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Hello Friends! It’s been a whirlwind of activity since the launch of Gary Dawson Designs last June. With not quite 10 months under the belt of this business model, I think we’ve managed to attract and execute some of the most interesting projects of my 37 years of designing meaningful jewelry for my exceptional clients. Here’s one that presented an interesting challenge; a ring with a rotating top which features the client’s initial on one side and a cross shape on the other…    Another very interesting recent project was the reproduction of a ring found in an archeological dig. As a custom designer, I’m normally not willing to reproduce a design found elsewhere, mainly for ethical reasons. While the process of communication often involves looking at examples of things that a particular client finds interesting (both on the Gary Dawson Designs website and objects from other sources) this exercise is mostly used to help to define our new project and doesn’t normally involve direct reproduction. But in this case, the idea of reproducing this ring was appealing from several perspectives. It was for me, an opportunity to “get inside the head” of an ancient craftsman…both interesting and fun!  And this pendant in 18K white gold was completed with birthstones for Mom in the middle, her kids on the next ring out, and her grandchildren on the outer ring.
And finally, here’s a new item that will immediately become available for sale in the “available now” section of our website…The theme here should be fairly obvious!
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Well, we didn’t win the recent Mega-Millions lottery. Mike, the fellow responsible for this awesome web site bought each of us one ticket and neither won anything. Oh well, we agree that we’ve got too much to offer the world to languish in abject wealth!  And ahh…The Hunger Games. As the people around me were absorbed into this trilogy by Suzanne Collins I stayed aloof…for a while. I finally gave in so I could indulge in a conversation with the people closest to me besides what to have for dinner…and I’m glad I did! The trilogy seems to start out simply enough, but as the story moves forward through the second and third books, the human emotions involved with motive, power and commitment grow into a web of increasing complexity that may challenge the audience for which the book was seemingly written. But the thing that relates most directly to my web site, Gary Dawson Designs, and to what I’ve committed my entire adult life, is the inclusion within the story of an article of jewelry that becomes a personal talisman for the main character. This concept is not foreign to me. The “artist statement” that I came up with when I was compelled to generate one years ago mentions, …” Jewelry has been worn by every known past and present social group, usually somehow reflecting their relationship with their environment.” I no longer have the reference that formed the basis for that statement at my fingertips; it came from some anthropological tome with which I was interested at the time. My Bachelor of Arts is in Anthropology (from the University of Oregon) and I was likely still in school when I penned that. Making jewelry already, but still in school. I guess I’m still in school, just not enrolled in an institute of higher learning at the moment. But there’s so much still to learn…about my craft/art, about my relationships, about myself. And when I read things like The Hunger Games with a piece of jewelry as a close peripheral character and see it go to high status in popular culture, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to be involved with my chosen career, making items of extreme personal importance for my clients from precious metal and gemstones. Interestingly, another fairly recent movie, The Tourist, with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie provided an opportunity for me to participate directly in a popular culture opportunity in a small way. Click here to see that story. One thing very different about this more recent foray into popular culture by a specific piece of jewelry is that the Mockingjay pin worn by Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games is not something that I can likely reproduce unless I can gain license to do so by whomever makes those decisions.  The Janus charm was created around a figure of ancient Greek mythology, and I was able to make my own version of the charm without violating anyone’s copyright or, more importantly, violate my own sense of ethical values. And as I explain in the blog relating to my version of Janus, the two-faced god became important to me personally. But not only is the Mockingjay pin concept wholly created by Suzanne Collins for her story, the bird’s species itself is a fictional creation.   But I see that although versions of the Mockingjay pin are available in materials other than precious on Amazon.com for example, no one seems to be offering the pin in precious metals. I think I’ll be making some phone calls on Monday early! If you happen to see this blog before then, Ms. Collins, give me a call! I’d love to make you a Mockingjay pin in 18K gold!
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