JEWELRY WORKSHOP WELCOMES GUESTS

the jewelry workshop is a private event hosted by two very talented friends of mine.

i was recently invited by carla and nadire to take part in a pilot workshop. my friends are jewelry designers and they share living, working and showroom space in an interbellic house in downtown bucharest. that is exactly where the whole thing took place.

we started with a little guidance. our hosts outlined the process for making an item of our choice. i chose my logo bug. and carla made me draw and cut, first the patterns and then the leather. she gently pushed me outside of my comfort zone, but it was fine. not only is the resulting pin super cute, but i learned that i can totally make things. with a little help from a pro, of course. but it was still an important breakthrough for me.

i was the only one with two left hands and only one piece done. all my other colleagues had much better output. and one of them was only in the 4th grade. well…

i had a lot of cutting to do and concentrating on it was tiring for a newbie, so i took my break. there was ginger tea and orange juice, some delicious shavings of parmesan and pastries. yum!

a jeweler’s workshop is an ali baba’s cave. imagine two of them in the same space! they have so many tiny, shiny, cool things you have never seen before. they have special boards for making strands of beads. hole-punching tools. lots of needles and strings and a miriard of types of beads and bead-type things (i mean coral bits, wood, shells, etc). also, they have many special tools for operations i’ve never ever thought about. the possibilities were endless…

i ended up having a great time, making things and enjoying the company. in romania, we have a traditional concept of sezatoare (sitting). it means that people gather up and do work together. all the stories and the chatting make the work seem much easier. and the time is also spent socializing. this is exactly what we did. we worked, but it was so much fun that the time just flew by!

i made a discovery. apparently, all the girls have secret stashes of beads, buttons and such. myself included. i brought the little bags of beautiful glass beads i had bought in prague. after so many years, i realized that it was the perfect moment to use them.

i loved the workshop! i found out i could make cool things while hanging out with new people. i’m ready to bet that you too will leave with a smile on your face, at least one new piece of special jewelry and a few adds on your facebook list!

PS: the first workshop open for the public will take place on saturday, march the 30th. there are 6 openings for this event. it will last 4 hours (12-16h), with coffee break. for further details and reservations, send a message to either c@carlaszabo.com or nadire@ladymagpie.com.

photo credits: little aesthete, sorin agachi