Bijoux - Temple Designs

I sold two bracelets this week! And in this economy, that's saying a lot. My bracelets are strictly a luxury item - an essential luxury. Thus, my second 'un peu du luxe' offering is: the Temple Bracelet.

It all began quite innocently. I was looking for the perfect souvenir Parisian. I wanted something that I could wear anywhere/everywhere. I wanted something that was beautiful, made me feel beautiful, and was effortlessly chic. I wanted something that was timeless, yet an ode to a bygone era. I searched for years (in Paris, the 'States, and online) but to no avail. Finally, I decided to see if I could design and make my own ultimate souvenir Parisian. After a few months of trial & error, the Temple Bracelet was born. What began as a personal labor of love quickly evolved into Temple Designs - I launched my sistah.etsy.com website and have not looked back.

@my bracelets: bamboo tiles act as mini  canvases, upon which I affix an altered art image. I hand-paint each tile, with hand-mixed metallic paints, and use a combination of toothpicks and fine paintbrushes to produce the exacting detail and precision found on each tile. This allows me to create brilliantly hued tiny one-of-a-kind-pieces-of-art. I then 'wire-weave' the tiles together and add a large filigreed clasp - et voila!

I don't 'assembly line,' shop out, or mass-produce my bracelets. Yes, this is a painstaking/time consuming process, but it allows me to insure excellent quality and the results are simply fantastic. Better yet, this allows me to insure that each of my customers receives a truly unique one-of-kind piece of wearable art - the ultimate souvenir Parisian.

Perhaps the best part of my jeweler's venture/adventure is that I get to fully and freely explore a part of myself that has nothing to do with my 'day job,' motherhood, or anything else having to do with my daily life. Each of my bracelet designs are based on one of my Paris-based, inner Diva-girl, fantasies. Each design has a different wonderful name: Goddess, The Thomas Crown Affair, Monet, Dega, Delta of Venus... And a different fantasy has inspired each one. When you check them out you'll see that each one has it's own unique backstory - and writing them was nearly as fun as creating the bracelet.

So, when you have a moment check out my bracelets (sistah.etsy.com).

I would dearly love to know what you think.

(photo: wearing one of my bracelets)

Vivre, de rire, de l'amour!

Temple