2/6/06 | Bonbon Oiseau
I was surfing around on Style Bakery and came across some pretty cool and unusual jewelry pieces over at Bonbon Oiseau yesterday. Many of the more interesting pieces of jewelry are hair clips and adornments, but they also have more traditional necklaces and earrings as well. “They” is Brooklyn’s Deborah Stein an artist/designer who makes limited-edition and one of a kind pieces that are often based on narrative “themes” (for instance her Winter 2005 Collection is based on the influence of seasons on nature and the world around us).
I think the Bonbon Oiseau name means “Candy Bird” or “Good Bird”… but anyhow, to call them bonbons might be an apt term, because her work often reminds me of tiny little artistic jewelry treats that are put together with care for people to enjoy.
A quote from Deborah’s website about her jewelry design philosophy:
“Designing jewelry is a natural extension of what I do and what excites me in painting: experimenting with materials and color, evoking a mood or essence of one and the challenge of telling a personal story with an ending open to interpretation. With jewelry as a medium, there’s an incredible sense of spirit and intimacy connecting me with my client, the client and her piece, her and the world.”
I was contacted by Lisa Braithwaite the other day about her DIY jewelry outfit called Elle B. and decided to make a post about it since she has a large variety of handmade earrings, necklaces and bracelets in her store. Based in Santa Barbara, she makes use of unique shape and color combinations in her jewelry. Although I think a lot of the beads, glass and findings that she uses in her creations may be available in shops, it’s the delightful way that they are integrated that makes her work stand out.
Kiku is a little DIY shop that I came across the other day that makes fused glass jewelry and other accesories. I like the unusual shapes and colors of these playful items. 
Some of my favorite Kiku pieces of jewelry are the unusual shaped items like this aptly named Sizzle Pin. It a starfish shaped opaque red, orange, and yellow glass pin that is about 2 3/4″ wide. 
I also like the mod styled “Tag Necklaces” which feature colorful thin discs of fused glass with an offcenter hole in them. This golden amber one is called “Ambush” and is accented by specks of crushed lavender glass and is hung on a 16 inch sterling silver chain. 
I often like to check out what jewelery (er, jewellery) makers are doing across the pond. Some of the best looking and more unusual pieces we’ve discovered have been from countries outside the U.S. 
I found some more jewelry that’s on the funkier side the other day at Lluvia Designs. Phaedra A. Torres makes unique necklaces, bracelets, earrings out of a kaleidoscope of different items. Some pieces feature “found” components such as shells and buttons, while others use handcrafted silver (often made by her family in Mexico) as focal points.
Whenever I’m surfing around on DIY jewelry sites and come across an interesting piece, I almost always file it in a “Check Out Again Later” bookmark folder. I was going through my folder the other day and I came across Bella Jolie Designs again. Tricia Miller, who has been designing the jewelry for Bella Jolie at her home studio in Washington state for the past four years, creates elegant and fun necklaces, bracelets and earrings using hand picked precious stones. She uses a wide variety of gem materials including Tourmaline, Peridot, Citrine, Amethyst, Rubies, Garnets and Sapphires. These are combined in her jewelry with a choice of 14k gold filled or sterling silver findings and wirewrap.
