I wish I had all kinds of lovely theme inspired jewelry to show you, but I don't. Theme jewelry is something I've made very little of. Why? I really don't know; it just doesn't interest me. Perhaps a theme makes me feel too boxed in creatively. Maybe it's too seasonal if one thinks of holiday themed jewelry.
Lots of people make themed jewelry and it certainly is popular to wear, but knowing that still doesn't get me excited. While I appreciate that much of the theme jewelry being made supports worthy causes such as breast cancer awareness, autism, domestic abuse and animal shelters, I'd rather support those causes in other ways.
Holiday jewelry is cute and fun, but it can only be worn certain times of the year, making it rather limited in my eyes.
As I'm writing this, though, it occurs to me that most jewelry follows themes. It could be a certain color theme or a style such as steam punk, bohemian, classic, modern or romantic. Perhaps it's wedding jewelry, children's jewelry or jewelry for men. Or maybe it incorporates specific materials such as diamonds, semi precious stones, pearls, polymer clay beads, lamp work glass creations and metals such as gold, silver or copper. It could be a technique like bead weaving, looming, wire wrapping, metal smithing, macrame or stringing. Sometimes it's a topic such as the beach, animals, nautical or flowers.
So, yea. Looking at it that way I guess most every jewelry designer makes theme jewelry.
Which means I have pictures to share after all!
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| An attempt at Halloween jewelry. I actually like this design and plan to continue improving and refining it. |
A project near and dear to my heart - pet memorial bracelets.
After writing this blog post, I've come to the conclusion that all jewelry creations are based on themes. Some are more obvious than others, but it seems as though it would be pretty much impossible to not have some sort of theme.
To see what other members of the Jewelry Artisans Community have to say about themes, please click on the links provided below.
Violetmoon's Corner
The Crafty Chimp
Cat's Wire
Echoes of Ela
Wow, look at you being first to show and tell. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of pet memorial jewelry, I have seen it here done with hair from horses, were they braid them into bracelet so you can keep your loved one near to you.
Thank you! Love the idea of a horse hair bracelet - what a wonderful keepsake that would be.
DeleteIt's funny, I pretty much came to the same conclusion about theme jewelry.
ReplyDeleteI guess what we often really mean with the term is that there is a whole series or someone is concentrating on obvious themes.
This topic really made me think.
Cat, I spent days thinking about how to approach this topic, but it wasn't until I started writing it that it came together. I guess all that thinking cleared my head!
DeleteDawn, I totally agree! All jewelry is theme jewelry to a degree! I suppose it is up to us who create it to put out our own interpretation and hope someone will love it enough to make it theirs! I adore all of your designs, but the painted pendants have a special place in my heart!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Karin! I'm working on some new ones that will be ready to show soon.
ReplyDeleteThe effort that was put into this topic tells me how much all of the participants care about the work that they produce.