Happy New Year!

Hopefully 2008 has started out on the right foot for you. Life is busy here in the studio with new designs under way and Valentine's Day looming on the horizon, but I wanted to take a moment to touch base and thank you for all your support over the holidays and all through the years.

Giving Back 

Every year I have dreams of starting a resolution to volunteer more because I remember how fulfilling it was to read to the elderly and mentor disadvantaged youth back in college. Until I find a way to restructure my schedule, I make regular donations. In 2007 I donated more than 10 pieces to charity fundraisers to help with cancer research and the arts, and through sales at the One of a Kind Show I was able to donate $500 to Children's Memorial Hospital. Thank you for making this possible.

Being Green

Green is the hot topic this year. I take for granted recycling at home and bringing my own  grocery bags to the store (or at least re-using when I forget). But what about in the studio? Last year was a big growth year here in the studio, and new team members helped get some initiatives started. 

We stopped using plastic silverware and now take turns washing dishes,  we share a Britta filter, regularly recycle all of our paper and aluminum, and we reuse packing material.

What's more is that we have started working with Hoover & Strong, a metals manufacturer who uses only recycled content. We are ordering as much of our wire as possible from this source. 

On the Jewelry Front: Riverstone Bangles are hot!

As the new website comes into development (coming soon!), I have been writing the FAQ section. One of the big questions I get a lot is how to size and fit a bangle for ordering, so here's my guide:

1.    Cut a long 1-inch wide strip of paper.
2.    Pull the tips of your fingers together and make your hand

       as small as possible (mimic the way you would put on

       a bangle).

3.    Wrap the piece of paper around the widest point of your

       hand (usually the knuckles) and mark the point where the

       paper overlaps to form a complete circle.

4.    Measure the length and compare it to this chart for my

       bangle sizes.

5.    Double check your measurement by taping the paper

       together in a circle to make sure it can slide on and off

       over your hand.

Small: 7.75-8"    Medium: 8.5-8.75"    Large: 9.25-9.5"

Perfect fit: send your measurement to me and I can make a custom bangle for you. I build in just enough room so it will slide easily over your hand. Please allow 2 weeks for a custom order.

Where to find Riverstone Bangles

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has a great selection of medium bangles both sterling and oxidized available in stores and online.

Many of my other stores and galleries also carry a few bangles as part of their collection including Greene & Greene Gallery in New Jersey, Heartwear Designs and Ann Arbor Art Center in Michigan, Three Rooms in Minnesota, Elements in Iowa, ICA in Boston, Smith College Museum of Art Gallery in Massachusetts, Charm in Missouri, and Gem in Chicago.

Valentine's Day: new shows, new galleries, new inventory

The newest galleries to be carrying my work are 3rd Ward Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; iota in Dallas, Texas; and  The Tenth Muse Gallery in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Mowen-Solinsky Gallery in Nevada City, California will be hosting a show in February based around a red theme and hearts. Look for a new selection of my work there featuring garnets, shades of coral, and spinels. 

New work is also on its way to Poppy in Columbia, Missouri and Plum Nelly in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Hopefully that will tide you over until my art fair season starts in March!

Cheers,

Kathy