracelet and bezel set a large turquoise nugget on top. I was in love, hook, line and sinker! While working full time and having a family here in northern Minnesota, my artistic endeavors slowed down but never stopped. I am an artist, scrapbooker, seamstress, woodworker and jewelry artisan. Now that I am retired, I am able to indulge in all my hobbies. However, there just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all, but I try!

I have been teaching community education beginner and intermediate jewelry making classes since my retirement. Many of my students have been bitten so hard by the jewelry making bug that they say I have turned them into monsters-they just can't get enough. Making jewelry, seeing something take shape from small bits and pieces, is so rewarding that I hope it brings out the "monster" in you, too!

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