Compass

The compass, a tool for finding the way no matter how lost one might feel. Its imagery shows up in my life a lot...from my business logo to my tattoo to the pattern in the first faceted stone I ever cut (pictured above). A reminder to stay true to my internal North.

Craft and Cats and Point to Point

That's what seems to rule my photo stream these days.

Point to Point Richmond is this Saturday and we have two new pop-up guest artists who will be showing their work (Wei Lah Poh and Tony Esola).

We're also preparing a make-your-own prayer flag activity using hand-dyed samples from my textiles classes stitched to sail cloth, ready for embellishment by participants.

Here's my trusty assistant Marie sewing amid a desk full of CLUTTER.

Thankfully that desk situation is a little more under control this week. When my work environment is clear, my mind can be creative with more ease. The challenge is my process, which involves making a mess, creating different compositions, spreading materials around all over the place. Here's a new series of Mozambique Island shipwreck trade bead necklaces I made recently. I'll be debuting them at the Ali Amaro Gallery for Point to Point.

Maybe one of these guys can help me get a handle on the organizing. After all, they're good with laundry and tablecloths!

My Latest Work

"You make me happy when skies are gray". 2"x2". Brooch made with repurposed treasures collected as a child and found in my grandmother's drawers, Brazilian golden grass (capim dourado), sterling silver, copper. Ali Amaro, 2014. photo by Mathew Furuta.

Back view of "You make me happy when skies are gray." I am especially happy with the way I attached the objects to the backplate...it was a risk to ball up those wires with a torch, but I am so pleased with the patina and charred marks that were left behind. Photo by Mathew Furuta.

"Trade Bead and Texture Drops". 3"x0.5". Dried acrylic slices (made with leftover paint from murals created for the California Hotel in Oakland), Xing Dynasty Chinese enameled beads, Mozambique Island shipwreck trade beads (these particular blue beads are called "dutch donuts"), chrysocolla drops, 14k gold, sterling silver. Ali Amaro, 2014. Photo by Mathew Furuta.

Detail of "Trade Bead and Texture Drops". Photo by Mathew Furuta.

Materials Libraries

Over the years I have collected lots and lots of materials. Beads ancient and new, pot shards, shells, rocks, faceted gemstones, metals, coins, stamps, antiquities, heirlooms, junk jewelry, found objects. You name it, I probably have it somewhere in my studio.

Despite the fact that I've been accumulating many of these items since childhood, it took me a long time to realize that my work is, in fact, materials driven. These objects are the starting point for my compositions, and I needed an effective way to categorize and display them, both for my own work and to show to others.

Brainstorming how to display my materials.

I started by figuring out the materials display for the showroom. I wanted to give people a glimpse of what inspires me, what the ingredients are to my work. Sort of like a painter's palette but in three dimensions.

Materials vignettes in vintage jewelry boxes, on display in the Ali Amaro showroom.

For the showroom, I ended up using some jewelry boxes from the 1960's and filling them with a sampling of materials. I wanted the mix of colors and textures to be visually appealing as well as to tell a little bit of the process story. Every so often I plan to switch up the selection of materials in these boxes.

For my own work in studio, however, I need a more functional version. My desk tends to become covered in materials and this clutter drives me nuts. I need to have lots of objects out and at hand because this is how I compose, but they also need to be corralled somehow. So I repurposed some oversized drawer organizers and made a big tray full of the materials that currently inspire me.

Materials library work tray #1 in my studio.

This is a small sampling of my entire materials collection, because I work a lot better when I have fewer options (even though this still is a lot of stuff!). Limiting my options allows me to see more creative possibilities. I think I will build some sort of a shelf that can accommodate these large trays, that way I can have several of them and still have a way to clear my desk at the end of the day.

For the rest of the objects in my collection, I have a storage system using clear plastic bins with labels according to materials type. This makes it easy to find things, as well as to create custom materials libraries to show clients depending on their interests.

Materials storage in plastic bins.

Do you have the challenge of organizing multiple materials/inputs in your work? What sort of solutions have you discovered? Please share in the comments.

Alexandra Amaro Lifestyle Photoshoot

Jewelry: Alexandra Amaro
Styling: Alexandra Amaro
Photography: Alexandra Amaro
Models: Bárbara Albuquerque and Inês Carijó
Hair and Makeup: Bárbara Albuquerque and Inês Carijó
shot on location in Point Richmond

Trade Bead and Raw Diamond Cocktail Rings

Companion cocktail rings with Mozambique Island trade beads, raw diamond, 14k rose gold, sterling silver.

The Traveler Necklaces

Each necklace in the 15-piece Traveler series has the name of a different city worldwide that inspired the color palette. Adding to the traveler vibe, the trade beads used in the design are hundreds of years old and have crossed the globe several times over, starting in Venice or Bohemia where they were made, carried to Africa by the Portuguese, washed up on the shores of Ilha de Moçambique after shipwrecks, and finally brought here to San Francisco in my luggage.

Where will their next stop be?

(The Helsinki Traveler Necklace and the other Travelers are available at www.alexandraamaro.com)

Ruby and Chartreuse

I absolutely love color. The brighter and the more unique the combination, the better. I swoon for coral, fuschia with turquoise (even though it's a total 80's reference), amethyst with lemon...and on and on. I imagine that, if you've seen my jewelry, you know that I am a chromophile.

I especially enjoy working with colors that are a challenge - that is, they are difficult to combine with other tones, are generally considered as "ugly" (browns, oranges and yellow-greens frequently end up in this category), are hopelessly connected to a specific look (e.g. light pink being sweet and girly) and so forth. One of the reasons I'm so drawn to the Mozambique Island trade beads is that they come in a rainbow of colors, all thrown together somewhat wily-nily on fishing line by the boys who find the beads on the beach. I try to work with every single bead on those strands, every shape, every color. It pushes my creativity, makes me look at the beads with new eyes.

Here are a few new pieces from the Alexandra Amaro Mozambique Island collection that incorporate some of my very favorite colors: ruby and chartreuse.

These Cascata Earrings feature a mix of 300-year-old Mozambique Island trade beads and Indian Rubies, with a faceted pear-shaped ruby dangling from the bottom of the cluster. The tiny trade beads are in shade of pink from dusty rose to pomegranate. Pink trade beads are incredibly hard to find, and it literally took me hours to find them among the sea of reds in my collection. I love how delicate this design is, how these old beads worn by centuries under the Indian Ocean can be elegant and feminine.

I loved working with the pink trade beads so much that I decided to make a matching bracelet. This Venezia Bracelet features a mix of antique Mozambique Island beads, Indian Rubies and lovely red-violet Hydrabadi Garnets. I incorporated a mix of handmade Thai Hill Tribes silver beads to add texture and add to the asymmetrical interest. I could look at the shades of pink and purple in this bracelet for hours; no two beads are alike.

This is the Hebron Bracelet, featuring some of the most unique beads found at Mozambique Island. First, there's the history. These beads were originally made some 400 years ago in Hebron, a city in Palestine that has a long glass-making tradition. The artisans who made these beads used salt from the Dead Sea as the alkali in the glass fabrication process, which I find incredible. The beads were traded into Africa by Arabian and European merchants, where they were used as currency to obtain local goods including spices and gold.

Second, there's this brilliant yellow-green hue. It took me ages to find the right match for such a strong color, but it was worth the work. I think this turquoise is the perfect combination, giving the old beads a hint of spring. Handmade Thai Hill Tribes silver saucers and a stamped toggle clasp add to the bright, ethnic look.

Such a unique color begs for a matching set, so I made the Hebron Necklace. The texture in these 400-year-old beads is incredibly beautiful. While making this necklace I thought many times about the trajectory of these artifacts...who made them, who purchased them, how many people over the centuries have handled them before they came to me. I wonder who their next owner will be. Someone who loves color and history, I hope. And maybe a redhead or strawberry blonde? I think the chartreuse and turquoise would be just stunning on someone with that coloring.

Treasures from Ilha de Moçambique

I just got a shipment of antique trade beads from Mozambique Island (thanks to my friend A for being the courier) and I couln't be more excited. I love sorting the strands, identifying the different beads and dreaming up new designs. These beads are incredible - on any one strand there can be an assortment of 400-year-old Hebron beads made in Palestine using salt from the Dead Sea as an alkali, 500-year-old carnelian agate beads from India, 150-year-old Islamic prayer beads, 300-year-old Venitian, Bohemian and Dutch glass beads...it's like a treasure chest.

I'm currently working on some designs for Spring that mix strands of the tiny trade beads with gemstones and big, silver flowers made by Thai Hill Tribes artisans. Can't wait to launch the collection!

A Bit of the Latest Jewelry Collection

I have been hard at work lately designing new fusion jewelry pieces with antique trade beads found at Ilha de Moçambique and Ghana, semi-precious stones, pearls and silver. My goal is to make massive amounts of jewelry in my last few months here in Maputo and try to sell nearly everything prior to heading back to the US.

If you are in Mozambique and interested in viewing or purchasing an Alexandra Amaro original, please email alexandra@alexandraamaro.com or leave a comment here. I do custom-designed pieces and have a small inventory on-hand to show. I will also be doing several fairs and events prior to September, so please leave a comment or send an email with your contact info if you'd like to be notified.

If you are outside Mozambique, you can purchase pieces at my Etsy site here. New pieces will be added to the site after September.

Stay tuned for more!

Cluster-style earrings with antique Ilha de Moçambique trade beads, turquoise, sterling silver.

Cluster-style earrings with antique Ilha de Moçambique trade beads, pearls, sterling silver.

Sterling silver spiral-wrapped Hebron trade beads (300+ years old) found at Ilha de Moçambique, turquoise, Hill Tribes fine silver pendant

Bracelet with a mix of antique trade beads found at Ilha de Moçambique, sterling silver.

Custom-designed assymetrical necklace with a mix of antique Ilha de Moçambique trade beads and Hill Tribes fine silver.

Detail of assymetrical necklace.

Triple-strand fusion bracelets with antique Ilha de Moçambique trade beads, semi-precious stones (white with pearls, red with garnets, blue with sodalite) and silver accents.

Bracelet with a mix of antique trade beads found at Ilha de Moçambique, garnets, sterling silver.

Sterling silver spiral-wrapped antique Ilha de Moçambique trade beads, pearls, Hill Tribes fine silver textured drop.

Skunk beads (originally made in Venice, found in Ilha de Moçambique), Swarovski pearls, sterling silver.

Sterling silver spiral-wrapped antique Ilha de Moçambique trade beads, Swarovski crystals, chrysocolla lance-shaped drops.

Mix of antique trade beads from Mozambique Island (made to imitate porcelian), sterling silver wire links, howlite carved rose.

Necklace with mix of blackwood (pau preto) discs from Nampula Province, soapstone rings from Manica Province, resin beads and sterling silver wire work.

Necklace set with mix of Ilha de Moçambique antique trade beads, freshwater pearls, sterling silver.

Detail of Ilha de Moçambique white and pearl mix necklace.