How Crafty Are You, Part II

All right, so apparently I am obsessed with letterpress printing.

But are these gift cards from Sycamore Street Press not adorable? 

 

These birch bark silver rings from Twigs and Heather would make great wedding bands, especially for men.  They're simple but not boring.  One of the artists told me her husband wears his as a wedding ring!

Everything at Perch Design is charming, but I thought these shake-a-leg salt and pepper shakers were especially great.

I loved these guys.  Why go to Hallmark or Party Town to get your confetti when you can get it handmade to any color, shape, or specification?  The nice folks at Confetti System will do it all for you--they also do hats, lanterns, garlands, or whatever you need for a party.  Plus, it sounds very scientific and technical, doesn't it?  "I had everything taken care of for me by Confetti System."  People will know you mean business.

Blood Platinum?

Unless you are a completely oblivious Bride then you are probably already well aware of the devastating role the world demand for diamonds has had in prolonging conflicts in parts of Africa. Diamonds not certified as having come from legitimate governments are usually referred to as Blood or Conflict Diamonds (and even with a certificate it can be questionable).

This issue has been on our social radars for a while, but today I read a very interesting article on the destructive effect platinum mining has had in southern Africa as well. Who Pays the Price of Platinum? explores the role that platinum mining has played in the displacement of locals from their land and the pollution it has caused in local water sources. This pollution has led to higher rates of death and disease in the local population as well.

Unlike with diamonds, the main destination of platinum is not jewelry markets. Oddly enough the growing demand for clean air is driving the market because platinum is used to create catalytic converters (how ironic, no?). Platinum rings, are also a part of the platinum market, however, and demand for platinum has skyrocketed in the last two decades (the price has skyrocketed as well).

What are your thoughts on this? Knowing that platinum mining causes harm to others does it change your desire to have a platinum ring? Aside from not wearing a ring are there options out there for a wedding ring in which the negative impacts on the earth and on society are minimized? It seems to me that almost any material that has to be taken from the earth has the potential to be destructive...is there a solution?

***In interest of full disclosure my engagement ring and wedding ring are platinum***

Engaged Again

Well yesterday Fiance and I went to pick up my rings from the shop (that would be I. Gorman). If you remember, I had to leave my engagement ring with I.Gorman last week so that they could get the wedding ring we bought from them to lie flush against it. So I had about a week of being single again. As enjoyable as that was I had gotten use to wearing my ring and I always felt like I was forgetting something. It's good to have it back home again. My wedding band is about as simple as you can get...just a plain platinum band but I really liked it much more then the blingy rings I tried on. My engagment ring is from E.B.Horn in Boston (where Fiance is from)



^It came in a sleek black bag


^Here they are in the box together.


^Here they are on my finger...no Gap!


^And I. Gorman even threw in a miniture bottle of sparkling wine. How nice!

I. Gorman - I Do

Last August I wrote about our first trip to look for wedding rings at I. Gorman. Since that time we had planned to browse around some other stores and see what other jewelers had to offer. Well five months have gone by and with the wedding fast approaching we knew we had to order our rings soon. We never did get around to looking at other stores. We had such a good first experience and Fiance liked a band there so much we decided to not waste any more time. So last Thursday we bought our rings!

Fiance ended up getting a simple band made of palladium. The outer part is a shinier silver color while the inner is a more mat silver color.

If you don't know what palladium is, it is a rare metal from the same family as platinum. This means that palladium is a naturally white (i.e. silver) metal. The main difference is it is much lighter then platinum, which comes in handy if your guy has never worn a ring before and can't get use to the heft on his finger. The other main difference is it is a lot cheaper then platinum but provides the same look. This wasn't always the case- up until 2001 palladium was more expensive but then the popularity of platinum took off making it a rarer metal and thus driving up the prices. Fiance's band should be in from Germany in about 6 weeks.

As far as MY ring...I ended up with a simple platinum band the same width as my engagement ring (an emerald cut solitare). I tried to like the bling...really I did. I tried on a ton of different pretty, shiny, diamondy rings but they all seemed to be too much. They actually took away from the simple beauty of my engagement ring instead of enhancing it. I'm really happy with my choice and happy I didn't spend a ton on something I wasn't totally sold on. The only bummer was I had to give up my engagement ring so that they can match my bridal band to my engagement ring. This way they will fit together instead of there being a gap. So for now I'm single again (just joking!). I'll get it back by the end of the week.

Lots of things had changed since our last trip to I.Gorman...mainly they have moved across the street to a MUCH bigger store. One thing hadn't changed, though, and that was the great service we got from Venita. She was incredibly knowledgable about all the rings and different metals (she even knew the history of the metals as they have been used in jewelry making). And once again she didn't try to upsale us on anything. She had no problem with me picking a plain band and even saved me a couple hundred dollars by selling me a ring they had acquired when the price of platinum was a little lower then it is now.

The best part is we bought our rings on the first day of a two week storewide sale! So we got 10% off. If you are in the market for rings and you have any interest in the modern designs at I.Gorman now is the time to check it out. Everything in the store is 10-70% off!




In my last post about I. Gorman I featured some of their beautiful rings, so I thought this time I'd show you two of their gorgeous necklaces. I love their clean and simple lines.

I-Gorman

Fiance and I started looking for wedding bands on Saturday. The first place I knew I wanted to go was I-Gorman Jewelers on 20th St. If you are a modern bride or you have a groom that is a little more cutting edge then the average guy then you have to stop by I-Gorman. They have the traditional bands too but they have a very wide selection of contemporary designs. These aren't your parent's wedding bands ;) Many of them are made in Germany or by other European designers and they definitely have the clean modern look that I go for.

I also really like the staff at I-Gorman. They do not work on commission so you never feel like you are being pressured into a sale. They are very forthcoming about alternatives to expensive platinum and they have a wide range of metals including steel, palladium, titanium, etc.

If you go I recommend working with Venita...she's extremely knowledgeable and has a warm and welcoming attitude.


For Her:




For Him: