7/16/11

Il Ponte Vecchio

When I was little, grandma used to pull out this beautiful  box when it was just her and me, and show me a fancy pair of earrings inside. She always started by telling me she got them at the "ponte vecchio" in Italy. Then she's always explain that ponte vecchio means old bridge- a totally unnecessary explanation since in Spanish old bridge is puente viejo- practically the same thing. But she so enjoyed explaining that, showing me them, and telling me how when my older sister turned 15, she'd give them to her. Nothing was more important to a little Latin American girl than turning 15, mind you. And with grandma's it was all about what they were going to give you when you turned 15.Krioboly.
Krioboly.
In any case, the earrings had the same handmade wire filigree as you see above. So I'm pretty sure these flowers, part of a whole broken bracelet I got, must be from Italy as well. Tons of stuff in Uruguay is from Italy.  I may have even gotten the whole bracelet from Grandma but it's all become a blur.

Hecatologue.
Hecatologue.
As the fancygirly filigree flowers above are balanced out by the carved horn rounds and stuff dangling off of them, so here is the grungy rustic salvaged wood in soldered bezel is balanced out by the pretty rhinestone/pearl/opal shimmery goodies sprinkled about the chain. Dear God that was a long sentence.

Hecatologue.
Because I had the wood piece in an all dark/grungy necklace and it didn't work. I forget my formula for balancing things out sometimes. All the time.

Embaphium.
Embaphium.
These are little green apples covered in red candy coating. They're inside a little acrylic-windowed locket that took days and days to oxidize even that much, which isn't that much.... (hu?)
Anyways.

Embaphium.
You guys, I woke up from such an awful nightmare this morning that shook me to my core. And it made me think of how I never share anything bad here, just silly anecdotes and stuff... Even though folks see my stuff and think I must be all dark and morbid. But mostly I don't share dark stuff because my life is awesome. Just that in the morning, before I wake up, my meds wear off and it becomes like a horrible acid trip. And even more so because I'm dreaming, so my head goes to the darkest most awful things imaginable- things I couldn't even say here.
There's no point to this. I'm just babbling.

Blindsight. Cuff.
Blindsight.
Here's a lightly painted thing. I put a lot of wax on top to try and protect the paint from rubbing/flaking right off. Hope it works.

Blindsight. Cuff.
Pretty, though, hu?]

Molrowing. Double Wrap Cuff.
Molrowing.
Remember the double wrap thang? Here's one in bracelet form- which is a good way to get more going on on a smaller piece. "on on?" Why aren't my sentences working?

Molrowing. Double Wrap Cuff.
Anyway. Here's a picture of the old bridge:It's lined with shops, which all bridges in Florence used to be in the Middle Ages. Instead of the original butchers though, now there's jewelers and stuff- says wikipedia. Damn, I'd always imagined her getting the earrings from an outdoor vendor. From, like, an ice cream cart actually. OK, I was 4 years old guys.
 Real talk.

7 comments:

Flotsam Tide said...

I always love reading your blog posts because not only do I get to gawk at your pretty "theengs" but I also get to laugh at your wonderful humor. I love the story about your grandma, and the beautiful filigree. Look at that pretty painted eye, such depth and a calm serene gaze. That's not easy to achieve. That velvet strawberry wrap is the sweetest thing.

stregata said...

The shop owners just sort of built permanent booths and you could easily feel as if you were in the Middle Ages, if the masses of people were dressed accordingly. Many of the 'shops' are opend to the bridge during the open hours, so they still look like booths. And similar trades would be on the same bridge - so the Ponte Vecchio has been housing goldsmiths and jewelers for a long time...
Your story makes the earrings all the more delightful. And the eye is superb!!!

Penelope said...

Personally I think an ice cream cart that also sells jewelry is a freakin' fantastic idea.

You coulda said 'get more going on IN a smaller piece'. I do that, because it annoys me when I have to do two words together that are the same but different, like if I say 'I can't do that that quickly' I'll say 'I can't do it as quick as that'. or something. I find ways around it, grammar be damned!

Oh and Jane's anti-depress meds do the same thing, she gets horrible nightmares.

Penelope said...

Oh and I think that foreshore under the bridge there needs some serious mudlarking done- imagine the stuff that fell over the side! I DIE!

steufel said...

Love that brigde and Florence - and your pieces. Especially the one with the strawberry!

Jennifer Valentine Morford said...

ONLY YOU could make something so gorgeous with an 8$ button that I had for years and never knew what to do with it....damn you and your amazingness! (just kidding...but you are amazing!)
love you Fanci...and, as always, your new stuff.
xoxox

~Debi said...

OMG. I almost died when I saw the Blindsight bracelet. Awesometastical girlie.