Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do. ~Neale Donald Walsch
I've seen statements every where lately claiming to use only the best materials, the highest grade stones. the best of this, the best of that. Do they really mean it, are they gem snobs, or do they really just want very much to capture your attention, jewelry after all is a very saturated field. Some artisan jewelers actually do use some pretty impressive stones and solid metals and I can guarantee you they are not selling their earrings for $20.oo! But when they make the statement, they back it up. It isn't snobbery, it's fact.
I am a brand snob preferring this milk over that, these green beans over those. But a gem snob I'm not. Oh I love the sparkling clear beauty of a Grade AAA gemstone but my jewelry is more than it 's components. The jewelry I make truly does come from within. A grade stones are gorgeous but they don't always have the "character" a lesser grade stone has. Those little imperfections that give it that "organic, from the earth" feel, the softer muted colors, or sometimes the deeper colors.
I am at heart an artisan first and foremost and while I love that sparkling clear gemstone if it doesn't have the color I'm after for the finished product in my head what good is it to me? An A grade Rose quartz with a very pale color might not work with what I have in mind, but a B grade that has a soft rosy color that complements that Chalcedony heart so well, that I'll use!
That doesn't mean I don't believe in using the best you can afford for the design, it just means I am willing to use whatever stone fits My design, in My head, in the Colors I see there. I do shop for high grade stones and I buy them. But I am also completely seduced by the character and colors of the other grade stones, the colors of jewelry yet to be.
Til next time!
Good Post. You are a true artist, wanting to use the materials that work best in your craft, weather they be grade a or not. I am a seedbeader, Sure I like to embelish what I make, with bigger beads. But I love the process of the beadweaving and sometimes wish people wouldn't be so snobby about sead beads. Maybe I don't use a bunch of pricey stones in my creations, but to me my pieces are valuable because of the amount of work I put into them.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :) That's exactly how I meant the post to come across! All beads have their place in design work. It's so incredibly limiting to only use one type of anything simply because it's perceived as "the best" Can you imagine never using a nice plump Czech rocaille again just because those little cylindrical Delica's are considered "the best" ahhhh no thank you!!
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