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Handcrafted Jewellery Anne Carson Design

~ blog from Vancouver

Handcrafted Jewellery Anne Carson Design

Monthly Archives: September 2015

Pearls are a girl’s best friend

28 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by annecarsondesign in Good Causes

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Arts Umbrella, B.C. Women's Hospital, fundraisers, Good Causes, Hope Starts Here 2015, pearls, Splash 2015

With apologies to those of you who like to echo Marilyn Monroe’s Lorelei Lee warbling “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” — I beg to differ. You will get far more wear out of a rope of classic white pearls. They never go out of fashion, you can wear them daily, and they will last for generations.

Which is why I often donate pearl necklaces to silent auctions. And this October there are two of my statement necklaces tempting donors to support a pair of good causes.

Over at Arts Umbrella, the performing and visual arts school for kids, you will find this elegant mix of freshwater pearls and decorative sterling silver beads, punctuated with a white chalcedony accent stone. It’s part of the Splash 2015 fundraiser, Oct. 17.

ACD-N-PearlsCreamChalcedony

White pearls, sterling silver beads, a white chalcedony accent stone and a sterling silver marcasite clap.

At 127 cm (50 inches) long it will be one of the most versatile necklaces in any woman’s wardrobe. You can wear it flapper-style, as the perfect accessory to the current fashion trend of clothes inspired by the 1920s and ‘30s. Or you can triple-wrap it into a collar-length necklace that’s perfect with a bare evening gown or under a suit jacket.

I have a similar piece in the B.C. Women’s Hospital Foundation fundraiser, Hope Starts Here, also on Oct. 17. Only this necklace is a long rope of white pearls and silver with a moonstone accent.

ACD-N-Pearl&Moonstone

White pearls, sterling silver beads, a moonstone accent and  a silver marcasite clasp.

Both necklaces feature my distinctive sterling silver marcasite clasp and are valued at about $650. (I hope they fetch much more than that in the auctions.)

Unfortunately, I won’t be there to cheer them on. I’m on vacation until Oct. 19.

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Show Your Colours

18 Friday Sep 2015

Posted by annecarsondesign in Inspirations from the Screen, New creations

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amethysts, suffragette jewellery, suffragettes

The upcoming premiere of the movie Suffragette reminded me of how women lobbying for the vote wore jewellery to make a point in the polite and wealthy circles of Edwardian England.

The cause was so popular that London jeweller Mappin and Webb, which supplied pricey baubles to royalty, also featured suffragette jewellery in a purple, white, and green stones. Often a combination of pearls, amethysts, and peridot or tourmaline.

ACD-Pic-SufragetteAnne

It’s not surprising they designed gems for a cause since jewellery has always been symbolic. Ask someone about necklace or a bracelet and you’ll often find it comes with a story.

Many of us wear earrings or a pendant to important meetings as a talisman  – something for good luck. Or it can be used to mark important milestones in life, like a wedding, a graduation, or a new baby.

And jewellery has always been a way of showing your colours literally. Rings and pins are often used to signal membership in a group.

Which is what the astute British suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst had in mind in 1908 when she made purple (dignity), white (purity) and green (hope) the colours of women lobbying for the vote. They decorated badges, flyers, and flags and soon the colours were found in hat ribbons, scarves, and jewellery.

ACD-Pic-SuffragetteBadges

I like to think it was because they realized that there’s no reason to believe that running the world should preclude being stylish.

I’ve always been amazed by the courage of these women. They were beaten, jailed, and tortured in that fight to earn a vote, a privilege that 40 per cent of Canadians now ignore in most elections. Although that hard-won battle for the vote may also explain why more women than men vote in Canada and the U.S.

As a nod to the suffragettes, I’ve made some earrings in the purple, green, and white combination along with some layering necklaces with amethyst, peridot, and pearl-and-moonstone. They’re lovely pieces individually, but you can layer them with your other purple, green, and white jewellery when you’re in the mood to show your colours.

ACD-E-Suffragettes

The Suffragette’s Earrings: slices of green tourmaline and amethyst crown a pair of bold, baroque pearls. Limited edition, special order, $250. 

ACD-N-SuffragettePendant

The Suffragette’s Pendant: slices of green tourmaline and amethyst crown a bold baroque pearl. Limited edition, special order, $345. 

You can also put individual layers of the colours together.

ACD-NK-PeridotSingleStrand

A single strand of peridot mixed with decorative sterling silver beads is lovely on its own. Special order, $290

ACD-N-AmethystSingleLayering

And it also comes in purple amethysts. Special order, $225. 

My motto has long been, “speak softly and wear a big necklace.” So as a silent salute to the women who won us the vote, I plan to wear some of my suffragette necklaces when I go to the polls.

~ Anne

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Anne Carson Design 
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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