The Almost Lost Art of Plique A Jour

Egyptian enameled jewelry

Enameled jewelry has been around a long time, going as far back as the ancient Egyptians.  But what is it exactly? It is taking powdered glass and heating it up until it melts and fuses onto a metal backing.  The powder melts, then flows, and finally hardens when the heat is reduced.  It is a wonderful way to add color to metal without using stones.

Ricky Frank
Pendant

Some contemporary American jewelers have brought new innovations and mastery to this technique, layering and layering various colors to achieve amazingly beautiful results that are so full of life.  One of my favorites is Ricky Frank.  He says "I create miniature worlds of light and color in enamel".

The traditional method of enameling has a metal backing behind the enamel, or powdered glass.  Another style is less common nowadays, but quite beautiful, resulting in a magical interaction with the metal and the glass.  There are very few artists working with enamel this way because it is quite technically challenging.  The technique is called Plique-a-Jour, which means "letting in daylight."  This goblet was made that way in about 1890 in Russia.

Russian Plique-a-Jour Goblet, ca 1890

Lalique Brooch

The plique-a-jour method still uses powdered glass, but instead of applying it on TOP of metal, the artist cuts out shapes within the metal, and puts the powdered glass in those open spaces.  Now when it's fired, and melts, and gets hard again, the glass doesn't have anything behind it.  The light can shine through, creating a sort of stained glass effect.  Famous art nouveau glass and jewelry designer Rene Lalique used this technique delicately and beautifully.

Dorner "Wave" earrings

A local artist, Diane Dorner, has enjoyed making earrings with this technique, resulting in some very fun and unusual earrings.  She uses fine silver (pure silver with no other components added) because it interacts more gracefully with the enamel.  She cuts out the outer shape using a jeweler's saw.  Then, she drills a tiny hole into the shape to create an open space inside it.  She inserts her tiny jeweler's saw to then create the shape she wants.  She repeats this technique numerous times to get the final look.

Then she chooses the color or colors of enamel she wants to use, and lays it out carefully.  It usually takes multiple firings and applications of the enamel to get a thick enough piece of glass that will be strong and stand the test of time.  It gets fired in a kiln that heats up to 1380 - 1560 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dorner "window" earrings

It might seem like the extensive labor involved would make these quite expensive, but they are not as crazy as you might think.  Diane's earrings sell for $90 - $140.  The more expensive ones have gemstones set into them as well.

Dorner "Lime Bubbles" earrings

Wearing a pair of these earrings is sure to elicit comments of wonder, as the light glows beautifully through the glass.  It has a sort of stained glass window effect.  It is so unusual that people will really want to know what it is!  So enjoy sharing a moment of beauty with complete strangers as you wear them.  What a respite from the depressing news we encounter every day!

I'm sure you know, dear readers, that this is my reason for being - to share a moment of beauty with you, as well as with all the people around us - friends and strangers alike.  I invite you to share your story of shared beauty with all of us right here in the comments!

Manya Vee
ManyaVeeSelects.com

Cooking Creatively! Asparagus Dipper

Asparagus
Cutter

It's asparagus season!  I love this time of year.  I grew up on a farm in eastern Washington.  The field around our house had asparagus in it before I was born.  But asparagus loves to grow and scatter its seed, so I was always sent out to pick the "volunteer" asparagus that grew along the edge of the field, as well as along the ditch bank.  A special cutter is used, and it can only be done by hand.  So far, there's no machine that can cut asparagus properly.  Take the cutter and place it at the edge of the soil and cut down at an angle.  That's how it's done!  One at a time.

In truth, however, I didn't come to love asparagus until adulthood, where I was forced to eat it by a friend who swore I'd like it because she didn't boil it to death.  She was right!  And a new addiction was born.  She roasted it in the oven, tossed with olive oil and herbs.

But my favorite way to have it is steamed for about 3 minutes, and then dipped into this delectable sauce.  The sauce is super simple: mayonnaise mixed with soy sauce!  Sounds strange at first, but just try it and you'll be addicted too!

The best mayo, however, is that made from scratch.  It takes about 3 minutes.  All you need is a blender, an egg, and some canola oil.  Okay, a few other things too.  I've been making this for so many years now that I can't remember where I got the recipe initially.

1 egg at room temperature
dash cayenne
1/2 t powdered mustard
1/2 t salt
1/4 C canola oil
***
1/2 C canola oil
***
3 T lemon juice
1/2 C canola oil

Put the first 5 ingredients in your blender and blend together.  Then, slowly, and I mean VERY slowly, drizzle in the next 1/2 C canola oil.  It will start to get very thick at this point.  You may have to stop and mix it up with a spatula.  Then add the lemon juice and final 1/2 C oil.  Blend again to make it all nice and thick, like mayonaisse consistency.

Voila!  Homemade mayo, sans chemicals!  It's so delicious, too.  It keeps for about a month in the fridge.

Let me know how you like this dip!  Oh, just add as much soy sauce as you want to get the flavor you want.  It really doesn't take very much.  I'd guess we use about 1 T soy sauce to 1/4 C mayo.

I can't wait to hear how you like it!

Manya Vee
ManyaVeeSelects.com

Cooking Creatively! Part One - multiple meals with a roasted chicken

We're in our third year of a recession, and being in the arts hasn't made that any easier.  We have been having a great time, however, making really delicious food within a shrinking grocery budget!  As they say, "necessity is the mother of invention."  And I'd like to add that creativity is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it becomes!  Our creativity has expanded into cooking because we enjoy good food a lot, but couldn't afford some of our favorite things anymore.  So we found ways to make some of those things ourselves!  And the more we expanded our creativity with cooking, the more creative and delicious our food became!  I'd like to share some of my tips with you.

One of our mainstays is finding affordable protein sources.  One of the best deals around are when whole chickens go on sale for 77 cents a pound.  And we're in luck!  It had been at least 6 weeks since such a sale nearby, and a few weeks ago, at our neighborhood's QFC, it was on!  We usually get two of them: one to use soon and one for the freezer.  A whole chicken can become a lot of meals if used to its fullest potential!

Here's a list of potential meals with just one chicken:
1. Roasted chicken, baked potatoes, salad
2. Roasted chicken breast sandwiches for lunch
3. Chicken flautas
4. 5-spice soup with chicken, shitakes, and napa cabbage (which ends up being about 6 meals)
5. Manya's Chicken Rice Soup (which also ends up being about 6 meals)

It all begins with a very fun meal of roasted chicken, baked potatoes, and a salad.  A while ago, I discovered a delicious trick for getting great flavor into the chicken meat when roasting it.

1. Choose your spice combination.  I usually start by thinking of a country whose flavors I want to invoke.  For example, if Mexican, I'll use cumin, coriander, garlic and chili powder.  If French, it becomes herbes de Provence mixed with honey and dijon.  If Chinese, maybe five spice powder.  This time, I used marjoram, thyme, oregano, basil, dijon mustard, and honey.

2. Mix the spices together using olive oil.

3. After washing the chicken and removing the innards (and setting them aside for later use in a broth), dry the chicken with paper towels.

4. Run your finger between the skin and the meat on the breast side, and then again on the thighs and legs.

5. Into this opening, rub your spice mix.

6. Rub the remaining amount on top of the chicken.

Basting a chicken

Put the chicken breast side down in a roasting pan.  Set the oven to 450 degrees (it should be preheated).  Roast the chicken for 15 minutes.  Then turn the oven down to 375 degrees.  Roast another 20 minutes.  At this point, take it out of the oven and baste it.  Do this by taking a brush, pick up the juices in the bottom of the pan, and rub the juice-filled brush over the chicken's skin.

Put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes.  Baste it again, and now turn it over so it is breast side UP.  Roast it for another 20 minutes, keeping an eye on it near the end to make sure it doesn't get overdone or underdone.

After the initial blast of 450 degree heat, put your bakers in the oven along with the chicken so they can roast for an hour.  They should then be done right at the same time.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes or so.  Some say to let it rest longer, but we can never wait any longer because it smells so darn good.  Then carve off your favorite parts, put your favorite things on your spud, and enjoy it all while it's good and hot. I love butter, cheddar, chives from our garden, and sour cream on mine.

While the chicken and potatoes were in the oven, you should've had time to put together a nice salad with your favorite things.  In a later post, I'll talk about salad dressings you can make from scratch for pennies, compared to store-bought versions.  And they're very fast too.  I can do it in 2 minutes!  And no chemicals to worry about.

Coming later: what to do with your leftover chicken meat, as well as the bones and those innards you removed when washing the chicken!  Yes indeed, SAVE THE BONES!  Keep them in the freezer to be put to good use later.

Be sure to let me know if you try this, and how you enjoyed the results!

Manya Vee
manyaveeselects.com

Manya's Fear of Hats

Manya in her aunt's Schiaparelli hat

I fell in love with hats at a young age. I had a great aunt who hailed from England, and she was one of those stylish women who never left the house in anything other than a dress with hose, matching shoes and handbag, and a hat. She had an awesome collection of hats from the 40s and 50s, and I managed to acquire many of them upon her death. These are truly wonderful hats, with little veils, and feathers with rhinestones on them, and stuff like that. Some were made of velvet. And there's even a quite amazing one from very famous hatmaker Elsa Schiaparelli, albeit one not as adventurous as ones that made her famous.

Manya's purple summer hat

Nevertheless, it took me many years to become comfortable wearing fun, contemporary hats. I think I associated them with an earlier age, and it felt sort of like putting on a costume to wear something other than a baseball cap (in summer to keep the sun from hurting my eyes) or a fleece hat (in winter to keep my head warm). But I never quite lost my admiration of a nice hat. About 8 years ago, I decided that a very pretty summer straw hat needed to replace my baseball cap. This was made by a local artist whose name I've now forgotten.

Pair of hats by Pandemonium

I confess that I really had to work up some courage to actually wear it as an all-day affair, as part of my outfit. I felt like I had a really big sign over my head saying “NOTICE ME!” Now, you all know that I enjoy wearing beautiful, yet comfortable clothing, so you may find it hard to believe that this was such a stretch for me. But it really was! When I finally did it, that's when the magic began. I got so many honest, heart-felt compliments all day long, that I began to get an insight into contemporary American culture. And the compliments came from both women and men equally, too. There was something in their voices that I can only describe as longing. Was it longing for a simpler age when everyone, both men and women, didn't leave the house without a hat? Or maybe it was a longing for just a touch of elegance to bring a ray of sunshine into their day. It could be a little of both.

Parkhurst's "Column Peak" hat
in moccachino

The thing is, I really enjoyed bringing some joy into the lives of perfect strangers. We all walk about in isolation so much of the time. No one notices anyone else, and if they do, it seems so much more likely that it's for a bad reason than a good one. What a magical thing it is, then, to have smiling strangers look you dead in the eye and tell you how lovely your hat is! You could be the only reason that person smiled the entire day long. Think about that!

Now I try to make hats a much bigger part of my everyday wardrobe. True, I don't wear a hat every single day. But I try to wear one at least once a week. This goal was a main motivator for me to find hat artists who made hats that were simple, yet interesting, and of a type you could really wear all day long. Also, not with a ridiculous price tag. It was a bit of a risk because I wasn't sure if they would really sell or not. After all, I don't see that many people walking around with fun hats on in Edmonds. Lots of bare heads out there.

Parkhurst's "Roz Topper" in Sandstone

To my joy and amazement, I found that the hats I chose were, indeed, exactly what many of you were looking for! My first foray into hats was the wonderful cotton knits from Parkhurst, a Toronto company. These all sell for between $25 and $40, and are quite simple, but with just a splash of style. Perfect for wearing all day long! And they can smash flat in the bottom of your suitcase to become perfect travel partners.

After that, I encountered Seattle designer Leigh Young and her Pandemonium Hats. These are a step up in both quality of materials, as well as style. But they are not so over-the-top as to feel like a costume. A person wearing these is destined to get even more compliments all day long.

"Katherine" hat by Pandemonium

Leigh will be here for a trunk show on Thursday, May 19, from 5 – 8 pm during our monthly Third Thursday Art Walk. It's an excellent opportunity to choose from a very wide selection of hats, and even order a special one. Her hats are all under $75, so it won't break your budget either. But if you can't make it that evening, you'll find a lovely selection at the gallery afterwards – just not nearly as many as will be available during Art Walk.

I hope you'll join us that evening – even if just to try on some hats and get a feel for what it might be like to wear one all day! Just think how amazing it will be to share a moment of beauty with complete strangers. I have to tell you, it is a very humbling and happy experience. I hope you'll try it!

Three hats by Leigh Young's Pandemonium Millinery

The Lore and Lure of Emeralds

Example of a raw emerald

The emerald is the traditional birthstone for May.    There are a lot of fun things to know about emeralds!  Since May heralds spring and lots of green stuff emerging, it is fitting that the stone commemorating births in this month is also green.


Another connection between emeralds, spring and new growth comes from the way emeralds form in the earth.  Within its depths are often tiny fractures or inclusions, which the french called “jardin”, which translates to “garden.”  The Egyptians engraved emeralds with foliage imagery to represent eternal youth, and buried them with their dead. 

Leaf carved into an emerald

Cleopatra is often associated with the emerald because it was her favorite stones.  Emeralds were found in Egypt up to 2000 years before Cleopatra's time.  She wore lavish emerald jewelry, and is said to bestow a gift of an emerald carved with her likeness to visiting dignitaries.

Cleopatra might have worn something spectacular like this.

On the technical side of things, emeralds belong to the beryl family of minerals, which have a particular chemical makeup that differs from other stones.  All beryl stones are relatively hard, which makes them more precious.  Pure beryl is clear.  The presence of various chemicals create colors.  For emerald, it is usually trace amounts of chromium that cause the beautiful green color.  Another popular beryl stone is aquamarine.  Others are less well-known.

A beautiful aquamarine

If you've got someone with a May birthday in your life, then please stop by Manya Vee Selects to check out our small but unusual selection of emerald jewelry.  We also have jewelry in the other categories for May including agate and sapphire, as well as options for each day of the week.

Birthstones for May – you mean there's more than one?

Yep, there's more than one. In fact, there are so many choices, you can really have some fun choosing which method to follow! But first, when did birthstones even get started, and why did they become popular?

Early references to the idea of 12 stones are from the Bible in Exodus 28:17-20, which talks about the 12 stones in Aaron's breastplate, the 12 months of the year and the 12 zodiac signs. And there's a more precise list in Revelation 21:19-20. But no one really thought about them much at that point.

According to George Frederick Kunz, the most often cited expert on gemstones, birthstones gained popularity in Poland in the 15^th century. The stones associated with each month were assigned at that time, giving us the “traditional” list of birthstones. May's “traditional” birthstone is the emerald.

According to Wikipedia, “a birthstone is a gift of a precious material that symbolizes the month of the birth in the Gregorian calendar.” There's even a poem to accompanies each birthstone! Here's the poem for May:

Who first beholds the light of day
In spring's sweet, flower month of May
And wears an emerald all her life
Shall be a loved and a loving wife.

However, a “modern” birthstone list was published by the American Jeweler's Association in 1912 in an effort to standardize things. Previously, it was a bit scattered and different jewelers had different lists, leading to a lot of confusion. For May, the modern birthstone is also an emerald.

But what if you're into the zodiac? Then you get other choices! If a person is a Taurus, the stone is a sapphire. But if you're a Gemini, then it's an agate.  The complete list is available on Wikipedia.

Or perhaps you want to celebrate the day of the week in which you were born (if you even know that!). Here's that list, also found in Wikipedia:

Monday: Pearl

Tuesday: Garnet

Wednesday: Emerald

Thursday: Topaz

Friday: Diamond

Saturday: Blue Sapphire

Sunday: Ruby

So have some fun with your options, and be sure that Manya Vee Selects has a great supply of gemstone jewelry that is much more fun and interesting than the traditional jewelry stores can offer. Check out some of our online options to whet your appetite! And stay tuned for a more in-depth look at emeralds in the near future.

3 Things To Consider When Choosing A Ring

I love rings!  And I know I'm not alone because we have quite a group of women who love to collect rings too.  For me it all started in my teens.  I still remember my first ring purchase.  I was about 15 and some artists had set up kiosks in our little mall.  I fell in love with a simple silver ring with a leaf and an amethyst.  Purple was my favorite color for many years.  You may have noticed that the exterior of Manya Vee Selects is purple, and we also have a "purple room" inside.  Our logo is purple too!  Anyway, I had some babysitting money burning a hole in my pocket, and I purchased this lovely little ring from a now-unknown artist.  I still have that little ring!

Manya's first ring

A ring is a special piece of jewelry for many a woman.  Maybe that's because it's a piece of jewelry that she can enjoy all day long, as opposed to only when looking in a mirror.  But beyond that, it seems to be something that holds special significance as well.

Historically and socially, rings have conveyed status.  A wedding ring indicates to all and sundry that you are married, and therefore unapproachable.  Maybe you were given a promise ring, too, symbolizing the promise of a continued relationship.  With children comes the option of a mother's ring.  We have class rings for school, and membership rings for certain organizations.  Historically, kings and queens have special rings denoting their power, and it's something they wore more often than their crowns.  Heck, even the pope has a ring!  So it's perhaps not a surprise that we imbue the humble ring with more meaning than we do our other jewelry.

Queen Elizabeth I's ring with the diamond "E"

Over the years, as we've developed relationships with our ring collectors, we've come up with three things to consider when choosing a new ring for yourself.

1. Consider the meaning.  Are you looking for a new ring because you want to mark a milestone in your life, or some sort of life change?  This has happened several times lately.  Last month, Camille had been divorced a year, and was at a point of acceptance in her life.  She wanted a ring that was bold, that would remind her that she's the one running her life now.  When she looked at it, she wanted it to remind her how strong she is now.  She chose a lovely sterling ring with a garnet because garnet energy is all about personal power.

Gascoigne ring, sterling, 14k bezel, garnet

Gascoigne, sterling, pearl, amethyst

On the other side of the spectrum, Pat fell in love with a funky and large pearl ring on a pair of sterling "shells" that simply tickled her funny bone.  Pat said she finds a lot of meaning in her rings, and she has quite a large collection.  For her, a ring must be bold and make a statement.  Sometimes they mark a milestone.  Other times, they are simply a great deal of fun!

  

2. Consider your personal style.  For both Camille and Pat, big, bold rings that cannot go unnoticed are important factors for them.  For Elise, however, a smaller, more delicate style suits her personal style better.  She still looks for something very unusual, though.  Her current favorite was modeled on a similar ring in the gallery, but she wanted hers to be done in silver rather than gold, and to have a blue sapphire in it.  She's a high-powered executive who needs to sport a professional look in her daily life.  She's also very busy, but has a desire to express her personal style in spite of the restrictions.  So her ring may be small, but it is definitely unusual, with a lovely vine feel to it, and a sparkly blue stone to add some dazzle to her number-crunching days.  And when she's feeling bold, she teams it up with a simple silver band right next to it for a double punch.

Gascoigne, Sterling, 24k, sapphire

I'm an avid ring collector too.  I have certain rings that commemorate various moments in my life.  But I also love rings to coordinate with my wardrobe.  And I do like them to make a statement, too.  I like a ring to have an element of art to it, to be unusual, yet comfortable.  But I don't always feel like tackling the world full force.  For those days, I have some smaller rings that work just great.

Bellamy, sterling flower ring

3. Consider your budget.  A ring doesn't have to destroy your bank account.  We have lovely, hand-made silver rings starting at $22 here at Manya Vee Selects.  And we just got a really fun new collection from Lori Bellamy that range from $52 to $95. 

Sarah Gascoigne boasts some one-of-a-kind, yet simple rings between $70 and $140.  In fact, the above-mentioned-Elise's ring is just such a one.  You can see more of Sarah's rings and buy one online!

Bill Booze, faceted peridot
sterling silver band, 14k prongs

On the other hand, oftentimes when we are marking a momentous occasion in our lives, we want to put the proper monetary value on such a ring too.  We recently got two new collections that fit that bill, as well as great choices from Sarah Gascoigne and long-time gallery artist Michelle Logan.  One new collection is from Bill Booze, who not only is a talented metalsmith, but also an amazing stone-cutter and faceter of colored gemstones.  These are in the $500 - $600 range.  The faceting he's done with these amazing stones is truly mesmerizing.  They are spectacular!

Blue Chalcedony ring in sterling
by James Magetteri

James Magetteri is another new jeweler for us.  James is an expert at casting metals, and his bold, unconventional rings are not for the faint of heart.  Some have stones, and others are all sterling.  But all make a statement!

Michelle Logan's signature dahlia facets are also very bold, with her metalwork simple enough to let the stone be the center of attention.  All her stones are quite large, and she takes great pains to find conflict-free gemstones, and to use only recycled silver and gold in her work.

Logan Prehnite ring with
14k bezel and sterling band

There are many ways to enjoy a ring, and you can let it be something that is very important to you.  Or, you can let it be something that makes you smile and feel good!  Either way, take some time looking around until you find one that fits your meaning, your personal style, and your budget.

Naturally, we hope you'll find one at Manya Vee Selects!