Small Things Design is a company making the sweetest jewelry I've lusted over in a while. They are yet again proving that everything that comes out of Portland is pretty great: Viva Voce, K Records and a bunch of other stuff that really gets me excited about music and art. The story behind Small Things is pretty neat too. Teresa Robinson was studying art in Mexico, took a jewelry making class on a whim, moved back to Portland to just bust out hand-cut jewelry and make it her fulltime gig. Sigh. Maybe I'm just a little jealous, but her art is so sweet I just can't hate on her. Her old line entitled "Flora vs. Fauna" featured darling animals & plants cut out of silver and layered over colored glass. The stag and cherry are my personal favorites.
The big news, however, is that each new line she creates becomes more and more adorable than the first which brings me to her newest line "Bits and Pieces". While the other lines give me more of a simple, clean, refined, Swedish-feel (Think Lotta Jansdotter), these pieces are strictly tongue-in-cheek for the young or young at heart. This collection has rings, bracelets and necklaces with hammered metal and cute pressed images like apples, diamonds and scissors. The umbrella style also steals my heart. All jewelry is made from .925 sterling silver and handmade - I know I've already said that but it sort of blows my mind. Yes, I would categorize Teresa as an "Indie" jeweler, but she retails and wholesales too and not just at tiny stores at big stores like Something Silver in California (though not on the web site). This must mean hours upon hours spent cutting tiny birds into metal and I can definitely respect that. Teresa's goods can be purchased at an array of California (and national) stores or at her web site. Give it a look!
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