Monika Krol Jewelry

Perfect Fit

2011-07-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

I recently made a pair of wedding bands for a lovely couple. Her band was made of white gold and diamonds and fits the engagement ring, which I also made. You can read about the engagement ring in an earlier post here.

In order for the rings to fit nicely together the wedding band had to conform to the shape of the engagement ring. The resulting shape of the wedding band is a little awkward when worn on its own. Fortunately, when I spoke to the bride to be, she assured me that if she felt like only wearing one ring it would be the engagement ring because she loves it so much.

Here you can see how nicely they fit together.

The vintage ring box that the rings were presented in was cleaned up, repainted, reupholstered, and given a custom plaque.

His ring is a made of 18k palladium white gold, which I love for its steely gray color.

Fundaraiser Raffle!

2011-04-04T07:40:00.001-07:00

I'm participating in a triathlon this May and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As part of my fundraising I've made this necklace to raffle off.

Spring Star Burst- vintage plastic, sterling silver(darkened)

Tickets are $10 each, 6 for $50, or any amount in between.

Please visit my fundraising page to donate or get updates on my training. Winner will be announced Friday April 15th.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/cpa/nervetri11/mkrolt

Thanks!

Art Unleashed

2011-03-30T13:34:00.001-07:00

My alma mater, the University of the Arts, holds an annual sale to raise funds for the university's scholarship fund. More info here

Art exhibition and sale featuring original works of art by talented students, faculty and alumni of one of the nation's top art schools, will open with a preview party on Wednesday, April 13. The public sale will be held Thursday, April 14 through Saturday, April 16.

Origami Earrings- origami paper, vintage watch glass, sterling silver, stones

I have 9 pieces in the show. View the rest here

Solitaire

2011-01-14T07:41:00.001-08:00

An engagement ring for my dear friends. She requested a simple princess cut solitaire in white gold. He designed the ring. The diamond is a beautiful .71 carat stone.

14k white gold, diamond

Plastic Ivory

2011-01-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

These vintage molded celluloid pieces are so detailed and amazing they don't need much from me. Here are some pieces with simple sterling settings.

roses and lace

2.25"x 1.75"

rose with ferns

2.25"x2"

mum in garden

2.75"x 2"

Celluloid is a type of plastic that was invented in the late 1860's to replace ivory in the production of billiard balls. Over the years the recipe was modified and adapted for a variety of products. These pieces were most likely made in Japan after WWII and exported to the U.S. during occupation.

People often ask me if I carved the pieces myself, and are somewhat disappointed to learn that I didn't. For me, the excitement lies in finding, collecting, and remaking these pieces into new jewelry. I love the history of the pieces both materially and in the life we can imagine they lived.

Xmas Commission

2011-01-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

The client picked out the turquoise stone. We decided to go with gold beads in the band

to accent the yellow brown specks in the stone.

10k gold, turqouise

Brides Maids

2011-01-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

Matching brides maids necklaces made for a friend's wedding. All the necklaces were different floral designs using sterling silver, lab grown rubies, and glass beads. I apologize for not having larger images of all the necklaces.

Feather brooch/hair pin in this earlier post was for the same wedding.

Another Commission

2011-01-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

This ring was completed in the fall, and is now safe to show with out spoiling the surprise. The client came to me with a diamond requesting a white gold ring with plastic (possibly blue) incorporated into the design.

The ring is quite large but very comfortable.

I found a vintage box to display the ring. I'm in the process of reupholstering the box in this photo.

I repainted the detailed grooves on the box as well to match the new blue material on the inside.

The shank of the ring was carved in wax and cast. The settings for the diamonds and plastic pieces were fabricated and later soldered to the cast ring.

Wedding bands possibly to come.

2010-12-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

I was recently commissioned to make diamond earrings for a wedding anniversary. I was given images of a ring that I was to use as inspiration. This is the design the client chose from a variety of sketches.

14k white gold, diamonds

A collection

2010-08-31T19:51:00.000-07:00

Its a constantly growing collection of vintage plastic objects. These doily bouquets are my favorite things at the moment. Now that there are enough of them, I have begun to make things with them. Images to come.

Yummy

Dear Dear Friend

2010-07-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

My dear friend got married recently. When I offered to make her jewelry she requested that I make a feather that she could pin in her hair or onto her dress. I decided to make it simple and realistic, and so out came the pitch. Oh how I LOVE the smell of warm pitch. The only problem is when I need to burn off any that becomes stuck to the metal. I don't have a proper ventilation system(I imagine it won't happen till we get a house and my dream studio gets built), so I end up burning the pitch off out the window with a fan blowing at my back hoping none of my neighbors notice. Some people can finish a piece by working each side a couple times, but thats not the way I work. I flip it at least 10 times.

My pitch is looking pretty crusty. The top got a little dried out and dusty sitting in the garage for a couple years. I'll have to warm it up one of these days and give it a face lift, and relish in its aroma.
At this point I've probably only flipped the metal once or twice.

I brought up the fine silver and left a matt finish to make it look soft.

Collaboration

2010-07-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

For our show at Sienna Gallery "Royal Loyals" I made sets of jewelry for people we admire and Danielle painted portraits of them wearing it. We also made 3 collaborative pieces to coincide with each of the sets. These pieces are not yet on the website.

When You My Love Are Gone- oil on masonite, sterling, vintage plastic objects

Detail
Big Tiga- oil & gold leaf on masonite, sterling, 10k gold, acrylic, garnets

Maison- oil on masonite, sterling, vintage plastic objects

Royal Loyals

2010-07-05T15:31:00.001-07:00

Our collaborative show is now up at Sienna Gallery!

Check it out online at SiennaGallery.com

Artist reception July 10, 4-6pm

Sienna Gallery

80 Main St.

Lenox, MA

Just Playing

2010-06-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

Put A Ring On It
ZUZU studio gallery
June 12- July 6
Opening Reception- June 12, 6-9pm (Second Saturday)

ZUZU pulls out all the stops to showcase over 100 eye-catching, handmade rings ranging from demure to outrageous. Channel your inner diva as you experience the most innovative and unexpected collection of one-of-a-kind hand candy seen this side of the Delaware.

This ring is a little older. It was made for an assignment while I was at UArts. We were given a chunk of turquoise to carve and were told to make a "Power Ring". I decided to do minimal carving on the stone. The elk was originally a plastic toy, like in most of my other work, but it wasn't sturdy enough to hold the stone, nor would the delicate plastic function very well as a ring. I added some extra "meat" to the bottom of the elk's legs and cast him in 10k gold to make him sturdier. Although the ring functions, it is also top heavy and awkward and tends to tilt to either side. I really love the stoic (and masculine) imagery and the way the imagery contrasts the actual absurdity and awkwardness of wearing the piece.

Stoic- 10k gold, sterling silver, turquoise

This piece reminds me of the way I approach/treat most of my work. I take my work very seriously. Making these things is not an option, not a "hobby", and it is not always fun. It is very important to me that the work is impeccably made, it functions as jewelry, it is made with intelligence *, and it is beautiful. At the same time I try not to take myself too seriously, and I can't resist poking fun with very objects I make. The irony, a sort of inherent absurdity in making really expensive toys.

*Judith Schaechter

Transmutations

2010-06-10T06:52:00.001-07:00

I previously posted some images of work that I have in a traveling exhibition

Transmutations: Material Reborn

The show will open at Gallery Loupe later this month.

Sketches

2010-06-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Some images from my sketch book of pieces that I finished recently:

Onward

2010-05-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Art Star Bazaar. The weather was gorgeous! This was the boothDanielle and I shared:

Thanks to everyone who came out!

I'll be putting the rest of my jewelry into three stores.

Art Star in Philly

MarMar on Block Island, RI

ZuZu in Collinswood, NJ

I'll now be focusing on the work for the show at Sienna Gallery in July.

Check out a teaser of one of Danielle's paintings for the show Here

I'll be posting some of my own soon.

Packing up

2010-05-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

I'm just about ready for the Art Star Bazaar in Philadelphia this weekend. It's always a treat to go back into Philly. I spent six years there; the first four years I was attending the University of the Arts. Danielle and I will certainly be hitting up the Royal Tavern, and there is no doubt that the order will include one tempeh club, a chicken sandwich and two La Fin DuMondes(at least)..... dippey fries included. Water with a straw please.

Hopefully the weather will be beautiful and the wind minimal. Ya'll should stop by, Danielle and I will be at booth 5!

Here are some more pieces:

Cinderella Weeping - oxidized sterling silver, vintage watch glass, German playing card

Button Rings- sterling silver, vintage buttons

Blossom Earrings- sterling silver, vintage watch glass, origami paper, vintage plastic

(these are adorable, I will be very tempted to keep them if they don't sell)

I apologize for my lack of photo skills. I think a certain someone will have to help me build a light box for my upcoming birthday.

Currently Showing

2010-05-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

Transmutations: Material Reborn

Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery

April 28 - May 17, 2010

An exhibition celebrating 27 international jewelry artists who transform plastics (materials that include resin, latex, rubber, vinyl, and thermoplastics)into wearable art. This exhibition was curated by Susan Kasson Sloan, juror of the recent Lark Books publication '500 Plastic Jewelry Designs.'

A couple of the pieces I have in the show:

Bouquet Ring- sterling silver, vintage plastic
Platter with Roses- sterling silver, vintage plastic

Exhibition

2010-05-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Danielle Rizzolo and myself are having an exhibition at Sienna Gallery this July. Danielle is a dear friend of mine and fellow graduate of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The show will consist of my jewelry, Danielle's paintings, and some collaborative work similar to the one below. We like to call the show a "Duet "

This ad for the show is in the current issue of Metalsmith Magazine. Inside front cover folks.

side note: I've recently taken down a good chunk of my website so as not to spoil the show, I will give it a facelift once the show at Sienna is up.

Round Three

2010-05-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

This spring is turning out to be quite hectic. I'm going to try real hard to share with ya'll the chaos of the studio.

A little of what's to come:

Art Star Craft Bazaar

When: Saturday, May 15th from 11-6pm & Sunday,

May 16th from 11-6pm
Where: Philadelphia, PA @ Penn's Landing Great Plaza

on Columbus Boulevard between Walnut St. and Chestnut Street

I'll be sharing booth #5 with Danielle Rizzolo

I still have tons to get done, but heres a preview of one of the pieces I'll have there.

Little Red:

sterling silver, vintage watch glass, vintage plastic button,

and a fabulous illustrated card from Germany.

I'm working on a couple more of these necklaces with different scenes from fairy tales. I love the illustrations! I purchased these playing cards when I was in Germany in 2006.