Flight of Fancy Dragon Waxes

Posted on June 7, 2011 by marty


A client recently ordered  two bronze “Flight of Fancy” dragon sculptures to add to his Marty Magic collection.  Each bronze sculpture and each piece of jewelry that I offer, is cast from it’s own separate wax. This particular design is an intricate piece and my original mold consists of three separate parts. It takes several hours to assemble and detail the three wax sections for each dragon sculpture. (That is over and above the 100+ hours invested in my original carving.) Continue reading →

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Garlic Festival Memories with Garlic and Bat Jewelry by Carrie Adell

Posted on June 4, 2011 by marty
Carrie Adell Garlic and Bat

Carrie Adell Garlic and Bat

A few weeks ago, I received a call asking about a sterling silver garlic clove pendant that opened up and contained a tiny chained, 14K gold bat. Had I had made this remarkable piece of jewelry? The woman on the other end of the line was describing one of Carrie Adell’s Garlic and Bat Pendants. It had become her talisman and the gold bat had flown away.

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Cats and Kats working

Posted on May 28, 2011 by marty

For those of you who think that making a living as a crafts person requires only creativity, think again.  One must have a CAT to oversee the data base and inventory.  Our cat, Godzilla, supervises  it all, rearranging our charm groupings and tangling the chains with a flick of her tail if we become too absorbed in the task at hand and  fail to pay her due attention.

At the start of each show season,  we polish and tag the jewelry for the shows. I have over a thousand items to tag. In the photo on the left, my assistant, Kat, (not to be confused with the Cat,) works down the long list of charms and rings,  double checks prices and tags each item. I also have help at the shows from Kathleen and Katie and my accountant is Kate. You can see my Cat jewelry including the Catfish.

large catfish pendant jewelry

I’m looking forward to my first show of the season, the San Ramon Wind Festival this memorial day weekend. The van is packed, the canopies washed and the gas tank filled. For those of you who can’t make it to this weekend’s show, click here for the link to my 2011 show schedule.
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Maker Faire and SteamPunk Hats

Posted on May 25, 2011 by marty

Art and I drove Saturday to the Bay area Maker Faire in San Mateo and were overwhelmed by all the spectacle and exhibits. Our Sunday night dinner was with our friends from Head’n Home, custom hatmakers in Santa Cruz. When we arrived, Merry-Lee apologized for her husband Gary’s unexpected absence.  Gary was still madly selling his new line of SteamPunk hats at the Maker Faire in San Mateo.

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Posted in Museums and Shows, SteamPunk | 3 Comments

Frogs in Hollywood for Barbra Streisand

Posted on May 17, 2011 by marty
Tree Frog Pendant

Tree Frog Pendant

I received a call recently from a costume consultant in Los Angeles for a movie that will be filmed this year starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen. They were interested in all of my Frog Jewelry designs and for several weeks, my frogs were “hopping” back and forth between Santa Cruz and L.A. They ultimately choose my Tree Frog Pendant as the “Hero” piece that Barbra will wear throughout the movie, My Mother’s Curse.

Described as “An inventor and his mom hit the road together so he can sell his latest invention.” The movie will be showing next year. Barbra will wear the solid 14K gold version and the costume designers purchased two in 14K gold so that both Barbara and her double will have one to wear.  They also purchased several in sterling silver, in case one of the gold ones goes missing and they need a quick replacement.  This is one road trip that I won’t want to miss!

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Phoenix-Dragon Tiara Stage 1

Posted on May 15, 2011 by marty

I have been commissioned to create a Phoenix-Dragon Tiara for an upcoming fall wedding. I expect that this will be my most elaborate jewelry creation to date.  I have enlisted the help of Michael Leeds, a renowned Santa Cruz artist, to create a “road map” for this design that has been enthusiastically approved by my clients, C and J. Continue reading →

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Phoenix-Dragon Tiara Stage 2

Posted on May 12, 2011 by marty

I am putting aside several hours each day to work on this elaborate commission.  Yesterday I worked intensively, detailing the waves at the base of the tiara and creating a rough carving of the center mandala.  I spent today detailing the mandala and integrating it into the flow of the waves.  Three remarkable opals will be incorporated into the piece. These photos are of the work in progress, carved in green and pink wax.

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Rabbit Holes and Races

Posted on May 12, 2011 by marty

A few weeks ago, on a day trip to San Francisco, we lost our way in the Presidio and magic began to unfold.  We drove past an archway marking the finish to a race.  The pictoral banners were of the Hare and the Tortoise…. Continue reading →

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The Silver Corset part 1

Posted on May 10, 2011 by marty

V-taking measurements

A special patron from the Maryland Renaissance Festival has asked me to design a sterling silver corset cover with dragon and flame ornamentation in gold.  Continue reading →

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Fire Opals in Todos Santos

Posted on May 9, 2011 by marty

In March, I traveled to Baja Mexico with three friends. We drove to Todo Santos, a lovely art community on the Pacific Coast about an hour north of Cabo San Lucas. We visited a jewelry shop specializing in Mexican fire opals owned by Manuel Tamayo, the owner of one the best opal mines in Magdalena, Mexico. Continue reading →

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