The Birth (and Naming) of a New Collection

I recently wrote a blog post  for my Metal Clay Heads Etsy Team.  In it, I discussed my newest sources for inspiration:  Some antique buttons from a client and textures and designs I have found in various pieces of furniture and other items in the small museum where I work. 

Working on new designs based on these things is a departure from the nature-based pieces I have made in the past, and I want to mark this by naming the new line.  After a lot of thought, I have settled on The Nouvelle Collection.

The name has many meanings for me.  First, nouvelle and nouveau both mean "new" in French.  The obvious is that this is a new line, but it is also a play on the term Art Nouveau.  I love designs from that period and my new pieces will be based, in part, on art from that era (and others).  This also marks a new phase in my life, since I have recently taken a new job, after staying home with my children for more than 10 years.

During the last few years as my children have needed me at home less, I have spent more time working on my jewelry as well as teaching metal clay.  Since I will now have less time to devote to working with metal clay, I would like to focus on pieces that challenge me.  I will be drawing and designing more of my own textures and using more advanced techniques in some of my pieces.

Having said that, my first pieces for the Nouvelle Collection are simple post earrings made using some of the antique and vintage buttons I recently received.  My next piece will be a brooch based on a drawer pull on a dresser in the museum.  I hope to chronicle the making of that piece from design to finish and will publish that on the Metal Clay Heads blog.