Divine design!

What makes a successful design? It’s not necessarily the most popular colours and beads, but that certainly plays a part in the overall outcome. However, I like to think that designs that stand the test of time are probably the most successful.

René Lalique, immediately comes to mind, when I think of art glass. He was “a French glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewelery, chandeliers clocks and automobile hood ornaments.” He opened his own business in 1885, and “by 1890 was recognized as one of France’s foremost Art Nouveau jewellery designers”. His pieces are exquisite and unique!

Louis Comfort Tiffany “was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass.” “Tiffany designed stained glass windows and lamps, glass mosaics, blown glass, ceramics, jewelry, enamels and metalwork”. I just couldn’t pass up showing you some of his extreme eye candy!

Early Native American, turquoise jewelery pieces, make me absolutely weak in the knees. Green eyed jealousy (or should I say turquoise) hits, when I see some of them, but I’m sad to say, that I do not own a single piece!!! I have picked up a few turquoise pieces, over the years, but nothing that compares to these vintage ones, I spotted on Google. I'd be more than happy to wear them! Wouldn't you?

Both Lalique and Tiffany designed during the Art Nouveau period. Many of their pieces, (in fact, some of my favourites), were based on nature. A dragonfly is a dragonfly! It hasn’t changed over the years!! So, could we say that nature themed jewellery and art, have stood the test of time? Iconic Native American jewellery, and turquoise have as well! It’s also my belief that Haida, and West Coast Salish jewellery will eventually fall into that same category (as have the rest of their art). Their native imagery, carved out of silver, is by far my favourite, and I’m lucky enough to have been gifted with a wide, silver cuff, and a pair of earrings, while I was still living in Vancouver. I admit that the earring style is a bit dated, but the cuff continues to be a favourite. Imagine, a 2 inch wide, solid silver cuff, handcarved with a Thunderbird image, by a native artist (you’ll need to imagine it, because it’s too late to take a photo, and I didn’t realize that I was going to tell you about it). The piece was signed by the artist, and purchased for me, off a dock in Richmond, B.C. Who says that jewellery needs to be purchased in a store? It’s somehow just, that my fabulous bracelet, was purchased off a salmon fishing boat, for what was probably a steal! Art doesn’t always support the artist. Some need to actually get regular jobs, to make it work!!! ,

Well this post didn’t exactly go the way I imagined it! There’s nothing wrong with modern trends, but remember that you need to consider how long your pieces will last. Clean, classic pieces, created in the here and now, could be your legacy for future generations. Create them wisely!