Cable news: Megan Patrice Reilly's innovative earrings

To matters from the last post of June: What did I finally choose for my "birthday gift from Mom"?  

Longtime Passage-strollers will recall Mom as a vivid, eccentric woman whose frugality was so intense that she tried to bargain down the price of her cremation. She would have augmented William Morris' dictum: "Have nothing that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" with "and at least 40% off."

I bought earrings, but not from the choices posted; I chose MPR "Tear" dangles:

"Tear" earrings, large size

The tear is a classic shape, but the materials are not. They are so light that I forget they are on. The large size "Tear" is under one gram—they don't even register on my scale, yet you can see from the photo that they have presence:

Those are 3.25 in. long; the small-size "Tear" is 1.25 in. The site shimmers with earring styles  from discreet to bold, some accented with small stones.

The material is finely-woven stainless steel (miniature bridge cabling) in a variety of colourways; the earrings are accented with silver or 24k gold-plated elements and, for some styles, gemstones or pearls. (Mine are gunmetal cable with gold accents.)

Photo: MPR Jewelery

That innovative material is formed from fourteen strands of metal woven together, which supplies weightless strength. If you squish one in your hands, it springs back like a gossmer-fine Slinky—perfect for travel. 

Necklace wearers will be taken with hers, which deliver intriguing architectural shapes without any neck strain. You'll see some showstoppers, but I especially admire the Shape Pendant, which goes with so much:

Shape Necklace, MPR Jewelry

Pieces are handmade in Megan Patrice Riley's Brooklyn studio; see her story here, it's impressive. 

I found mine at Montréal's Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h, which carries a generous selection. I had chosen a pair of MPR earrings for my daughter-in-law's birthday in 2020, and when I saw this year's assortment, there was my pair. 

If you have passed up pieces because of their weight, these open many possibilities. If you would like a particular combination not shown, MPR will make your custom piece.

MPR represents qualities I respect: coherent design that is striking, resilient, and well-made— principles we can use whether buying or deciding what to keep. 

The Passage was to be a one-year project, an attempt to open my file and put it on the Internet, because I'd tell someone who asked where I had found a pair of earrings or a shawl and she'd say, "Can you send me that again?" Nearly fourteen years later, it has become a place where (mostly) women generously share their own finds. This unintended happy consequence has encouraged me to keep the Passage open, and its windows filled.