Jewellery: Of cloth and lace
As the holidays near, I've been flipping tags at jewellers and Christmas Markets. Eeeee, prices of precious metals have shot up! I am always looking for beauty that doesn't break the bank. One tiny corner of the jewellery world still delivers serious value: pieces made of textiles.
There are other reasons to seek fabric jewellery: it's usually light, and often repurposes off-cuts, scraps and surplus fabrics. For those with metal sensitivities, some styles avoid skin irritation.
Ribbon
My friend Beth introduced me to Alexandra Tsoukala by way of her gift of an "Esslip" ribbon necklace, brought from a trip to Greece. The heat-pleating is permanent; it's versatile, waterproof, hand washable, and comes in many colourways. Price, €44.
Left: Beads made from bits of repurposed silk make ropes to wear long or wrap several times; from Etsy seller BellamLondon. The piece shown is 77cm; price, $CDN 29.
Right: The queen of silk sari-bead necklaces is The House of Wandering Silk, who make both single strands and multiple-row versions. Shown, the 6-string "Earthy Blush" necklace; price, $US 70.
Laces and embroideries
I have just listened to Jo Andrews' "Haptic and Hue" podcast on lace ("The Long and Winding Road of Lace—Threads of Survival"), so when I found Sheelin Lace, who specialize in antique Irish textiles, I fell under the spell. Imagine how beautiful this crochet lace collar would be over a black sweater. Price, £120.
A hand-embroidered white lace heart pendant captures the romance of even a small motif. It's from Etsy seller Frammentidautore, based in Modena, Italy; price, $CDN 45.
The hand-embroidered and hand-dyed silk ribbon bracelets made by Valerie Donati are charming, original and fine; some of the beads she uses are nearly a hundred years old. These and other pieces are available online at Esplora; prices start at around $AUS 159.
Wildly winsome
Not exactly jewellery, but—I had to show it for the vibe, the colours, the proportion. Would a woman in the Passage wear it? Some would—or what a special gift for that arty niece who expects yet another journal.
Detachable collar (Evil Eye in Pink Heart) by Etsy seller CollartHandmade, in Istanbul; price, $CDN 215.
Felted wool
No survey of fabric jewellery should omit felt, but I have mixed feelings about it because moths adore felted wool, so keep it in an airtight bag or box.
The craft show felt-ball necklace doesn't hold much interest , but the single long felt sleeve on leather (55cm), made by a German maker, fotofarbefilz, is elevated by superior design; the sleeves can be changed as you wish.
Well-finished, too, with a lobster clasp, and reasonable, at $CDN 43. Oddly, they ship to most countries but not Canada.
A surprise in silver
The finale is usually luxury, this time from Tiffany. Elsa Peretti's Mesh Scarf necklace makes "cloth" of woven sterling silver. One of the chicest pieces Tiffany is making now, understated, versatile, timeless: they can still do it. The price is $CDN 3, 900.
Whether your budget is two figures or four, give textile adornments a look; they are tucked into a small niche, often made by an independent artisan or craft collective. Tiffany aside, such makers need our support, and it is a pleasure to give it along with the gift itself.
Comments
Well I wasn't expecting this - something surprising and what a diverse selection of pieces! Some of these are just lovely - the ribbon necklace, the silk sari beads, the lace pieces, all things that I would happily wear.
That Irish lace website is a real find. As well as the collars and belts, I was stunned by the exquisite lace stoles and veils. Such workwomanship (if that's a word...)
I sometimes use an element of lace, velvet or satin ribbon with my own jewellery (a locket strung on a ribbon instead of a chain, or a ribbon bow used to fasten a necklace, that sort of thing) and I always enjoy the contrast of the materials. But I've not (as yet) ventured as far as actual fabric jewellery...
The beauty of fabric is its lightness. I have a marvellous 18k gold bracelet left to me by my aunt but the heftiness of it hurts my aging wrist after wearing for a few hours therefore it’s air time is limited these days.
Laura H: A friend has a passion for decorative, woven ribbon. She will go to Mokuba's Toronto store (Dundas St.) and buy a length, then tie it on her wrist like a bracelet.
Allison: With you on weight rather suddenly becoming a limiting factor. You could use the gold and have two or more lighter bracelets made, but I understand that you might want to keep the piece as it is.
(To anyone with sentimental gold pieces that you are thinking of using for a new piece: only some jewellers do their own alloy work. Typically jewellers collect gold from various clients and then the gold is recycled in a batch. Some jewellers 9fewer all the time) will do this work themselves. If they do not, and having precisely that gold is important, they can contract with a refinery to do that, but it must be specified at the time. In short, trading in gold for credit, and using exactly that gold in the new piece are two different requests.)