Veronica

It's a drink order, a conversation starter, or a cry for help. Did you know one piece of jewelry could do all that? I named this set of silver necklaces after myself not to be narcissistic but because they, via my twisted sense of humor, are my solace during my sobriety. Being a mom involves a lot of sacrifices and while you are with child or nursing a child, a mommy's determination to protect is sometimes in direct opposition with certain hedonistic desires like:

VODKA - it goes with everything: pineapple juice, Red Bull, or even an orange ruffled halter top.

















BOURBON - bourbon and I had to learn to be friends. I always feel Southern drinking it, like I should speak with a drawl and declare that I have the vapors or something...which may be why people have stopped serving me bourbon. An interesting fact about bourbon that you may not know: the barrels used by the Jameson Whiskey Distillery are recycled bourbon barrels from America. So, there's a hint of bourbon in that Irish whiskey you are drinking.













GIN - on the contrary, Gin and I are old friends. It is what I crave most. For all you Twilight fans, if I were Edward, Gin would be my Bella blood. Icy cold with a whisper of vermouth and three green olives. That would be my martini. Alfred Hitchcock's recipe calls for five parts gin and a quick glance at a bottle of vermouth. While Winston Churchill adds gin and mere bow in the direction of France. The point is that it's all about the gin. It doesn't even have to be in a martini glass, serve it to me in a mason jar and I will be quite content. I miss you gin.












SCOTCH - one of the first lessons I learned in law school was that lawyers drink scotch. And unfortunately, that's all I remember.

So ladies, be bold, be wild, and be responsible: have a drink for me, I still have a ways to go.

Erica

I love yellow. I heard once that if you like yellow you could possibly be a lunatic. That may be true for me but not so much for my sister-in-law Erica. She taught me to love yellow. There used to be this woman I knew who wore these bright yellow pointy-toe heels and I thought her feet looked like taxicabs. But now, because of Erica and her sense of style, when I see the color I think of her and all things sunny and bright and happy... good beautiful things. I learned from Erica that yellow goes with almost anything, its not just a summer color but can bring a playful pop to your any day. These fun blue and yellow glass bead earrings are for her.

Alicia

Alicia the savior: I would not have made it through college without her. (There are several stories there, all of which may eventually compromise Alicia's potential political career so I shall purposefully omit.) In my relative maturity, I've learned a lot about friendship from Alicia. First and foremost, it is something to be treasured. Second, it, like all good things in life require perseverance. We've been friends for almost two decades and have not been without our ups and downs. I remember standing in Father Calero's office (our professor at the time) with Alicia and trying to explain to him how it came to be that we missed his lecture yet again. I don't remember all the nuances of the conversation but I do remember him telling us that all true friendships have disagreements, "A tested faith that survives becomes stronger." That statement didn't register then but it does now. Alicia and I have survived together and she is now one of my very best friends. This Murano glass heart and flame represents the Sacred Heart, which has a lot of personal meaning for us both. It reminds me of faith and survival both essential for friendship.

Robin

I have a lot of stories about my sister Robin, some of which I know I'm not supposed to share. While she may be embarrassed by this story, I think it shows how a belief in yourself and optimism can make anything happen.
Years ago, I had a flock of zebra finches. By "flock" I mean 16 finches that started as a gift of two. To clean the cage, I would let them loose in a closed room and they would fly around, stretch their wings, and land on the house plants. Miraculously, they would eventually fly back into the birdcage to roost in their little basket nests at night. However, on this occasion one rogue zebra finch would not return to her home and I was distressed something might happen to her while on the loose. She was out of the cage for three days when my sister came over to offer her help. I asked, "What are you going to do that I haven't already tried?" Her response, "Well, my name is Robin and that's a bird so maybe she'll just come to me." I could not contain my reaction to her explanation. I threw myself against the wall in fits of laughter and ended up rolling on the floor with side cramps. The woman was well into her 20's and this kind irrational hopeful thinking usually does not survive past the innocence of childhood. And yet, as I lay on the floor trying to compose myself, my sister extended her right hand over her head, held out her index finger, and closed her eyes. I kid you not, the little rogue zebra finch perched herself on my sister's finger. Robin took her other hand and gently enclosed the bird in her fist before placing in back into the birdcage with the rest of the little bird family.
This wood bead necklace is for her. The heart falls a little askew and off-center (as it sometimes should) and is decorated with the tiniest hummingbird. I've also included her own set of wings to be used as needed.

Helene

Garlic noodles at Crustacean: to eat them is to fall in love with them. How deep is that love? Well lets just say that after I die, I request that my internal organs be replaced with Crustacean's garlic noodles. I want to braid them in my hair and have the noodles fall around my shoulders as if I were a Pre-Raphaelite goddess emerging from a divine slumber. I want to wind them around my fingers and toes and have my lover sensuously suck them off before I kiss him in garlic-noodley passion. I want to string them in the eyelets of thigh high boots and walk around the earth surviving only off the sustenance of my garlic noodle laces. Yes, they are that good.
So, thank you executive chef of Crustacean, Helene An, for your delicious garlic noodles. I feel odd using the word "delicious" because it seems so pedestrian. The delight and joy that they bring to the mouth is beyond mere words. You inspired me to make these earrings, a little Asian fusion with carved red coral and German glass beads accented by the luster of tiny golden cubes.

Mari Paz

There were periods in history when women in Spain were totally prohibited from bullfighting. The contest between matador and bull is one of art and death and today still reserved, if not just culturally, for men. However, Mari Paz Vega is one of the very few professional female bullfighters in Spain. She succeeded where her brothers could not, yet it is doubtful that the bulls she faces in the ring give her deference for her gender. Despite your or my views about the humaneness of bullfighting, Mari Paz is an inspiration. She has supreme respect for the animals she kills and acknowledges, "Without the bull, I am nothing. Nothing."
The matador costume is called a "suit of lights" it is ornate and elegant, fitted more for the art of the dance rather than the ultimate bloody task. These long dangles are made to move like Mari Paz; elegant, dramatic, yet with fierceness of a real contender.

Sien and Rachel

While in Amsterdam, I made a vividly enhanced visit to the Van Gogh Museum. Years before, I saw my first Van Gogh painting in person at the LACMA and it was a spiritual experience. The flat 2 dimensional prints in my copy of Gardner's Art Through the Ages did not compare in the slightest. I cried as I stood in front of Vincent's Courtesan (1887). I could finally see the gravity of his painting; imagine the movement of his wrist and forearm in the length of the brush strokes and the amounts of paint saturating the bristles of his brush in the depths and textures covering the canvas. However, this time, in Amsterdam I don't remember such revelations but I was fascinated by what I learned about his life and his loves (or lack thereof). I remember the name of a woman he lived with, Sien. She was an alcoholic and a prostitute. She quite possibly bore him a son, but she was supposedly already pregnant when she met him, it is more likely she only gave him gonorrhea. Rachel was the name of another prostitute in Van Gogh's life. Reportedly when he cut off his hear he wrapped the missing piece and gave it to her.
I found these blue and white ceramic beads in Amsterdam. They remind me of Van Gogh and his obsession with Japanese woodblock prints. I think of the Courtesan and I imagine the women in his life. I wonder if these women drove him to insanity or saved him briefly from it.

Roberta

Over 40 years ago, my mom took a jewelry making class in college. She made some beautiful things including a prototype of her engagement ring (the real thing was later stolen and never replicated). The gold filigree elements and the light turquoise glass teardrops are vestigial components from my mom's creative college days, pieces she saved with a lot of other intentions. I love the way the teardrops are luminous even without the assistance of the afternoon light, they paired perfectly with pearls. So hopeful, so romantic.

Carmen

Shopping for my mother-in-law is an impossible task. There are at least three times a year I have to do this, Mother's Day, her birthday, and Christmas. She is the warm-hearted matriarch of a family of eight but she totally intimidates me. Every time I see her she gives me the most sincere hugs and I feel honored that she welcomes me so lovingly into her inner circle. I think it only helps our relationship that she only speaks Spanish and my Spanish-speaking skills are so lack-luster. Maybe this is why giving her a gift is such a daunting task for me, it's the only real opportunity I can express my appreciation and love for her.
This year, for her birthday I made something for her: a pair of stone earrings and a matching beaded necklace. The end product turned out to be something super simple, not too many elements. I matched the color of the wooden beads to the stones of the necklace and I used these special silver rosary beads that I had be saving for years. However, it took me almost 4 days to make it perfect. Since giving gifts of the homemade kind is not within the family custom, my husband and I also gave her a blouse to compliment the jewelry set. I still think the sentiment translated.

Silvia

Silvia is my sister-in-law.
She has three beautiful children for whom, I know she sacrifices everything. Two years ago, I brought her back some gold earrings from Madrid. I've only seen her wear these gold earrings and no others. She told me that they are the only ones she has. For her birthday I made her these, specifically because they match a brown sweater she always wears.