Pearls from China

My friend Doris Coghill spoke at the Upper Midwest Bead Society meeting a couple weeks ago, providing insight and information from her many years of beading, teaching beadwork, and selling beads.  When asked about beading supplies from China, she used a very bad word.  She explained that the Chinese government has recently forced the retirement of many skilled workers to provide jobs for younger people entering the workforce.  When many of those experienced workers left, with them went skills and ethical work habits. 

One of the results of this forced mass Chinese early retirement program is a flood of poorly drilled pearls on the market.  Earlier this fall I bought piles of pearls at the local Gem and Lapidary Workers Show when it visited Minneapolis.  I love to weave with pearls, but usually find I must buy them wholesale to afford them. Weaving eats up materials quickly, and the GLWS is a great place to shop.

So when the blitz of my fall costume work ended, I happily sorted through my goodies and got out my favorite 3 strands of golden bronzy 3mm-ish rice pearls and two pieces of Biggs Deschutes Jasper and set to work, with this result:

The jasper was pricey, especially the upper piece, but the pearls were very reasonable, so I had plenty to play with, and after configuring the focal section, I decided to drape the pearls on each side.  I liked the exclaimation point image I had, but wanted to soften and disguise it a little, so it had subtlety and invited a closer look, since the details in the focals were so lovely.  This is where my trouble began. 

When you are draping strands of anything, uniformity is critical to success.  And these pearls were far from uniform. I loved the differences in color, since they echoed the depth in the jasper.

But the differences in length were more problematic.  For what I had paid for them, I didn't think the size differences were unreasonable, and the surfaces were smooth and lovely and with a deep glowing nacre.  I sorted them by length, and realizing that I would not have enough of any one length to do the job entirely, tried to organize them in my draping to provide the best results.  They were visually deceptive!  Fatter ones looked shorter than they were, and vice versa.  But all that was 100% acceptable to me and my purposes.

What I found disappointing was the funky drilling of many of the pearls.  In my triangle weave section, it didn't matter, but in the draping, it did.

I did the left side first (ok, REALLY I did the right side first, hated it, and did the left side and got a better result, and then ripped the right side and re-wove it) and I was able to use mosly the pearls with the holes drilled straight through, but by the last strand at the bottom, I had to start encorporating the pearls with the angled holes.  See the one in the center of the picture? There's one in two strands from it as well.  Sigh. 

And the right side has more of those badly drilled babies.  I don't see this as a crisis.  My piece is still pretty.  But my friend was right.  Less care and skill is going into the drilling of pearls from China.

Now, maybe the specific Chinese supplier makes a difference, because I ordered the pearls for my Victoria's Secret piece from China, and I was really pleased with their quality, price, and super fast service with reasonable shipping costs.  Better than companies in this country that shall remain nameless.

So, for future reference, caveat emptor!  When you buy a strand of pearls, hold them up and look at how they have been drilled and consider your purpose before plunking down your cash.  If you want to drape them, you want the holes drilled straight.  Thanks Doris, for opening my eyes. 

Arts of the Holidays

Last night I attended the "first" opening of a most beautifully curated show, and I am honored to be included in it.  I really love how this gallery goes into Holiday Haven mode each year and manages to display the work of over 120 artists with equity and sensitivity.

I think most Etsy sellers go into wild preparations for Cyber Monday, but I do the opposite.  I take my best work of the year out of my shop and off to the Minnetonka Center for the Arts.

Last year, the sales of my work were brisk and I was very pleased!

If last night's shoulder-to-shoulder crowd was any indication, it should be another great year.

Bob Bowman and his team really do a wonderful job of staging this event, and the opening included fantastic food...

...elegantly arranged tables and flowers...

... a fabulous tree...

...and lots of really wonderful work!  I am dreadful at schmoozing and sales, so I did a little shopping myself.  I love the work of this ceramic artist, Kristine Hites.  Her shapes are so organic and appealing to me and the colors so unabashedly girly!  What a great collection!

I am also very fond of this fused glass artist, Sally Goski of Wild Rose Glass Art. 

Some of her things are "holiday specific, but not all.

I bought this tray, which I love!  I looked at a similar piece last year, and when I went back to get it, it was GONE, so this year I snapped it up immediately. 

I also loved these boot Gaiters, delightfully reminiscent of my dancing leg warmer days...

And this adorable little bag!

All of my other purchases are gifts, so I can't share further!

I mentioned that this was the first opening, because the Center for the Arts also has a location at Ridgedale Mall and that location will open on Thursday December 1st, 6-9pm.  I will likely have to put on one of my favorite pieces and shop again, benefitting what The Best Man Ever refers to as "others of my kind," as well as those friends I will be shopping for.  Happy holiday shopping to you, and I will hope to see you there!

It's Been Sooooooo Long!

I had a super busy fall and neglected both of my blogs, while working 7 days a week for more than 6 weeks at my ballroom dance competition costume business, Made for Movement.  But I didn't stop beading entirely...

First there was "In the Forest Primeval" a beautiful tabac navette, with matte green leaf fringe to herald the coming autumn.  I made it a peyote neckstrap with dark gold delica edges, and a beaded buttonhole and toggle closure.

And of course, there had to be earrings...

There was a huge forest fire in the Minnesota Boundary Waters this fall, and that inspired this pendant.

And of course...

Then, there was a simple Picasso Jasper pendant piece for the Etsy beadweavers Team "Inspired by Picasso" Challenge.  Love the vibrantly strung neckstrap and the coral bezel.

I am certain there were earrings that went with this, but I don't see the photo!!!

Then, I beaded up a Dutch Spiral for my Etsy Beadweavers challenge "TOTALLY TWISTED!"  I really enjoyed using the metallic matte cubes in the mix, and the Vintaj Brass beadcaps.  No earrings yet...

And then, I had some beautiful Lapis Lazuli ovals and a matched Azurite pair, so I tried a little bead embroidery, not my strong suit, but most enjoyable in my hands.

Since bead art is my second job, I find when I am stressed, it's a meditation that centers, focuses, and relaxes me, but I can't take on projects that are ambitious when my mind is still full of my day.  I'm so glad now to be only normally scheduled for the rest of the year, and look forward to picking up some more substantial projects.

"Inspired by Picasso"

Please visit the Etsy Beadweavers October Challenge, "Inspired by Picasso" to view all the wonderful entries!  There are some especially unique pieces which I think really capture the feeling of Picasso's work.  Take a look for yourself and then hop on over and vote for the one you love the most.  On our blog, thanks to Lisa of Artsylis, you can click on each image to be taken to the Etsy listings, if you'd like a closer look or see something you need to own for yourself.  Enjoy!

Another Look at Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Last winter I wrote two blog posts about copyright infringement as it applies to beadwork.  At the time, I had experience only as an ignorant and unintentional infringer, and had not really given much thought to being infringed upon.  It seemed to me that it would not be different from seeing copies of my ballroom dance costume designs, which happens to me fairly frequently.  But I was very wrong about that, and I was shocked by my own reaction to the situation.  

Last Thursday I got a convo from an Etsy Beadweavers Team member who pointed out to me that someone had copied my "Bollywood Beauty" necklace and was selling it on Etsy.  I took a look and sure enough, there it was!  It's not an exact copy, but it is certainly my design.  It has all the same components in the same locations, and even is done in nearly the same color scheme.  My fringe weights are different and my focal bead a different color, and the proportions, while close are not quite the same.  But the beader did a pretty good job of figuring out what I had done and copying it.

Just as a reference point, here's my "Bollywood Beauty" necklace.

After my cursory glance I responded to my teammate

 "Thank for showing me. I am not going to pursue any action against this beader. I am hugely amused, and mildly flattered, but I decided quite a while back that copyright would just never be an issue for me, unless someone copies my work and is making a fortune on it, which I do not think will happen in this case."

Then I explained that I work in an industry by day that copyright does not apply to, and consequently have experienced seeing copies of my designs before, and I finished the convo with:

"Do I think it's a copy? Sure. But it's not a perfect one, although substantially accurate in most details. Do I really care? Nah. But I am really glad to know it's out there. I'd love to do a blog post on it!!! I might just ask her if she'd mind my featuring her work on my blog. What do you think she'll say?"

Then I sent the beader who had copied my necklace a convo:

"How interesting. Would you object if I did a blog post on your Peacock Beaded Necklace? You can see my blog at ..."  

Then I had a look around her shop and discovered ANOTHER copy of my necklace, this one in crystal.  My devil-may-care attitude melted away as I noticed that this copy was priced at $1200, well above the $995 price tag on my original.  I was shocked!  Was she planning to make a career of knocking off my necklace with a few subtle variations and different color schemes? 

Then I read her description.  The description on the first copy had talked about being "inspired by nature" but it did say at the very bottom of the listing: "Inspired by hauteicebeadwork."  Now given the detail she had managed to copy from my necklace, I was surprised she had missed the caps in my shop name.  But this second description didn't mention my shop at all. 

I felt my blood pressure rise a few notches.  I went back to the first copy and noticed that the piece had 59 admirers and been in three Treasury Lists.  This is a design I believe to be one of my better efforts, and I use it as my shop profile picture. It won the August 2011 Etsy Beadweavers challenge, and I am very proud of it.   I began to feel angry, which really surprised me. 

What I did next was a very bad idea.  I am ashamed to tell you about it. Without waiting for permission, I wrote a blog post about these copies.  I displayed the images you see here, but without permission, and I said almost exactly what I have said here, but my intent was malicious.  I meant to expose her theft of my intellectual propery.  I wanted my friends to know I had been ripped off, and I wanted them to console me.  I also contacted a couple of my beady buddies whose work I thought was also represented in this Etsy shop, and suggested they take a look.  I was having a deeply unsettling week, having dropped my only child off at college the day before, and while I thought I was doing pretty well, clearly, I had been walking on a emotional tightrope, and had fallen off.  I'm usually more rational and at least a little compassionate.  But whatever else might have been going on in my life, I know how quickly information can be spread online, and my behavior was inappropriate.

When a couple of my friends took it upon themselves to let this shop owner know just how wrong she was to have copied my work, I realized things had gotten out of control.  I contacted everyone I thought was riding off to war on my behalf, thanked them for their support, and asked them to stop, and I deleted my own blog post.  A gentle prompt from a friend (thanks Kate) reminded me how easily I had made a similar mistake as a baby bead artist.

Then I wrote to the shop owner and stated very clearly that she was using my design without giving me credit for it, and that she did not have my permission to do this.  I told her to remove her listings from Etsy. I was 100% ready to hire myself a lawyer to enforce that if need be.  I also suggested that she might not be aware that what she was doing was wrong, and I directed her to my blog posts  "Give Credit..."   and "...Redux" to read about my own similar mistake.

She was respectful, apologetic, and removed her listings.  I thanked her and we convoed a little.  And the next day, after a restoring night's sleep, I convoed again and told her she could relist her items if she credited me with the design and posted a link to my shop in her listing.  She did so, and I am A-OK with it.

I am still shocked at how angry and threatened I felt, when something that defined me as an artist, and my "brand" on Etsy was copied without any design credit given.  I'm glad I had this experience, because I now have great sympathy for other artists who want credit for their designs.  I had no real idea how they felt, until I felt that way myself.  And I am so sorry that it took me so long get a handle on my distress and find an appropriate way to handle the situation.

 I share this, with permission from the other artist involved, who asked me to add this comment from her: "These last few days all I have been able to think about is how ashamed I am and how stupid I was to not research all this more. It has really been bothering me and eating at me and I would appreciate people realizing how sorry I am."   But in her defense, it's an easy mistake to make.  I know this from personal experience.

The lessons here are many and obvious.  We both hope that telling our sorry tale helps others avoid our mistakes.

The Lion's Tale

Actually, this is a tale about a dog.  My dog is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, usually a beautiful animal that looks something like a small golden retriever.  But after a summer of swimming, the fur on her thighs had become matted.  She objects to these matts being combed out, because it hurts.  So after trying creme rinse and various other grooming tools, I gave up and cut all the matts out.  Poor thing, she looks ridiculous.  Her thighs and legs are usually plumed with long waving hair, and she looks as though someone gave her a crew cut.  But I must say she seems thrilled to be rid of the nasty matted fur.  I was joking with my husband this evening about maybe using the clippers to neaten up the job I had done, and maybe trimming more of her sides, back, and some of her tail in what groomers call a "Lion Cut."  You leave a "mane" of fur at the shoulder and neck, and then trim away all but a tassel of fur at the end of the tail and the resulting pet looks a bit like a lion.  I've seen it on poodles and cats as well. You can see some "Lionized" kitties here if you need a reference point.

After dinner, I sat back down at my beading bench, where I have been making things for a holiday gallery show and sale at the MInnetonka Center for the Arts.  I had good success at this sale last year, and am trying to assemble a body of new work to send in to the jury process by the end of September.  It's a tough year for me, with my only child leaving for college this fall.  Seems I am constantly distracted by various college-related stuff, and really, I WANT to be the best mom I can be for these last few weeks. 

I thought I would have to forego the September Etsy Beadweavers Challenge, out of sheer lack of time.  But the piece I had been working in the last few days really reminded me of the Yellow Brick Road, which would be great for this "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!" Challenge. Except that in addition to the Wizard of Oz theme, the challenge has to include an animal inspiration.  I hadn't seen a way to work an animal reference into my necklace until I decided it needed a center focal point and began working on a design for a tassel. 

Then, "POOF" like magic, the Lion Cut image merged in my mind with the tassel design and I had my challenge piece.  OK.  It was not really instant or very magical.  I made tassels all night until I ended up with this one which finally pleased me and looked like the right shape.

"The Lion's Tale" is a delicate matte metallic collection of Czech fire polish beads in yellow golds and pinky bronzes with hints of green. Their texture felt very brick-like to me as I worked with them, and I loved the hints of green that seemed to represent the Emerald City and the pinks that reminded me of the poppy fields. I was also pleased by the delicate by spiky bud shapes in the edges of the necklace, which seemed to be about both the beauty and the danger of the poppies.

When the dog sees the necklace, I am certain she will run to her favorite hiding place in the deep basement, lest I should carry out my evil plan to give her a Lion Cut, but hopefully, I have worked out all my need to do that with my tassel, and managed a reasonably effective challenge entry in the bargain!

The Thumper Principle

...which states, "Iffn you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all!"  It's a principle I believe in and apply as often as possible.  I am far from perfect, but I do make conscious effort.

But I am not sure how to apply this idea to my own work.  My husband was a metalsmith and maker of art jewelry when I met him in 1977.  He had a friend who was a potter, and they traveled to art fairs all over the US together.  The potter was a very good ceramist, and a better salesman.  All day, each day at the fair, he repeatedly sold his "best pot!"  It was like watching performance art.  I wonder if that is the best policy when it comes to art work, especially work you make to sell?

Not every creative effort results in the same success.  I just scanned an article on Beading Daily about "What it Takes to be a Designer of the Year."  Jean Campbell, editor of Beadwork magazine, talked about meeting deadlines and not achieving perfection each time, but ending up with many good pieces.  I think that is reality.  I have a big box of UFO's (Un Finished Objects) and usually, I have the good sense and taste to put things in the box that I find less than perfect.  But not this time.

Not that there is anything badly wrong with my new piece.  And I guess that is why I went ahead and posted it.  But it's not meeting some of my usual criteria.

I looked at LOADS of images for the "Sizzling Sunshine and Soothing Water" challenge.  And I kept loving the sunrises and sunsets on water.  The colors were vibrant, and the images breathtaking.  And the idea of creating a reflected image was pretty exciting.  I decided to be literal with the imagery, and remembered a PBS program featuring a painter, Bob Ross, who painted a beautiful landscape as you watched, while talking about "happy little trees."   It was so soothing!  So I decided I would bead a "happy little sunrise."

I found the nearly perfect image in a book of photography by Chuck Haney and John Reddy, (who was my back door neighbor growing up in Helena, Montana) called "Montana, Wild and Beautiful II." 

Mr. Ross (the PBS painter) frequently made his paintings in pretty shapes, so I chose a half circle, like a rising sun, and he also took liberties with his paintings, seeming to follow his heart as he chose what things to include in this paintings.  So although I wanted to represent this particular photo, I had looked at MANY reflected dawn photos, and complied ideas from several of them as I worked.

I am not a frequent bead embroiderer, but I ended with a reasonable sunrise, and then fringed in the lake, using a scan of my embroidery, flipped and scaled, as a guide.

I struggled with the fringe.  My original intent was to end up with a circle, half embroidery and half fringe, but the fringe didn't want to lay happily in the half circle.  I used small glass drops as "fringe weights" but at the bottom, the drops crowded each other, and after posting the piece as it was, I de-activated it and re-created the fringe, trying to attenuate the bottom of the circle, as though the image perspective was warped in the expanse of lake stretchng toward me, to give the fringe a chance to hang straight. 

The best things about this piece are the intense color and the mobility of the fringe.  I really like the fact that the fringe behaves like water, rippling and disturbing the reflected image with movement.

But I don't know that I personally could ever wear the work.  It's substantial, and I am a small person with a small face and small features.  In terms of wearability, this piece is for a larger person than me.  And the color is so vibrant and striking that it has a playful quality, which was not my original goal.

Not a loss, by any means, but not what I meant either.   So, should I keep my yap shut, or tell the truth?  At my son's elementary school, students are asked not to say anything that is not true, kind, and necessary.  Well, it's certainly true.  This piece is not a success on all fronts.  And kind?  Well, I don't mind the truth, so I am not hurt by it.  IF someone chose to buy it, and found out how I felt, would that be unkind?  Maybe.  But if I reveal my thoughts before-hand, does that remove any unkindness?  And necessary?  Well, I am an honest person, and it might just be necessary for me to come clean.

So there you are.  My best reflected sunrise effort, and a disclaimer of truth.  Do you ever make things you are not fully happy with?