Little Stories

"BREATHE"

"REMEMBER"

"CREATE"

"GO FORWARD"

"BE"

Once upon a time, I found an old Peruvian Milagro. It looked like a plump little torso, was made of tin and I really loved it. I wore it on a chain, way before I started designing jewelry and wore it not just because it was beautiful aesthetically, but because I thought it would protect me. I attached all kinds of meaning to it, that it would protect my heart (from breaking) and my health (which was fragile at the time) and make me stronger. It was my shield. It was my talisman. And everyone would stop me to figure out what it was and they'd smile because I guess it was kind of quirky. I would examine it all the time and finally tacked it on my wall so I could just look at it.

I found it in a little shop in Arizona and was told they were Milagros, or in English "little miracles". They're used throughout the Spanish speaking world as little visual prayers, to offer the wearer hope or protection, to carry their desires or intentions. Their meanings can be both literal and traditional. When I found more of the little vintage Peruvian pieces last year, I took them back to the studio and cast them in silver. We tried some different finishes, brushing the silver, oxidizing some and dipping some in 18k gold. It was a really wonderful process, focusing on these funny little powerful stories, and we talked about new meanings each time we picked them up. I decided to pair each with these little antique silver sequins I found in Paris to imbue each with a feeling of history and depth. Especially within the intensity and glare of the holiday season, I hope they will help to remember to keep breathing, remembering, creating, moving forward, or just to be for a few moments.

They'll premiere this weekend at my first markets and there are a few up already in my new little pop-up shop here. What stories do you see?