Jewelry: Old & New
“Wow” is a pretty good descriptive for Beth Coiner. As a dancer and choreographer, she understands the ways in which movement can make us feel. As a metalsmith, she uses that understanding to craft gold and silver pieces that reflect the natural world.
Drawing inspiration from shapes and patterns as diverse as tree bark, shark teeth, sea urchins, and nautilus shells, Beth repurposes gold and silver into exquisite custom pieces that speak directly to the personal characteristics of the wearer.
In her artistic hands, the jaggedness and bulk of the tooth of a C. megalodon (a massive prehistoric shark) came to symbolize survival for a man commemorating his victory over cancer. Through these custom pieces, serpentine curves, antiqued gold, and moonstones all serve to tell personal tales of hard earned gains, love, and laughter.
Items from her bec jewelry line are available locally at Worthwhile, 268 King St. or can be found online at BecMetalWork.com.
Graphic designer Deirdre Zahl understands the stories that jewelry can tell as well. A longtime collector of vintage pieces, she has gathered a stunning array of bangles, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and more from the late 1950s on.
Estate sales, antiques shows, and flea markets – including the famed Brimfield, Massachusetts Antique & Collectibles Show – are her hunting grounds. She does the research and gathering. We get to revel in the goodies that she finds.
Her blog, Candy Shop Vintage, is aptly named. There are visual delights aplenty in the gumdrop earrings and pearl necklaces upon which she rhapsodies. She’s quick to spot appearances of her favorite accessories in pop culture and her blog is a great resource for info on who’s wearing what, vintage-wise, on TV.
Deidre shares her love of vintage jewelry via occasional local trunk shows at places like Mac & Murphy, 74 ½ Cannon St., and also sells online at Etsy.
Sure beats tube socks.
Story and Photos by: Jason A. Zwiker
