House of Shiny Objects  -  Adorn in Bliss

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Beauty is in the details; a shine or sparkle may attract you to an object initially, but it's the depth of the sum of its parts that holds your attention. Working out of my studio in Nevada City, CA, I shape mostly one-of-a-kind pieces that are part modern – part artifact. I strive to make jewelry that lasts with a high quality of craftsmanship, and a thoughtfulness of materials. I source many stones from my local environment in and around the Sierra Nevada Foothills, and from my rock hounding adventures across the West. All adornments are made by me through intuition and experimentation, and they may feature stones that I found, cut, polished, and set.

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House of Shiny Objects was founded on a love of and dedication to fine, handcrafted bead work, but I incorporate new skills as I learn them including gold leaf, intarsia and lapidary, chasing and repose, and anticlastic forming, While we strive for perfection of all the items we make, we recognize the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi - the acceptance of transience and imperfection - in all things handmade. Variation is inherent in such items, and it is what makes each one unique.

 

While I am massively into metalwork and lapidary these days, I still harbor a deep appreciation for the process of off-loom bead weaving, where beads are added one by one to reach a three-dimensional whole. Each of these pieces can take hours and even weeks to complete, building layer upon layer. My bead work often favors monochromatic color plays and incorporates floral motifs, paying special attention to clasps and closures, and elements that create the effect of handmade lace.

 

As a child flipping through the pages of my parents’ National Geographic magazines, I was notably influenced by the 1984 issue featuring the excavation of Pompeii on its cover. The photograph revealed lasting golden treasure contrasted with the harshness of grey ash, after all else was vaporized by Mt. Vesuvius. The discovery of those mystically attributed adornments left a significant mark on my creative process and led me to explore themes on the interface between culture and the natural world – I revisit spirals, hearts, clouds, and feathers – spiritual and ethereal symbols. The resilient and transformative power of nature is front and center - found objects reclaimed by the environment and made anew. Be they plastic scraps, rusty metal, sea glass, or broken ceramic – all of these are fodder for creative re-use, and I seek them out as a magpie might collect shiny objects to decorate her nest – or perhaps they too, are seeking me+. 

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I wish my pieces to inspire hope, joy, and resiliency in their wearers – talismans of bountiful souls. I hope you will treasure wearing my creations as much as I have enjoyed making them; may they always hold your attention, dear.  

My Very Best, Amanda Ganong