Handmade Custom Jewelry: Pairs well with Everything!
One of my business goals for this year was more collaboration with other creatives; not only to increase my network but also for the refilling of the creative cup that comes along with working with highly motivated, creative, entrepreneurs.
I had the opportunity to head out of the store not too long ago to do just that! I was thrilled to join Cathleen Titcomb of Curious Fox Press in her studio for a photo session- fine, handmade custom jewelry and fine, handmade, custom, stationary! We had a wonderful afternoon of brainstorming, styling, photographing, chatting, and getting to know more about each other’s businesses.
Cathleen has many of the same philosophies that we do at Hunt Country Jewelers- mainly, that there is something indefinably special about small batch, handmade, fine pieces. We work in gold and gemstones and she works in paper and ink, but the concepts are the same. What a joy to find such a kindred spirit right down the road! We are both in the business of helping people commemorate their best days with visual, concrete products that last long beyond the day itself to always serve as reminders of those happy times. Weddings, new babies, anniversaries, milestones in business and life- they all deserve a beautiful announcement and a beautiful gem to celebrate. And Cathleen and I are both on the same page about another thing- we work hard to create the external beauty to match the internal beauty of those moments, using only the finest materials, and taking the time to make each piece by hand, with love.
The Curious Fox Press studios are much like ours- full of equipment that not many people use anymore! I was so excited to see the antique printing presses, the type setting cabinets with all their original letters in tiny organized drawers, the reams of handmade papers. It’s the same thrill I get when I stop to think about our studio- antique jewelers benches spread with wax and handmade carving tools, trays of glittering gemstones cut by Claire and waiting for homes in Ed and Logan’s mountings, refining equipment that most of the industry doesn’t bother with anymore. It’s a philosophy, a way of life and working- our hands are capable of so much, what a gift that is! And when we take the time to print each wedding invitation by hand, turning the wheel of the antique press, adjusting the lettering until it’s perfect; when we take the time to carve each setting individually, cut each facet carefully, design each piece thoughtfully, it becomes not just a gift to use our hands, but a gift we can share.
So let me share some of the images we created; I was inspired and I hope you are too! The diamond ring was a custom commissioned piece, but the aqua ring and the fox brooch are in stock and available- browse our Original 18K and Platinum Jewelry page to see what else is currently ready to ship, just in time for Christmas!
