"Bar-ba-ra, put what goes good." Those were my Croatian grandmother's heavily-accented words of advice when I began my first fashion coordinator's position at Horne's department store in Pittsburgh, PA. Anna Wintour herself couldn't have given me better direction. I've been in the business of fashion for nearly 50 years and from the miniskirts of the 1960s to the trendy street style images posted daily on Instagram and the like, my love affair with fashion has never cooled.
That love of fashion along with the frustration of a bite-sized budget, led to the genesis of beanepôle bijoux. Long a fan of larger, statement-type earrings, and not finding very many cool, affordable pieces out there, I decided, with the help of my darling husband Robert, to create a pair or two myself. We made two styles. I loved them, wore them all the time and was often asked by friends and even strangers where I purchased them. I got to thinking that there might be enough interest to try my luck at making and selling jewelry for my statement-earring-loving sisters. And beanepôle bijoux was born!
the name.....
Beanpole was a moniker my big sister, Dana, affectionately used in reference to my gawky, pole-like 5'-11" teenaged frame. It seemed just right as a perfect, offbeat label with which to christen my nascent jewelry brand! (The middle 'e' and circonflexe were added to set it apart from the existing South Korean "Bean Pole" brand.)
materials and process.....
Using raw materials that include natural bone, horn, leather, suede, brass and silver findings, I sketch a variety of shapes and make corresponding patterns. Robert then rough-cuts the bone or horn according to pattern and carefully hand-burnishes each individual piece until it's milky smooth. I next gather all of the components and play with various compositions. When I'm completely satisfied with the overall look, I assemble the parts and voilà, an earring is created.
Though patterns might be duplicated, the beautiful imperfections that nature and human hands create render each of my earrings unique...even within a single pair. Do have a look and may beanepôle bijoux tickle your fancy and elevated your own great style!
cheers to ears!....
That love of fashion along with the frustration of a bite-sized budget, led to the genesis of beanepôle bijoux. Long a fan of larger, statement-type earrings, and not finding very many cool, affordable pieces out there, I decided, with the help of my darling husband Robert, to create a pair or two myself. We made two styles. I loved them, wore them all the time and was often asked by friends and even strangers where I purchased them. I got to thinking that there might be enough interest to try my luck at making and selling jewelry for my statement-earring-loving sisters. And beanepôle bijoux was born!
the name.....
Beanpole was a moniker my big sister, Dana, affectionately used in reference to my gawky, pole-like 5'-11" teenaged frame. It seemed just right as a perfect, offbeat label with which to christen my nascent jewelry brand! (The middle 'e' and circonflexe were added to set it apart from the existing South Korean "Bean Pole" brand.)
materials and process.....
Using raw materials that include natural bone, horn, leather, suede, brass and silver findings, I sketch a variety of shapes and make corresponding patterns. Robert then rough-cuts the bone or horn according to pattern and carefully hand-burnishes each individual piece until it's milky smooth. I next gather all of the components and play with various compositions. When I'm completely satisfied with the overall look, I assemble the parts and voilà, an earring is created.
Though patterns might be duplicated, the beautiful imperfections that nature and human hands create render each of my earrings unique...even within a single pair. Do have a look and may beanepôle bijoux tickle your fancy and elevated your own great style!
cheers to ears!....
