IL MARE ATELIER
{please visit il mare atelier here}
Here at the Bright Side Project, we are big fans of art. We are big fans of jewelry. We are super big fans of the melding of the two. Jewelry is, after all, wearable art and speaks to the core of each of us in regards to what we find beautiful about nature, color and ourselves.
Su Tan, artist and owner of Il Mare Atelier, draws upon this marriage of jewelry and art with her uniquely stunning and versatile collection of earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Tan is inspired by her Singapore environment. The rich pinks and reds on the Spring Blossoms earrings drop delicately like flowers and the bold, deep purple highlighted between glimmers of gold on the Violets necklace would look just as good with a formal dress as jeans and a t-shirt. Then there is the Posy necklace. I would wear this one with my birthday suit, it’s that stunning. The mission at Il Mare Atelier is to “create art you could hold in your hands.” Mission accomplished.
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Miss Krista, our Weekend Editor, is a mother, a lover and a big believer in the power of a cupcake. she loves double entendres but is not a fan of the high-five. She blogs about the corners of her heart at my life as i see it.
My first piece of jewelry came from my grandmother. It was a piece of costume jewelry but I didn’t care I loved it. It was a silver bracelet that had beads on it in many different colors. I had that bracelet for a long time, until my sister borrowed it that is;{ Your jewels are beautiful! Thank you for the opprotunity!
The first piece of jewelry i ever owned was a tiny porcelain heart w/ painted roses on it, on a tiny gold chain. i thought it was the most lovely precious thing ever, and i refused to wear it cause i didnt want to lose or break it. eventually i wore it, broke it, and lost it. but i’ll always remember it.
I am sure I had earrings since my ears were pierced when I was 5, but one of the first items I really remember was a gold necklace with gold seashell charm given to me for Christmas by an uncle. I actually lost the charm on our front lawn for a few months. Then I was playing outside and found it again. What are the odds? I have had it ever since (27 years). I plan to put the charm on my daughter’s charm bracelet so she can carry the “lucky charm” with her.
mini gold earrings when I was a really mini girl
The first piece of jewelry I ever owned was a beautiful gold cross that my parents gave me when turned the wonderful and delightful age of 13. I still have the cross and love it to this day!! Thank you for offering such a fabulous giveaway!!
The first piece I can remember owning was a pearl necklace (one pearl on a very delicate gold chain) that my aunt gave me when I was a flower girl in her wedding. My mom might still have it — I should find out, so I can give it to my own daughter if she still has it!
My plastic Ring Pop with the Rubies of Cherriness. >.>
I was just talking about this with my mother on Tuesday! My first item of jewelry was a gold ring with the front part of a train on it. I loved it sooo much and was heartbroken when I grew enough that I could no longer wear it (what can I say, I might have been 8 or 9 at the time). I kept pushing it on and pushing it on, but at one point I couldn’t get it off (and got freaked out about it–again, 8 or 9) so I was forced to retire it. When my daughter gets to be a little older I think she’ll like it, too!
My first piece of jewelry was a cross necklace with my birthstone on it. I think it was a birthday gift from my grandparents or aunt.
When my grandma passed away, she left a gold charm and necklace she bought in Egypt during her travels.
My grandma gave me a ruby cocktail ring when I was born – alas my mom didn’t tell me it was mine until I was in my late teens..
My first piece of jewelry was given to my by my aunt and uncle on the occasion of my confirmation in the spring of 1964. It was a string of pearls (faux) in a little silver box. They never had much money and it was given with such love that I cherish it still.
The first piece of jewelry I ever owned was a silver charmbracelet, given to me by my sister. Each charm represented something important to me: a Bible, a music note, an angel, etc. It was such a special piece because it encompassed all of my passions and joys, serving as a reminder that it’s okay to dream! Unfortunately, I lost the charmbracelet at some point in college while living in the dorms and have never found it since.
The first piece of jewelry I owned was at age six when my mother gifted me with a tiny glass vial filled with mustard seeds on a silver chain that I wore to church every Sunday. Ah, the faith of a mustard seed. I still have it on its silver chain.
Thank you for introducing us to Su Tan’s inspiring union of art and jewelry.
A pair of earrings, pierced earrings. They were a gift from my mom and I thought they were a strange gift since I didn’t have pierced ears. Turns out that was my mom’s way of telling me that I could get my ears pierced!
My first piece of real jewellery was a tiny diamond ring I got when I was in Grade 3. I surreptitiously wore it to school one day (I was only supposed to wear it on special occasions) so I could show my friends and, of course, at recess I ended up slipping and falling on a pile of leaves and the ring fell off of my finger. I searched and searched but couldn’t find it anywhere. When I finally told my parents what had happened my dad marched us over to the schoolyard and we searched for the ring with his metal detector. Alas, it was never to be found. Le sigh.
The first piece of jewelry I ever owned was a gold necklace I found while rummaging through my Great Grandmother’s jewelry dresser, yes I said dresser, when I was 7. The charm on the necklace was a gold coin with scalloped edges that her Grandmother had won in a beauty contest as a child. I wore it every time I went to Grandma’s, for day’s on end, until one day I just didn’t wear it anymore. When she died in 2007 my Aunt handed me a box with my name on it and inside was the necklace and a photo of the two of us dancing in her kitchen, it’s still the single most beautiful piece I own and one of the best memories too.
A pair of purple rhinestone stud earrings. I thought I was so glamorous (at three years!)
My first piece of jewelry was a skinny silver ring with a teeny teddy bear that dangled from it. I still have it, and occasionally wear it on my pinky when I want to remind myself to keep a childlike sense of whimsy!
My first piece of jewelry was a sterling silver bracelet that my parents gave to me for my first Christmas as a baby.
My mom firmly believes in a woman’s need for jewelry, and my sister and I both had our ears pierced when we were very, very small. We also both had tiny gold bangle bracelets and tiny diamond rings. When I look at those teeny pieces of jewelry now I can’t believe that anyone (especially me!) was ever so small! And seeing my own baby pictures when I was all decked out in all that gold always makes me laugh.
The first piece of jewelry I owned was one gold heart stud earring that was used to pierce my right ear. I only had one because I was so traumatized by the piercing that I wouldn’t let the piercer do my other ear!
The first piece of jewelry that I can remember owning is my charm bracelet – I have two actually, one silver, one gold, one from each set of grandparents. I think I might have gotten them when I was born…not sure exactly cause I can’t remember that far back…But now whenever I travel anywhere I buy a little charm that represents the country. I have a little viking and a penguin from Norway, a crown and Big Ben from London, and the Golden Gate Bridge and a nutcracker from San Francisco (because the same grandparents who gave me the silver bracelet took me to see the Nutcracker every year in the city).
A plastic beaded bracelet on a stretchy elastic. It had little “ruby” beads in between the pink plastic ones. I absolutely adored it and would even wear it to sleep. Sometimes I’d let my Cabbage Patch Kid wear it as a necklace.
My first piece of jewelry was a darling sterling charm bracelet from my grandmother. It has the most amazing Danish modern charms (teapots, the cruise ship she must have sailed on, a windmill, etc) and it’s made for tiny arms. I savor the day that I one day get to pass this on to my sweet god-daughter and hope it brings her the joy it’s brought me every time I look at it.
It was a tiny little turquoise child’s ring, with 4 tiny blue stones, set in a row. I wore it as a little girl and was able to wear it as a young girl on my pinky. A few years back, my mom gave it to me — now it can only fit on the top knuckle of my little pinky. Hard to imagine back to being the little girl with tiny hands that it fit so well. I would let my own little girl wear it, but she is a wild thing — I think she’d lose it in an hour!
A little gold bracelet with my initial, I still keep it although it doesn’t fit anymore
The first piece of jewelry popped out of a cracker-jack box when I was 4 or 5 yrs, and it was the most beautiful ring ever seen and as much appreciated!
The first piece of jewelry I can remember was a necklace from my grandparents with a little silver painter’s palette charm. I started painting as a wee 8 year old and they loved to buy me anything paint-related.
My first piece would be when I was a baby and had my ears pierced. I don’t remember at what age exactly, but I wore those earrings for a long time :)
I was always a tomboy and never wore any jewelry until I was a bit older. Mood rings were my first foray into the world of jewelry and loved the way the big rings sat on my hand. It made me feel powerful and opulent.
tiny little jade bracelet around my baby wrist. can’t even imagine how i managed to fit in it now!
My first pair of earrings when I was 3 months old, tiny little gold hoops and my Mom had the pediatrician do the piercing.
When I was 7 years old, I received a little pearl necklace for my ‘First Holy Communion.’ Of course, the pearls were not real; but my little circle of simulated pearls made me feel special and very grown-up! Putting them around my neck transformed my from a little, scrawny, unnoticeable girl….. to a beautiful, elegant young woman.
A tiny ring that my parents got for me a few days after I was born. Just simple gold, it’s truly precious. It’s bent a bit from wearing it so much when I was little, but I’d like to get it rounded to wear on a necklace.
My first jewel (and my only) is a platinum bracelet that my grandmother gave me. Originally it was made by gold, but everytime I put it on my skin begun to turn red, so my mother asked my grandmother to change it to one silver. My grandmother considered silver not very precious so, finally, I had my platinum bracelet…
the first piece i remember was a gold cross on a chain that i found in a plastic easter egg in my easter basket on christmas morning, tucked in with the chenille chicks, jelly beans, and chocolate eggs.
The first jewelry I owned came from the dentist’s box of good-girl treats. Plastic rings! Oh, how I adored sifting through that treasure chest. It truly made going to the dentist an Event worth savoring.
my first piece of jewelry was a charm necklace of Santa Barbara with a small ruby in it from my grandmother. i never took it off.
a teeny, tiny gold stretchable links bracelet with a gold rose with a pink stone at the center …really tiny…I wasn’t walking yet…
When they were growing up, my mother and her sister had charm bracelets that they collected charms for as they grew up. When my sisters and I were born, my aunt got us each a bracelet with a charm of our birthstone. My charm bracelet, which I continue to add to, was my first piece of jewelry. Charm bracelets are also my nieces first piece of jewelry, as they each get one at their mom’s baby shower.
Ben C. was my first boyfriend. We were in second grade together. For Christmas, he gave me a gold bracelet. I remember being floored!
my bat mitzvah was a time of change and growing up. I got my firsts necklace then, it’s a white gold and gold star of david necklace. It’s beautiful andI’ll have it forever
I forget where it came from but I had this ring with a cute bunny on it when I was about 7. The metal must have been so cheap & nasty as it created a terrible reaction on my finger – the skin went like cheese under a grill & I’ll never forget the smell! Yuck – I stick to the quality stuff these days – your work is beautiful Su Tan
my poppy always wore a gold chain with a HUGE sharks tooth on it (no joke, like 1.5 inches long!). he would sit me on his knee and tell me stories about how he wrestled a shark for it. i loved those stories. when my poppy passed away, I got his necklace. it is still my favorite to this day. one tell I will tell my children and grandchildren how i wrestled a shark for it.
The first piece of jewelry that I ever owned was a ring that was passed down from my great-grandmother, to my grandmother, to my mom, then to me. The ring has a large smooth blue stone in the middle with two little diamonds on the sides. I was probably 8 or so when this was passed down to me and I still have it to this day; although, now it will only fit on my pinky finger. There’s a strange thing about this ring…no one has been able to tell me what the blue stone is. They’ve been able to determine that the diamonds are real and that the band is 14k white gold, but they cannot figure out what the blue stone is. They know that is a stone of some sort but no one knows what and I’ve taken it to at least 10 different jewelers! I can’t wait to pass this ring down to my daughter one day and let her continue the quest to figure out what the blue stone is.
The first piece of jewelry I’ve ever owned was a set of peridot birthstone earrings, given to me at birth. :)
The first real piece was actually included in few mementos given to me one day by my mother. What stood out was a locket. I had always wanted my own locket since it seemed that most storybook characters had one. This one had a very very old black and white photo of my grandfather. He looked very dashing and knowing the love story between my grandmother and grandfather now, I imagine she wore this locket while he was away at war (WWI) since they were childhood sweeties. I suppose if it wasn’t for this locket and the story behind it, I wouldn’t be here today!
A necklace strung with brightly colored plastic heart beads! I was 3 or 4 years old. I loved it and insisted on wearing it all the time!
My mother bought me a pair of yellow duck earrings when she got my ears pierced as a baby…I still have them safely tucked away in case I ever have a little girl of my own! :)