Artisans Talk About How the Year Has Been
The Sparkle Christmas and NCCC Craft Fair were held, respectively, on Dec. 5 and 6, in Saranac Lake.
Though shoppers seemed to be cautious overall, a number of artisans such as Lisa Nortz, Silver Bench; Lis Barsuglia-Madsen, Heirlooms; Carol Clarridge, Whiteface Mountain Gourmet Syrup; Rose Bartiss, Rose's Goats - Goats Milk Soap, and Sharon Benesch, Benesch Creative Enterprises (via recent phone call) all had a good year.
Lisa Nortz' skilled and creative jewelry worksmanship has this exquisite handmade feel/look that has customers coming back each year to find her at the shows she regularly attends. She wears a beautiful collection of her work including a bracelet and ring she made during high school and a pendant necklace with free form glass stone on sterling silver triangle. She has received custom orders from her collection, particularly of the pendant necklace. Sadly, she will probably not come to Buyer Days (March 31/April 1, 2010) this year. She is making practical and sensible choices. Buyer Days had become more of a occasion to catch up with others while escaping cabin fever in Saratoga Springs than a show where she was making money the last few years.
Her niece, Emily Mae Widrick, Silver Streams Jewelry, a jeweler for the last few years, shows similiarities in style with Lisa, and Butch and Pat Bramhall, her grandparents as well as Lisa's parents, from whom she has learned yet she is already finding her own style. I see I had already picked up her card last year as well someplace along my travels.
All of the above make their own chains. And the richness of that silver work sets them apart.
Another jeweler who was a delight to find at the NCCC Craft Fair was Edison Collections. While training to become an airplane mechanic and laid-up last early winter, he decided to make jewelry out of found materials as Christmas presents. Now he and his girlfriend already have a number of accounts in the Lake Placid area!
Their style, presentation (ie., business card is also earring display) and use of found and recycled is distinctive. The jeweler showed me how he had polished the ironslug residue from the mines of yesteryear to create pendants. I have myself collected these pieces for their beautiful blue color and was delighted to see it used.
I'll be back tommorrw to post a few more tales from the front-line.
Though shoppers seemed to be cautious overall, a number of artisans such as Lisa Nortz, Silver Bench; Lis Barsuglia-Madsen, Heirlooms; Carol Clarridge, Whiteface Mountain Gourmet Syrup; Rose Bartiss, Rose's Goats - Goats Milk Soap, and Sharon Benesch, Benesch Creative Enterprises (via recent phone call) all had a good year.
Lisa Nortz' skilled and creative jewelry worksmanship has this exquisite handmade feel/look that has customers coming back each year to find her at the shows she regularly attends. She wears a beautiful collection of her work including a bracelet and ring she made during high school and a pendant necklace with free form glass stone on sterling silver triangle. She has received custom orders from her collection, particularly of the pendant necklace. Sadly, she will probably not come to Buyer Days (March 31/April 1, 2010) this year. She is making practical and sensible choices. Buyer Days had become more of a occasion to catch up with others while escaping cabin fever in Saratoga Springs than a show where she was making money the last few years.
Her niece, Emily Mae Widrick, Silver Streams Jewelry, a jeweler for the last few years, shows similiarities in style with Lisa, and Butch and Pat Bramhall, her grandparents as well as Lisa's parents, from whom she has learned yet she is already finding her own style. I see I had already picked up her card last year as well someplace along my travels.
All of the above make their own chains. And the richness of that silver work sets them apart.
Another jeweler who was a delight to find at the NCCC Craft Fair was Edison Collections. While training to become an airplane mechanic and laid-up last early winter, he decided to make jewelry out of found materials as Christmas presents. Now he and his girlfriend already have a number of accounts in the Lake Placid area!
Their style, presentation (ie., business card is also earring display) and use of found and recycled is distinctive. The jeweler showed me how he had polished the ironslug residue from the mines of yesteryear to create pendants. I have myself collected these pieces for their beautiful blue color and was delighted to see it used.
I'll be back tommorrw to post a few more tales from the front-line.
Labels: handmade, jewelry, NCCC Craft Fair
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