Let There Be Rock

There are endless forms of rock inspiration of all sorts out there, and here are just a few:

This little beauty is for SALE on the website! It would make your finger the happiest finger in the whole world. Go check it out!

Sapphire has long symbolized truth, sincerity, and faithfulness.It is also said that Pink Sapphires promote passion, emotional healing, and will help the wearer overcome
shyness. Yes, please.

Couldn’t we all use some rock pillow romping?

beautiful stones by http://wolkentanzer.deviantart.com/

Hmmm… what do you think about living in a rock?

Post Sandy Post

I definitely have never experienced a more intense two weeks than what we just went through. A hurricane, flood, power outage, nail biting election, and a blizzard to top it all off. I hope we can all now take a big, long collective inhale and exhale, and get back to as normal as possible. My heart goes out to all who have lost so much in the wake of Sandy.

I went to the Hudson River as Sandy was just hitting NYC and shot these pictures of the water already coming over the walkways. By the storm’s end the water rose another 11 feet and devastated homes and businesses up and down lower Manhattan.

The power went out and remained out for five days where I live. We did go uptown a couple of times to my in-laws where life was normal to bathe and charge up phones, computers, etc. While I don’t want to live without electricity for an extended amount of time, I will admit that there was quite a bit to enjoy in the quiet of a disconnected world. We did have gas and cold running water, which made life completely bearable.  

Here are a couple of nighttime views from my building:

I’m sure you read about the damaged crane that hung over 57th St.:

One positive outcome of the storm is that I discovered some products that really enhanced life in the dark that you may want to check out and put in your own emergency kit. I found that a good headlamp was infinitely better than a hand-held flashlight; it threw much more light than the average flashlight and left my hands free. The little Gorilla lamps also worked amazingly well to keep the dark at bay. Both of these great illuminating devices are available at BandH (the photography supply store) for very reasonable prices. Another thing I’m thinking of investing in is a small camp stove in case next time (hopefully there wont be a next time) the gas lines are down and I wouldn’t be able to cook. Any suggestions?

Despite the Sandy devastation in NY and NJ, the political wheels kept turning. I love how Rockefeller Plaza posts election results in the ice skating rink:

I think I’d better get a new pair of snow boots if this is any kind of warning about the winter to come. I discovered in this storm that my old ones are no longer waterproof!

Whew! I really hope the next two weeks are completely boring. 

Of Rhino and Other Beasts

About 10 or so years ago several people in the jewelry industry were prophesizing that computer design was the wave of the future and that if I didn’t get on board and learn Computer Assisted Design (CAD), I’d be left choking in the dust. I quickly went out and bought Rhino which was and continues to be the 3-D program of choice for jewelry. Somehow I had the idea that a program that shared the name with an animal I loved would be sweet and cuddly. HA!

I had decent, basic Photoshop and Illustrator skills, but quickly decided that the reason the program was named Rhino was because it was a BEAST! I put it back on the shelf where it sat for about the next decade (where that edition went from being a Rhinoceros to a total dinosaur), while I merrily continued designing by hand. Then, about a year and a half ago I was doing a lot of freelance design work for a company that wanted me to learn CAD. I was actually sent to a 4 day intensive class just outside of Whitefish, Montana taught by Lauren Pipkorn, a very talented, award winning jewelry designer from New York. Despite lots of brain-bending work I had a great time and came away with tons of inspiration about how to better my design life with the program.

Six months later I went to another 4 day intensive level 2 Rhino class taught by Lauren – this time in Sarasota, Florida. If you have to go and break your brain, you might as well do it somewhere nice, right?!

Now I have really come to love the beast, Rhino, and use it as I would any other jewelry tool – sometimes it is great for a project and can save me time as well as money, and sometimes it’s still best to do it the old fashioned way. I honestly never thought I would “get it”. But with lots of tries and mistakes, and especially a great teacher (that I call frequently and pester with questions!) I now think of the program as “air sculpture” – similar to air guitar, but without the arm waving.

Here are images of the new Aroc Urtu basket ring that I created in Rhino:

This image below is a computer rendering of the ring to see how it would look in real life – I can then make the changes I need without wasting time, metal and headaches:

And…. TA DAH…  here are a few of the finished rings!

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Have you had to learn or do something that scared you to death, but you came away loving it? I’d love to hear about it!

Falling Slowly

It’s been a long, slow passing into Autumn this year. I think I was in denial that it was really going to actually happen. But now with the cooler temperatures, putting my boots back on and bringing out the woolens, I am thoroughly enjoying it! What was my problem? Nothing to dread at all.

My neighborhood – all dressed up in its early fall colors:

Ezra is minimally aware of the change in seasons. He’s hard at work interrupting production.

I love the fall foliage colors in these tumbled watermelon tourmaline pieces:

I still have songbirds up on the roof – this little guy hangs around really close to me, singing his heart out. If he were human, he’s be a true romantic.

and… AND… Halloween is coming! There is an explosion of these oh-so-cool glitter pumpkins in shop windows all over the city. I love them and want to make some little ones! Does anyone know how? Let me know if you have any tips!

Road Trip

I have a mad hankering to go off on a road trip. No particular destination in mind. Just somewhere, or anywhere. But warm. That’s my only criterion. Oh and pretty, but it can be pretty in a rustic, stark kind of way or lush and verdant. It makes no matter; I am just craving a journey – or an adventure. Does anyone out there know if there is a difference?

I drove through Death Valley three years ago and the memories and photos of the trip percolated into the basis of Aroc Urtu’s 2013 Spring/Summer collection (more to come on that later). Here’s a peek:

Pictured here are my top choices for how to get from Point A to Point B while cruising through some breathtaking landscape. I don’t think the top one really exists, but at this point neither does my trip, so bear with me.

These are snaps from Death Valley. So stunning! Have you taken a great road trip recently? Any suggestions?

No Stone Unturned

… or turned into something that makes us laugh or simply pause. Here are some images from a couple of artists who put their own twist on natural formations. Very cool, right?        

Sculptures by artist Hirotoshi Ito:

And Shane Hart’s Upala Yoga Stone Sculptures: 

“The art and practice of stone balancing has been cultivated around the world for thousands of years. It’s known by names such as Land Art, Awareness Art, Petromancy and Earthworks. I call it Upala Yoga (Stone Yoga). Upala and Yoga are Sanskrit words; Upala means stone and Yoga means union. Upala Yoga is temporal, hours can be spent on a sculpture and a subtle vibration or light wind can take it down in an instant. It’s a meditative art that evokes a sense of amazement, focuses our attention in the moment, and challenges us to examine our attachment to the material world.”

What do you do with rocks?

Newness(es)

I’m putting up some pics of things that are new – or at least new to me that I have come across (or made) in the past week or so. Have fun!

I can’t take how cute this is – the owner assured me that the dye is all natural and not at all harmful to this little guy. Yes, he’s a boy!

And how amazing is this stained (plexi)glass water tower by the artist Tom Fruin?! It was incredible to climb inside and view the Manhattan skyline.

And now for Aroc Urtu’s newness……

…sweet mismatched sapphire and diamond earrings…

…pale emerald, fire opal, and diamond rings…

…rutilated quartz, diamonds, gold, silver necklaces!

Do you have a favorite?