Year of Jewelry Week 10: Wabi Sabi

Prior to this week's prompt, I had never heard the term Wabi Sabi before.

I read through most of the description of Wabi Sabi provided on the link we were so kindly given. In fact, I kept it open in my browser all week to refer back to. Of course, that didn't help me get my butt in gear to make something before today, but it did keep my imagination flowing for what I  might make to correspond with this theme. One of the parts of the description that hit me were these lines:
Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not Pergo; rice paper, not glass. It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind.
Ohhh. . .doesn't that sound lovely!? I think it's an aesthetic I want much of my jewelry (and even my house) to have. For more design-focused, here's yet another line:
The palette is drawn from browns, blacks, grays, earthy greens, and rusts.
I can almost FEEL this idea of Wabi Sabi. It's lush and green and damp and warm. There's something of a mossy-feeling about it. And the more I read over the description, the more I wanted to make something mossy. Yet, I couldn't figure out exactly HOW so I procrastinated once again. Today it hit me that I could flock an item to give it a mossy finish. Yet, I haven't had any flocking materials in the craft room in a few years and I didn't have time to run out and get any. So I'm holding that idea close for another time and decided to just go with the Wabi Sabi idea of imperfection and the wear of time for today.

Digging through some thrifted items, I turned up a couple of worn wooden beads. Then I turned to my trusty mother-of-pearl buttons to find some chipped and well-loved ones. Since the idea of mossy green was still firmly imbedded in my head, I grabbed some dyed jasper rondelles. For the final touch, I used some luscious brown patina-ed brass wire from the Patina Queen to make the findings.
There's just something about these that make me think of a walk in the woods. They're somehow comforting.

What do you think? Did I capture the Wabi Sabi concept?

Check out the other interpretations in the Year of Jewelry's Wabi Sabi Gallery.

3 comments:

  1. I never heard of Wabi Sabi until your post. If someone would have asked me, I'd have told them it's that hot green stuff that comes with sushi! lol.
    But, your definition TOTALLY describes my aesthetic! I adore the earrings you made, right down to the chips on the buttons! You rocked the Wabi Sabi concept!

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  2. Thanks so much for posting this. It was really interesting to read the link. A lot of the ideas really resonated with things that I've been thinking about lately. I will make a post on my blog to save me rabbiting on too much about myself in your comments!! Sarah

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  3. Sarah- Oh, that's a blog post I'm definitely going to have to check out. It's an interesting concept isn't it?

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