Have you ever seen the vibrant, breathtaking colors of the saris and jewelry in an Indian wedding? Absolutely stunning! Ruby, emerald, sapphire, gold, bright orange, the deepest of reds...all woven together in beautiful embroidered patterns of bursts and paisley, studded in yards and yards of the most exquisite silk fabric - silk like you've never seen before. And the exquisite jewelry! Of course traditionally it's always been pure gold, but now with the birth and growth of beautiful imitation, it gives the wearer of the jewelry a bit of a break in terms of weight and cost. Each outfit is just an absolute magical combination of color and while we might think the adjacent colors may clash, somehow they come together beautifully. It's a time of joy, spirit, celebration, and unity - all so reflected in wardrobe!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Indian Weddings
Have you ever seen the vibrant, breathtaking colors of the saris and jewelry in an Indian wedding? Absolutely stunning! Ruby, emerald, sapphire, gold, bright orange, the deepest of reds...all woven together in beautiful embroidered patterns of bursts and paisley, studded in yards and yards of the most exquisite silk fabric - silk like you've never seen before. And the exquisite jewelry! Of course traditionally it's always been pure gold, but now with the birth and growth of beautiful imitation, it gives the wearer of the jewelry a bit of a break in terms of weight and cost. Each outfit is just an absolute magical combination of color and while we might think the adjacent colors may clash, somehow they come together beautifully. It's a time of joy, spirit, celebration, and unity - all so reflected in wardrobe!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Mini History of Jewelry
Since the dawn of time, various civilizations have used all kinds of adornments to symbolize beauty, fashion, status, possession, culture, belonging, magical powers, mood, and faith – especially in warding off evil. Amazing isn’t it? It’s likely that you may have not given that much thought to the trinket other than as its role as an accessory to your new wardrobe.
Traditional ornaments for the body were made of seeds, twigs, berries, leather, ivory, shells, horn, bone, feathers, and various other findings amongst the landscape. Found objects in the day of primitive man were considered very precious and were worn and showcased on the body as prized possessions, although the jewelry so created was very organic in its construction. Stories were told and memories were cast between all the little findings woven together in full circle – quite a mesmerizing concept.
Over time, as religion started to play a greater role in historical civilizations, jewelry espoused one’s convictions and belief system and began to take on a deeper symbolic role – that still exists today. Think about how many times you’ve seen someone with a religious symbol strewn on a simple chain dangling as a pendant. Precious stones were thought to contain certain protective powers and curative properties (both of which are still believed by many today) and precious metals were connected with worship. Thus, composition of jewelry became a little more sophisticated and pursuant to that its scope of placement on the body broadened. Hence we saw the dawning of earrings, hair jewelry, rings, etc. Eventually jewelry in the role of functionality blossomed – like the watch or the belt or barrettes for example, and so was born the category of accessories! Stay tuned for more on that one!
Today, jewelry still holds most if not all of its original values. The artists that create it have such a wonderful and monumental task of ensuring it is represented in the most expressive way – a real tribute to it evolution and meaning to man.
Traditional ornaments for the body were made of seeds, twigs, berries, leather, ivory, shells, horn, bone, feathers, and various other findings amongst the landscape. Found objects in the day of primitive man were considered very precious and were worn and showcased on the body as prized possessions, although the jewelry so created was very organic in its construction. Stories were told and memories were cast between all the little findings woven together in full circle – quite a mesmerizing concept.
Over time, as religion started to play a greater role in historical civilizations, jewelry espoused one’s convictions and belief system and began to take on a deeper symbolic role – that still exists today. Think about how many times you’ve seen someone with a religious symbol strewn on a simple chain dangling as a pendant. Precious stones were thought to contain certain protective powers and curative properties (both of which are still believed by many today) and precious metals were connected with worship. Thus, composition of jewelry became a little more sophisticated and pursuant to that its scope of placement on the body broadened. Hence we saw the dawning of earrings, hair jewelry, rings, etc. Eventually jewelry in the role of functionality blossomed – like the watch or the belt or barrettes for example, and so was born the category of accessories! Stay tuned for more on that one!
Today, jewelry still holds most if not all of its original values. The artists that create it have such a wonderful and monumental task of ensuring it is represented in the most expressive way – a real tribute to it evolution and meaning to man.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
We are back!
Sorry it's been this long since our last post. It has been a busy few weeks. We are often asked about the artisans on and soon-to-be-on the site and thought it would be a nice idea to tell their stories every so often. So here's the first...her artisan name is Asha.
She is simple, creative, and peaceful. Her art flows from the heart and is boundless. She makes jewelry that resembles visions she sees in her dreams and her reflections. Each piece of jewelry is made one at a time, handcrafted with care and precision. She sees each creation as a new birth and dedicates her craft to the birth of every child, calf, seedling, idea, star, friendship, and beyond. She is truly blessed to be a witness to the magic that unfolds before her. And thus she is inspired. Asha is delightful and she is real.
The magic that comes from within each artisan is so amazing. We salute and respect each and every one.
She is simple, creative, and peaceful. Her art flows from the heart and is boundless. She makes jewelry that resembles visions she sees in her dreams and her reflections. Each piece of jewelry is made one at a time, handcrafted with care and precision. She sees each creation as a new birth and dedicates her craft to the birth of every child, calf, seedling, idea, star, friendship, and beyond. She is truly blessed to be a witness to the magic that unfolds before her. And thus she is inspired. Asha is delightful and she is real.
The magic that comes from within each artisan is so amazing. We salute and respect each and every one.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Mary Frances Handbags
Have you ever seen Mary Frances handbags? Exquisite!! The first time we saw these, we totally fell in love. It's hard to believe that these are all handmade. Mary Frances designs about 250 handbags a year and retires a set of them every season, so over time, the value of these bags actually goes up! Very smart in so many ways. These handbags are so incredibly designed and crafted. Colorful stones, exquisite fabrics, flighty feathers, meandering beads, shiny metals, silky threads, sparkly crystals - all like you've never seen before - coming together in a handbag so chic and so yummy, you will want want one! We'll publish more about this collection soon, but until then, if you'd like to see more, click here.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A First!
BodyBlingOnline.com joins the blogging world! OK, so maybe it's about time, but we have had such a great time putting together the site and making it come to life. With tremendous gratitude we thank our artisans, our visitors, and our ambassadors for making the last few months such a success. We have learned much and lived much. But we realize this is only the beginning. We now reach for the next star in the sky for inspiration, for depth, for destiny. We remain as always, Yours in Bling.
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