Gina Jackson Personal Fitness

This is a personal story.  It reflects a very personal artistic piece.  A custom design.  I call it my Princess Collar.  All the elements are one of a kind.  Each stone, each bead, each strand; the origin of each of the stones; the love, respect and honor of the man who selected the gems, the artist who crafted the finished piece and the delight I have in adorning my neck with the history they represent.

The man in my life,  Jules Allen, travels the world frequently as a photographer, capturing the images, art and history of the world as he experiences it.  A frequent bi-costal and international traveler, he has walked the earth throughout the U.S, many countries throughout Africa, South America, the islands of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, etc.  His art and work speaks for itself and stands on it own, telling the story of a proud and distinguished artist.

Along the way, he pick up artifacts to bring back home.  Often rough, raw and in their original format as found and sold by merchants in the global marketplace. Turquoise stones from an Indian reservation, Carnelian stones from Guinea; brass from Ghana, bone bracelets from Mali.  Colorful, bold and original.  The elements are truly magnificent alone, and decorative yes.

I had another vision for several of the elements, however.

I brought Paula Collins, Jewelry Designer, a little black pouch containing several of these elements, he gave to me over the years.  Two strands of brass beads, two strands of turquoise stones and one strand of carnelian gemstones was in the little pouch.   Our brief, June 2009 conversation went something like this,

“Now tell me where each of these are from.”

Which I did

“They are beautiful.  I need to sit with them for a while, and play around with a few ideas in my head.  I will send you a few sketches.”

I told her to take her time; I was in no rush and was willing to play and collaborate with her to create a design that would present the beauty of each piece. 

I left the little black pouch and Paula went off to Europe for the summer; visiting Paris and Italy as she loves to do frequently.  A month or so later, I saw an image of something I felt drawn to and sent her a copy as a possibility of the “fullness” I wanted to have with the necklace.

We didn’t talk for another 3 months.  In that time, Paula created a masterful piece.  A one of a kind original.  An African Princess Collar.  Her creativity is exquisite.  She matched the brass beads with closing clasps and used crystals as fillers in between the stones to delicately catch and reflect light as I move.

Her genius was shown in crafting it as four separate pieces that can be worn as a single, a pair, a trio or all four strands, as the full ornamental necklace.  The smile on my face expresses only a smidgen of the joy and delight I felt putting it on.

[View with PicLens]

If you want a personal, custom delightful piece for yourself, Paula Collins can be found in New York, NY and at a website coming soon!