I.D. Please! - by Melissa Lim

Left to right: Frankie, Craig, Gail and Kismet. All Jeanine Payer

James Dean sporting an ID bracelet

Another silver ID bracelet which belonged to James Dean recently sold for $30,000

The King wearing his signature ID bracelet

Elvis' 14k diamond encrusted ID bracelet sold for over $500,000 at auction

The iconic ID bracelet, once worn by soldiers during the Second World War and now donned by both men and women as a fashion statement, has an interesting history. During WWII, the bracelets were a part of a soldier's uniform and was engraved with basic information (name, rank, serial number). After the war, many men still wore them proudly, as a badge of honor, thus starting a trend. By the 1950s and 60s, the ID bracelet became popular with rebellious teens as well as grown-ups.

Over the years, Jeanine Payer has designed her take on the ID bracelet. In our current collection, there are several versions, all beautifully engraved with poems or quotes.

Featured on the Gail bracelet:

The joys I have possessed are ever mine- ~ John Dryden

The quote seems to capture the essence of the high-spiritedness of both Elvis and James Dean, who lived their lives fast and hard, but by doing so, left this world all too soon.

Braided Bliss... by Melissa

From top to bottom: Zephyr, Laloue, Small Universe & Journey. All Jeanine Payer

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. ~Lao Tzu

19th century Mourning bracelet advertisement

The back of a Victorian mourning brooch
Portrait of a young Queen Victoria in braids

Stevie Nicks, "Gold and Braid" live, 1981

In the 1880's, braided jewelry was sometimes used to commemorate the death of a loved one, which was the polar opposite of the 1980's, when a braided bracelet signified true and enduring friendship. The braiding process is a ancient one and can also be very therapeutic and spiritual in itself, and is found making its graceful way through Jeanine's Fall Collection. Besides leather, artisan fabrics from Liberty of London are used to create looks that marry both centuries - the Arts and Crafts look of Victorian England and the updated Preppy chic of the 1980's. It also reminds me of one of my favorite songs of Stevie Nicks, who, in 1981, looks like she stepped out of a 19th century Rossetti painting.

Sea of Possibilities by Melissa

Clockwise from top: Cameron, Teja 18k, Soul, Little Star 2-tone & Enclosed Coral

Book of poems by Patti Smith, 1996

J.W. Waterhouse The Mermaid, 1900

The very first thing that came to my mind when I saw the Enclosed Coral necklace was Patti Smith. She has a deep love for the sea and has used it as a metaphor over the course of her career as a singer and a poet.

There is no land but the land

There is no sea but the sea

There is no keeper but the key

Except for the one who seizes possibilities...

Dip into the sea...the sea of possibilities...

Another image that comes to mind when I think of the sea is the famous Waterhouse painting of a mermaid, which is what Jeanine's latest collection also reminds me of. You'll find textures and motifs that seem romantically both Victorian and marine - like lost treasures you might find in a old shipwreck...if you're lucky.

Rock On Gold Dust Woman by Melissa

Crystal Wing, Guardian Book & Safe Passage

Stevie Nicks, mid 1970s

Our new collection speaks to the dreamer that is inside all of us. Necklaces comprised of wings, flowers, miniature books of poems, and stars. Reminiscent of one of my favorite fashion icons ever - Stevie Nicks. She is the quintessential California girl and undisputed jewelry layering queen. A gypsy and a poet - a lover and a dreamer. Who wouldn't want to live in Stevie's world, which is full of lace and paper flowers, with mirrors in the sky and bells in the night?

Profile on 300 Broadway - Jack Stauffacher and Greenwood Press - by Anton Stuebner

Poster for SFMoMa's retrospect "Jack Stauffacher: Selections from the Permanent Collection of Architecture and Design," 2002. Jack gave us a signed copy as a studio warming present.

We were thrilled to find that our new studio originally housed a printing press. The building is now home to a number of businesses (including us, as of next week). One of our neighbors, though, is keeping 300 Broadway's printing tradition very alive and well.

Jack Stauffacher established Greenwood Press in 1936, the result of a childhood fascination with letterpress. Based originally in San Mateo, he moved the shop to San Francisco, setting up in North Beach alongside Jack Kerouac and the early Beat poets. After a brief tenure at Stanford University Press and a Fulbright fellowship in Italy, he relocated the press to 300 Broadway, where it still operates today.

Combining Bauhaus modernism with traditional print technique, Stauffacher's work has an abstract beauty. Die cast letters are off-set by numbers and shapes, intersperesed with blocks of color. The assemblage sometimes seems random - and very often is. But in making letters aesthetic objects (like shapes or color), Stauffacher hightens the formal elegance of print, elevating letters and words into visual works of art. His work has influenced many print artists, and in 2002, SFMoMA staged a retrospect of his work, centered on his 1998 portfolio Wooden Letters from 300 Broadway. We're honored to work alongside Mr. Stauffacher at 300 Broadway and look forward to delving further into his body of work.

Title page, Wooden Letters from 300 Broadway, 1998

Jeanine Payer at the Movies - "The Kids Are All Right" - by Anton Stuebner

A scene from "The Kids Are All Right," with Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo

I was thrilled to see Mark Ruffalo wearing the Sycamore necklace in Lisa Cholodenko's stellar new film, "The Kids Are All Right." Centered on a couple (Annette Benning and Julianne Moore) who reconnect with their children's birth father (Mark Ruffalo), the movie is receiving critical attention in California, particulary in the aftermath of Proposition 8, the state-wide initiative banning gay marriage. This issue is close to many of us here - when the initiative first appeared, we released a special edition of our Dale necklace benefitting Equality California, the advocacy group fighting the campaign.

Watching the film, it's hard not to think of Proposition 8, and Lisa Cholodenko doesn't gloss over this. But instead of politicizing the issue, she presents an endearingly normal portrait of a dysfunctional but loving family - one that happens to have two gay parents. It's a wry and poignant look at a very modern couple, and, for me, it's a huge pleasure to see our work featured in the film.

The Sycamore necklace

But your solitude will be a support and a home for you, even in the midst of very unfamiliar circumstances, and from it you will find all your paths.

--Rainer Maria Rilke translated by Stephen Mitchell

We Walk On in Private Missions of the Heart

Avila, Toledo, Milan, Amatrice and Monterey

Ian Burgham is an award winning Canadian poet whose work I have been honored to use for many years. I asked him to say a few words about his experience having his work found on our jewelry...

I've been thinking about what it is to have people wear my words on your jewelry. When someone buys your work I'm sure there are many considerations that go into the decision.

But where it begins is with you Jeanine. As I see it, your vision of what is delicate and beautiful as an object is tied to an understanding of the deepest things that make our selves human, and connect us with each other, the world and worlds beyond time. The beautiful, beauty does that. It is in William Blake's terms the product of the "Divine Imagination" in us at its best.

To add my words to your pieces imparts another layer. I think it is not what I meant by the words I write that matters, but what you know they mean to you that influences your choice to use them.

But finally, the real magic happens when someone encounters the jewelry, a complete stranger, and purchases it to wear it; words mix with design and the purity of stone and metal creating a new artifact. And more than that, the piece carries high emotion and meaning, private meaning that only the wearer can know. Everyone brings their heart's experience to that piece.

The jewelry and words are no longer ours. Now they are of the soul of the person who wears them. The piece becomes a declaration as to an understanding of the best of ourselves and the best in us. And maybe a reminder that we walk on in private missions of the heart.

--Ian Burgham

The Inner Bride by Melissa

Katja, Teja 18k & Vanessa 18k rings

Melissa: I love stacking rings and I think this combination make a great wedding set. These are the tiniest rings in the collection and I want them all!

JP: I was at the farmer's market this weekend and ran into an old friend. He had the white gold Marina and his wife had the gold Rivera as their wedding bands. I had no idea they got rings from us so it was extra sweet.

Spring Layering by Melissa

Fiore and Vineet 18k

The combination of the ladybug Vineet necklace along with the quince blossom inspired Fiore - both 18k gold -make a warm and gorgeous reminder that Spring is just around the corner...

Everytime a new collection comes out, the girls here at JP have a favorite piece. Normally, our tastes are varied...but when the 20th Anniversary Collection was launched late last year, three of us (including myself) purchased the Fiore necklace. I wear mine almost everyday, as it makes a perfect layering piece.

Forward To Your Man--Valentine's Tips From Melissa

Melissa wears her Adaline with her wedding set.

In my time working in the Jeanine Payer retail store I have helped countless people make important gift selections and with Valentine's coming up I thought I'd offer some helpful tips. For starters, the words are truly the most important thing--Substance over style as the saying goes. If the perfect words are on a piece that would not work stylistically we can always customize it.

For the woman who already owns several pieces, choosing something from the latest collection is ideal. AND hearts are always a sweet and safe choice for Valentines. In the Spring Collection I recommend the Santaigo with lines by Balzac, Love is the poetry of the senses/Love is the beauty of the soul. Another great selection is the Amatrice which has poetry by Ian Burgham , Resting on our hearts, my map of the world within you.'

I have seen women ponder about a certain piece for a few weeks or men come in and purchase something within 5 minutes! It all depends on the individual. The main thing is that you know the words that mean the most when you hear them.

Things to watch out for:

• Don't buy in sets! one well selected piece is always more powerful.



• Valentines Day is not the holiday for a gift certificate--this is about the sentiment and the thought, literally.



• Women generally like to mix and match their jewelry metals, styles and eras so don't be afraid to buy silver if she has a gold ring, etc.



• Rings are hard as surprise gifts unless you know for an absolute fact what size they wear. Safer choices are necklaces, bracelets and earrings.



• Make sure you select the style based more on the recipient’s taste rather than yours.

The poetry choices are sometimes overwhelming, especially if you don't have a lot of time.. All of us here are experts at helping people find the perfect pieces, even if someone can't make it into the store we can help find what you are looking for--although we would love to see you in person!!



On this Valentines Day we wish you all the best in whatever you chose to give, whether it is a piece of jewelry, a love note, or hand picked flowers, it is all in the romantic, meaningful gesture.

Avalon Giveaway Winner (by Janine B.)

Congratulations to Eva Archer Smith, the lucky winner of our Avalon necklace giveaway. When notified, she gasped, "I'm at the airport or I'd be screaming!" A Houston resident and a long time collector of Jeanine Payer (her first pieces were a pinky ring and earrings purchased nearly 20 years ago), Eva entered the giveaway by purchasing the Giovanni ring to replace her wedding ring.

-Janine B.

Janet K. on Bahktli, aka "Bella"

After being away for two years to take care of her two young girls, Bella and her upbeat attitude, are back at Jeanine Payer. Her favorite piece is the Edmond. She enjoys the process the most, beginning with the cleaning of the casting, ending with soldering the jumprings and antiquing them. She brings the piece to its final stage for the engravers.

Today she is working on the Billie necklace and I caught her soldering one of the jumprings to the chain. She is currently eyeing the Fabienne two-tone earrings which she plans to get for herself as her next piece. Bella is famous around here for her keen eye for both antiquing the poetry and hand-polishing.

-Janet K.

Megan F. on Photo Contest Winners

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
~T. S. Eliot




Spring
~Edna St. Vincent Millay



The Red Wheelbarrow
~William Carlos Williams

Results are in for the National Poetry Month Free Verse photo contest! We want to sincerely thank everyone who participated – we’ve really enjoyed seeing your entries, and we love the effort and creativity you’ve shown. It wasn’t easy to decide on our favorites, but Jeanine Payer and the Academy of American Poets have selected the following three winners who had great concepts for capturing their chosen poetry and turned them into great images.

-Megan Fuentes

Ari K.: Notes from the Production Desk...

Sonja, our repairs specialist, walks past our metalsmiths on a busy day.

As the manager of production, it is my job to accommodate orders with extreme sensitivity to our customer’s deadlines. Since we make every piece to order it gets a little tricky during our busy holiday seasons. Our metalsmiths: Izeta, Joel, Elvedina, Dervisa, and Chie never fail to impress us with their speed, focus, attention to detail and general hilariousness. This Valentine’s Day most certainly took the cake. We had initially planned to make just under 300 pieces, during our week long production cycle, but after last minute requests (I mean, really? Who am I turn away somebody in need of the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for their sweetheart) we were able to accommodate 51 additional pieces! That is more than 10 extra pieces per metal smith, most definitely a Jeanine Payer record! I couldn’t even believe my eyes when I saw what they had accomplished. Way to go Team! I hope everybody can appreciate the hard work that goes into every Jeanine Payer piece. ~Ari K.