What happens when you finally take a good look.
I've spent a surprising amount of time lately with jewelry spread across my dining room table.
Necklaces, rings, earrings, pieces I designed years ago, and a few things I'd almost forgotten about. Not exactly what the dining room was intended for, but it's getting plenty of use.
I've been a little quieter with the business lately. Not because I've lost interest. Quite the opposite.
I took some time to be with my family, play tennis (my other great love), and give myself room to think about what I wanted to make next. Sometimes stepping away from something gives you a better look at it.
And apparently, I needed a pretty big table.
A few things became clear
Looking at everything together, I started noticing connections I hadn't really considered before.
A particular curve showing up in several pieces. Strong geometric shapes. The same affection for color, proportion, and details that might go unnoticed at first glance.
Some of these designs were made years apart, but there was a common thread running through them.
I'd always thought about my jewelry in terms of individual collections. But seeing everything together, I began to recognize five distinct design languages that had been there all along.
Form is the strong shapes and geometric lines.
Fluid is everything soft, rounded, wavy.
Link is connection: my barleycorn chain and a new link I’ve been developing.
Rhythm is repetition and pattern, sometimes a graduation of color or shape.
Identity holds the more personal pieces, including the medallions.
Different approaches, but all very much mine.
It wasn't so much about changing what I'd made. More about understanding what had been there all along.
One thing leads to another
Of course, looking at older designs has a way of giving me ideas for new ones.
I've been particularly occupied with a link I've been developing. The JD Link began with the idea of bringing two shapes together, and I've been working through different proportions, connections, and ways to wear it.
A necklace. A bracelet. And already a few other possibilities I probably shouldn't get ahead of myself about.
That's usually how it goes. One idea rarely stays one idea for long.
Back to making things
I launched my jewelry line about six years ago, after spending nearly twenty years as a teacher. Not exactly the most conventional career change, but I've never regretted it.
Taking some time to look at where I've been has made me even more interested in where I want to go.
Rediscovering original pieces felt like opening my mother's jewelry box all over again. Familiar designs, but a whole new appreciation for them. Some I'm bringing back, others I'm reworking, and a few have inspired something entirely new.
More sculptural gold. More color. More of the pieces I keep thinking about long after I've put the sketches away.
And jewelry that's meant to be worn, not saved for some occasion that may or may not arrive.
I'll be sharing more of what I'm working on here, along with the things I notice, the objects I collect, and whatever else finds its way onto my table.
For now, the dining room is still very much occupied.
