Venetian Glass Beads for my Russian Shawl

...So, I have this large Pavlovo Posad shawl that I adore - Fairytale by Sukharevskaya (шаль "Сказка", художник Сухаревская). It is in my favourite colours, it has a lovely intricate print, it is huge and silky to the touch and warm... my Precious! I love it so much, I decided that I needed a bracelet specifically for this shawl. I am sure you can understand.

This is me and Fairytale in Samarkand during the last weekend; a Russian shawl is a perfect travelling companion. You wear it when you are cold, and when it is too warm, you just fold it and put away in your bag, as it is so compact.

And can you see that bracelet? I feel that I could hardly find anything better suited for this shawl. I do not wear costume jewelry, but I cannot afford to buy emeralds and tourmalines in the size I would love to have for the shawl. However, I feel that murano glass with vermeil cores (that is gold over sterling) is jewelry enough, and this bracelet definitely suits my needs.



I must admit, I am very proud of how clever I was when I bought these beads. I was thinking about some Chamilia or Pandora charms, but I must admit that their glass beads are too expensive for me. And then I found these Perlavita beads here. There was a discount, so I bought six beads, most were about 5$, and only the 'wedding cake' bead - the one with painted flowers, it is called Serenissima on the website - was 14$. But I felt that I had to have it.

I was a bit confused when I received the beads (expertly packed, in perfect order, and there was a small gift, too). They are lovely, but rather large and cannot be combined with my Pandora, as I planned to do. They fit on Pandora and Chamilia bracelets, but look too bulky. However, I decided to wear them on their own, for which they are perfectly suited, and put them on the leather cord, to wear wrap style.

When I look at this, I am in aesthetic heaven. I think they look very festive, and provide the much needed splash of colour in the gloomy days of late autumn. I love the effect of foil under coloured glass, and I love the depth and richness of colour. To me, Venetian glass is as precious as gemstones. I do not wear plastic, as it is not jewellery to me, but Perlavita murano beads are very much jewellery - a real treasure.

You can see all of my Perlavita venetian glass beads here: 

And now I hope there will be a discount for the Serenissima beads, too, as I would love to have several more. I bought Chamilia teardrop earrings where you can put different beads, so I definitely need more beads! 

Inside a Treasure Cave: Visiting a Handicraft Shop in Samarkand

Besides its gorgeous architecture, Samarkand is famous for arts and crafts. Whenever I come there for a business trip, I also go shopping with my colleagues. During our last visit in April, we have visited a very special shop. It is located in the most central place - in Ulugbek Madrasa at Registan Square.

The shop is quite large, mysteriously dark and full of amazing things. You discover new rooms and corners, as you walk around. It is stuffed with suzani, rugs and silks. This place is like a treasure cave.



Most suzani are very traditional, but you can recognise some familiar designs - those famous cats by Rosina Wachtmeister! Obviously, Samarkand artists do their best to cater for all tastes. Of course, I prefer the classic suzani with their elegant branches and lavish flowers and paisley, but I also appreciate the creativity and desire to be flexible.

Right in the shop, there is a woman embroidering a suzani. The process is fascinating to watch. She is another tourist attraction, of course, but the suzani she is making is very real and beautiful.



In another part of the shop you can see more suzani - this one is on silk - and a very unusual headpiece.

This looks like a Karakalpak or Turkmen headpiece for a women's festive costume. This might be a refurbished piece; I would think that the elements are antique or vintage, but the whole piece is not that old, or, let us say, it is refurbished. Still, it looks impressive. The stones seem to be smalt (or paste).

And these are two traditional gowns, lavish and beautiful. One is beautiful ikat silk, the second one has suzani style embroidery.

There are several shelves with traditional Uzbek pottery, too. I like these small organic looking jugs. 

These pieces are made in Rishtan, Ferghana valley, or maybe they are made in Samarkand to resemble Rishtan style. In any case, I appreciate their elaborate beauty and the combination of colours which are so close in style to the ancient Uzbek architecture.



Uzbek and Turkoman jewelry is a big separate topic. Silver, turquoise and corals is a favourite combination here, in Central Asia. «Les bijoux doivent être sauvages!» - said Amedeo Modigliani, and these ones are indeed quite savage-like.

A bunch of handwoven bags. I love those in earthy colours.

...and countless scarves. Silk scarves, some are made from khan atlas (heavy silk satin) or shoyi (fine silk)...




...these are made from sheer silk gauze or chiffon, and the shop owner claimed them to be hand block printed. They are weightless...



...these are wool shawls, hand embroidered in crewel stitch. I would not call them typical for our country; I think they were inspired by Indian Cashmere shawls. I must say that they are stunning in real life, and the quality of wool and work is excellent. I was very seduced by one on the right, but restrained myself, as I already have too many shawls and scarves that I do not wear.

This amazing shop even had some very nice cashmere shawls, made in Nepal. I must say that I am a cashmere addict and I own a substantial collection. I can say that these were really nice to the touch, and I loved the soft neutral colours. 

...As a way to thank the lovely shop owners for patiently letting me take a gazillion of pictures, I want to share their contacts. The owner and his wife are very friendly, open and willing to negotiate, and speak several languages, as fits a good Uzbek merchant who meets people from all countries of the world. If you ever visit Samarkand, do not miss their shop!

The shop is owned by Mr Alisher Yakubov; 
tel. +99890 2709933
email: yakubovalishir3@gmail.com

Antique Turkmen Bracelets, Silver with Carnelian

These are my antique Turkmen bracelets, silver with gold plate (almost gone now) and carnelian stones, and I also promised to my friends that there will be a story about them. If I start writing a large blog post, it will take me hours, so I will try to write here and make it short.

...So, when I was about 23 years old, I came to Bukhara for three says, to do some sightseeing. It was a lovely time in April, I enjoyed roaming the city, breathing the spring air and looking at all the bright and beautiful items offered for sale, without actually wanting anything... and then I saw these bracelets. And I realised that I had to have them.

(this is me sitting at the back door of the Kalyan Mosque, and me trying on a massive 4-raw Turkmen bracelet)

Unfortunately the seller, a beautiful Tajik lady, asked 120$ for them, which was a lot of money for me. So I kept coming to her shop about three times per day, to chat with her and to nag about the discount for the bracelets. The shop was in the Jeweller's Dome and it was very convenient for me to visit it several times per day, because this place is in the middle of the Old City, and I was hanging out in the Old City, anyway. Finally on the third day of my nagging she just had to give up and sell them to me for 80$.

At the same time, she told me a story about Turkmen silver. She said: "In the nomadic Teke tribe in Turkmenistan, each married woman still wears 10-15 kg (22-33 lbs) of silver jewelry day and night. The reason is, whenever her husband says to her: "Talak! I do not need you anymore, go!" - she must go away as she was, without taking anything else with her, besides what she was wearing at that time. Then she will be living off her jewelry".

It was almost 15 years ago but I still remember her fine features, black eyes and the soft voice telling me this story as if all that was the most natural thing to do. On the other hand, I guess for the Teke tribe it was indeed the most natural thing, so there were no reasons to be shocked or surprised.

Lampwork Bead Set for Pandora

This is a traditional post of thanks - this time to Aimée Milan of PolychromeBeads on Etsy,  for the lovely set of handmade lampwork beads. I put them on my multi-cord khaki Pandora bracelet and I believe they look perfect there. They are like a tiny garden on my wrist. Aimée  is a self-representing artist and makes the beads in her studio, herself, which makes them much more interesting to me than mass-produced components.

Thank you, dear Aimée! I will be back, as, of course, I need many more beads! Best of luck to you and your shop!

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Misty Forest Moodboard

It gives me a lot of pleasure to browse beautiful handmade and vintage items on Etsy. Many of them induce interesting associations. Today I saw these beautiful felted flowers by Roltinica and thought of enchanted forest, full of milky mist and soft shadows, in the dim light coming from the white clouded sky. 

I had the irresistible urge to find a picture of forest to suit the description, and found just what I needed - a dreamy forest, where you cannot tell reality from illusions (www.khoras.net).

...After uniting the two images in a collage, I realised they needed something else. Something to gleam softly - a lost treasure - maybe a strand of pearls lost by a princess who travelled here or a nymph living somewhere deeper in the forest. However, no explanations are really needed; the pearls just needed to be there, and the lovely keshi pearl necklace by Arctida was perfect in its organic beauty. 

This is what they call "moodboard" - a funny name. To me, this is a more sophisticated stage of window shopping. I play with the items, put them close to each other and think about associations. I try to make a beautiful combination. Then maybe I will buy something (I know I can always find a use for a pearl necklace with great luster, and the flowers are lovely), or maybe not, it does not matter. It is the process that gives pleasure.

Pandora and Chamilia, my Dream Bracelets

Finally, I have received my Pandora and Chamilia bracelets. Here, in Uzbekistan, we do not have these brands, and I had to ask my US cousin to buy the components and send them to me. It took a while, but at last I have them with me!

I am afraid I haven't been much of a purist with them. I wanted a bangle, but Pandora's bangle is perfectly round and I do not like it. I have had round bangles before and they were not comfortable. So, I opted for a Chamilia Brilliance bangle, as it is oval and thus more ergonomic. I bought several charms: Birds of a Feather (a pair), Tree of life, Moss and white Fascinating Murano, and complemented them by spacers.

As I really loved the retired Wine charm with peridot, I bought it, too, and it has a personal bracelet - khaki multi-cord Pandora. It is quite comfortable, and with just one charm, I do not expect it to stretch.

Just as I planned, these two look lovely together and go well with mist items from my closet.

As I have never seen these pieces in reality before, I was a bit surprised: a) how small they were (that is usual when you buy jewelry online) b) how heavy they were; c) how sparkly they were; and d) how beautiful they were! 

I must say that the Bracelet Builder feature at Pandora's website is very useful. This is the design of my bracelet; there is no option of a bangle, so I used the classic bracelet, but otherwise this gave a very good picture of what the bracelet will look like. I called the design 'Dark Garden', although it is not very dark. But I think there is a certain enigma in it.

I do not expect to buy many other charms. Frankly, I have never been interested in these bracelets before, and always thought that Pandora was something full of pink Swarovski, I have nothing against bling, this is just not my style. However, these are perfect for me... but there are not many charms left in the collection which I might want. Most of the remaining ones are Swarovski (just joking!).

Spring Flowers for Sister and Daughter

As is my custom, upon receiving from Etsy something that I like very much, I am writing this appreciation message. This time I have the pleasure of writing about a ring and a barrette that I bought for my daughter and sister. They are from Mariya, a Russian artist who lives in Kursk, who has a shop named Sweetpinkbox on Etsy.

Mariya makes lovely items from artistic clay, sculpting all by hand. I know a bit about how she works from her Facebook page, where she shares photos of the process sometimes. I am amazed at the fineness of the detail, beauty and subtlety of these pieces. I have been watching them for a while, and finally decided we needed to buy something and see it in real life, touch and use it.

First I chose a ring for my 14 years' old sister. I know she will love it (will give it to her today). These tiny flowers in spring shades have to be loved. By the way, the grass-like substance is packaging, which is a nice detail, and also the ring has its own organza bag. And the size is adjustable. The shank is of good quality, sturdy and well-made.

Second, because I have a 8 years' old daughter, of course I had to buy something for her, too. I chose a barrette with dogwood flowers. They are larger in size but just as lovely. I adore dogwood and have a vintage sterling brooch with it. Now Madina will have something to match. The clasp works well and I think it will last.

As for the clay elements themselves, they feel quite sturdy and strong - not like dry dough, but rather like somewhat stiff leather. I inquired about their longevity before purchase and Mariya explained that this clay is quite durable and "is easier to cut with scissors than to break". It certainly feels like that. Of course we still need to be careful with these items - keep them dry, not to leave in direct sunlight for a long time, not to hit hard against things - but "real" jewelry also requires precautions, so this is only normal. Let the girls train with something not so expensive (but very pretty and well-made) first. 

It is a dark rainy morning here, so the photos are quite dark, too. I even like it, as this light lends that special early spring atmosphere to the lovely flowers, as if I was walking in the garden after the rain, and they were there, still wet and cool to the touch. (By the way, I want to mention that the seller's photos are true to life and show the products very accurately), I like these little works of art, and I like the fact that I bought them directly from the artist, a very nice young woman who has a small son, who works a lot and continues her artistic education. This makes things feel more alive and personal, much better than in case of a mass made product. In the end, jewelry is a very special thing for women - even for little ones.

I hope that Katherine and Madina love these little presents and take good care of them and enjoy them a lot. Thank you, dear Mariya of the Sweetpinkbox! I guess we will be back for more!

Yelena Merener and Her Unique Handmade Jewelry

It is always interesting for me to see how things are done. How beautiful silk ikat fabric is woven, comfortable walking shoes are made, cakes with meringues and whipped cream are baked and assembled, dogs are trained without stress and pain, lovely perfumes are mixed... the list is endless.

It is like magic, when a person who knows how to do something takes the components and turns them into something new and whole. It is fascinating to watch my mother calculating and drawing a pattern for a new dress; I loved to watch my father making a bowl from clay, and then colouring and baking, so that the unstable raw material turns into a strong and shiny ceramics which can last virtually for centuries.

Jewelry is no exclusion. I have a soft spot for jewelry and love to be able at least to peek at the process - even if only in the photos. Yelena Merener, an Israeli jeweller, has shared photos of he working process, taken by Alexandra Efremova. These photos very well convey the concentration, precision and care invested into the jewelry making process. And of course it also takes creativity, artistic vision, taste for beauty - you name it.

The outcome of this hard work is an eco-pendant with a very touching little elephant, fully handmade from recycled copper and sterling. A perfect gift for those who love animals.

Another piece of animal jewelry by Yelena Merener which I loved is this owl pendant which she called her guarding spirit - and she is ready to give it to the others for protection. It does have a very kind and soothing appearance, does not it? I love those labradorite eyes which seem to emit a light of their own, and the wings opened for embrace.

Yes, to me it is a kind of magic that someone can make beautiful things from cold and hard metal at her small workshop at home. For me, this seems almost impossible, but this is what Yelena really does and enjoys doing. Below is a very striking pendant with turquoise-like blue howlite and beautiful textured metal which mimics the natural pattern in the stone.

You can see more photos of Yelena's working process and more of her jewelry at her Facebook page called Unique Jewelry. She sells her work on Etsy, in her shop called LenaMer. I am thinking of asking her to make a Malinois pendant for me; I am sure it would turn out great! and maybe a matching collar tag for Jager, so that he does not feel neglected.

Uzbek Woman in Ikat Gown with a Boy

Just an old photo that I want to share. Both the woman and the child seem amazing to me - very beautiful and enigmatic. They seem to be looking into the future, unknown to them at that point, but known to us now... not their personal future, of course, but the overall history of the region and people. 

I do not know who they are, but obviously they were from a rich family, judging by their clothing and her jewellery. The woman's hands are obviously not familiar with hard work, and are heavy with lavish rings and bracelets. Note that their gowns are made from the same gorgeous ikat silk. The woman is wearing 'tilla kosh' headpiece - 'golden brows' - and a shawl, which could be Russian, judging by what I can see from the pattern. Beautiful!

Woman in full wedding regalia with child, photograph ca. 1860, Registan Museum, Samarkand. 

Museum of Applied Arts, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Today my daughter and I felt like going to a museum and looking at some beautiful things. We did not have too much time, so we went to a smaller one close to our place - Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan. We went by metro and then walked for ten minutes, and here we are!

The Museum is located in this old beautiful building: this was a house built in the end of XIX century for a Russian diplomat Polovtsev who loved Asian culture. The museum is like a small palace or a jewelry box. Or both. Look at this lavishly decorated facade with carved wood columns and lots of hand painting.

Inside, there is a lot of carved alabaster and paintings. You can see the wall niches with vases and bowls: this is what they used as shelves and cabinets in Uzbekistan a hundred years before and earlier.

The ceiling in the hall is just amazing.

Collection of arts and crafts is not very large, but the items are beautiful. I especially love glass and china. The pieces below are from the last century, so they are quite modern, coming from our Tashkent glass and china factories. The faience dish with stylized cotton is by Alimov, 1970.  The cut glass decanter with glasses are called 'Uzbekistan' and made by Zabudskaya in 1985.

And this green glass set is called 'Dacha' (Country Home) and made by Dudin in 1983 in Tashkent.

Embroidery is of course an older and more traditional art for Uzbekistan, and this museum has beautiful samples. The all-embroidered boots are from Shakhrisabz, and the lovely Suzani is from Samarkand, end of 19th century.

And these are traditional embroidered hats. This one is of course for a woman and comes from Bukhara, 1940s.

 And this one is for a man. Chust or Marghilan, 1980s.

Of course there is also a room for clothing. Vintage dresses and gowns from silk and cotton fabrics with ikat patterns or stripes are beautiful and eye-catching.

The striped gown is for a man; it is from Ferghana, 1960s. This fabric is called 'bekasab'. The second gown is for a woman and it comes from Tashkent, second half of the last century.

There are also rugs and carpets, which are very important for the people here. Uzbek houses are full of rugs; a rug is the best gift, they believe, and will always find room for another rug. Many household items were made from rugs, for instance these saddlebags, as this is a strong and practical material.

Another favorite room of mine is the one with jewelry. It was mostly made from silver with corals, turquoise, carnelian, tourmalines and other semi-precious stones, often combined with colored glass.  The first photo shows 'tillyakosh' (Gold Brows) made from silver with turqiouse, glass, enamel and pearls.

And these are very classic Turkmen (or Turkoman) bracelets with carnelian. Very heavy and barbarian looking, they still retain some gold gilt.

We only spent there about an hour and a half, as Madina became tired quickly - there are too many things and colors.

There are two amazing persimmon trees in the yard. They look very ordinary in the summer, but I find them stunning late in the autumn after they shed their leaves but still retain the fruit.

 In my daughter's view, the place was great for running around, jumping and dancing.

...So we pranced around a bit and went home, discussing what we have seen and where we want to g next. It was a good beginning of a good day. 

(all photos from the inside of the museum come from http://www.artmuseum.uz)