In the works

So Adorned by Morgan has been busy busy busy as of late, and it's awesome. Now, if only my hands could keep up with the ideas zooming through my head! Isn't that always the case, though?

Tomorrow I have an appointment with Love Brigade in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The store sells high fashion-type clothing, and if you visit its site you'll see there are very interesting story lines that propel the clothing lines its designers create. I like that concept of linking clothing and a theme through a plot like that; it adds even more meaning to already-individualized styles of clothing.

Anyway, this is kind of monumental for me, as a member of Love Brigade actually approached me about carrying my work, instead of vice versa. I'm still relatively new to this whole brick-and-mortar deal, and I'm very happy with how it's been going so far, so I was even more blown away when someone contacted me. Apparently this girl had purchased a necklace of mine from SITE and loved it! It's really such encouragement that keeps me trying to grow and promote Adorned by Morgan, so I was totally flattered.

Needless to say, I've been working (and buying, uh oh) quite a bit since last week and hopefully I will have enough to offer Love Brigade tomorrow in terms of a range of choice for products to try out. It was funny because my contact had asked me about providing a line sheet (basically a list of descriptions, prices and sometimes photos of the pieces that you offer) and I had to explain that I don't have them. While there are certain pieces I will reproduce, Adorned by Morgan generally consists of one-of-a-kind items. I plan on keeping it this way for a number of reasons, including that it's more fun for me to explore new challenges than take on ones I've already tried, and it ensures that my clients are really getting unique pieces.

Part of the reason I decided to get back into jewelry making was that I began to find I was buying mass-produced jewelry in stores while on the checkout line just because they were readily available for the grabbing and a cheap buy. But quick and easy-- despite any shiny qualities-- kinda lacks meaning, doesn't it?

At least for me it does, especially when I see a handful of people wearing the same thing I am on any given day.

Which brings me to my obsession with vintage. Vintage items are great for jewelry making because not only do they promote recycling by giving new life to a piece that has gone by the wayside, but they also carry a story along with them. Somehow, older components like beads and findings just hold a greater meaning for me in a lot of instances that those that have also been mass produced and put on the shelf. Many bead stores carry the same new products, and so even when creating your own jewelry it can be difficult to be original. With vintage items, the chances of reproduction are fewer and far between, and they give you a link to history.

Using vintage items also allows me to keep in touch with my love of archaeology and historical artifacts. There's nothing like digging up just the right component in a fruitful search that has left your fingers blackened with decades-old dust.

Ah, the sweet, stale smell of history. And don't worry, when I get those pieces-- they'll be nice and cleaned for your wear!

The Coolest

So one of the most awesome things happened to me as Mark and I were on our way back to Astoria from a friend's graduation party.

I tend to notice jewelry as a form of habit. I study it on other people (yes, even on the subway-- don't mind me). I'm a very visual learner and I like to observe what others find attractive in jewelry.

Anyhow. As we are falling asleep on the subway, I'm doing the usual glance over of the usual shiny things, and all of a sudden my eyes stop on a pair of earrings and my mind goes, Those look familiar...

A girl was wearing my creation! A pair of Adorned by Morgan earrings that she had gotten from Candy Plum. I'm really modest in general, but this is just something I had to share. It's one of the proudest moments I can ever remember having. There's really nothing like seeing something you've made with your own two hands adorning a stranger you've never met, but whom loves your design purely in and of itself.

At the time when it happened, Mark and I were exhausted, but I got a total rush and was just smiling like crazy.

Mark told me to introduce myself, but I love being anonymous right now. There's something magical about it. It's like this whole persona I have that is totally separate from everything else I do. That's really why I went with my middle name as opposed to my first when titling the business; I wanted to keep making jewelry as a fun, distinct entity from things like my writing and editing career.

Anyhow, I'll post a picture of similar earrings I recently made later on hopefully.