Remember Harvest Hardware, folks. You’re going to hear more about these women… I’m spoiled in North GA, living so close to the artisitc lovefest that are the mountain towns just an hour from my community. Unique jewelry and other handmade finds abound at nearby small-town and county festivals. My favorites of late by far are Lisa and Mary Wilkie’s creations–reclaimed and hardware inspired hand stamped jewelry.
This is their charm keeper necklace, hanging on a simple silver chain.
What they do is industrial but can be either delicate or oversized, depending on what you prefer. Personalization is a must, and they’re creativity will inspire you.
This tripple wrapped bracelet works like a cuff, except it molds to your wrist instead of moving all over the place.
It’s all mix and match, and you’ve never seen anything quite like it. The charm variations are limitless.
It’s ingenious, what they’ve managed to do with items you’d normally find in a farm shop or a working garage. And their newest ideas keep blowing my mind.
Take their Two Become One necklace design.
Add the large fastenings that make each item it super easy to take on and off, and you’ll be hooked at first site like I was. The complexity AND simplicity of their ever-expanding ideas are what’s landed them on my Best of North Georgia list.
Who would have thought to use hardware to make the most unique charm bracelet I’ve ever scene?
I catch them every year at Georgia mountain festivals in the fall and spring.
They’re booths are crawling with women ordering one-of-a-kind, personalized jewelry these sisters-in-law insist fabricate on site from bits and pieces of hardware. While other vendors limp through a weak economy, desperate to pull patrons in to see their creations, the Wilkies struggle to keep up with daily orders–often having to hold up soccer moms and other customers so they can occasionally dash to the bathroom ;o)
Vintage inspired, yes. Like so many things about the North Georgia mountains, this art form is a call back to an earlier, less stylized and electronic age.
I have a charm necklace with hand-stamped talismans with all my favorite shapes and symbols–hanging from a black suede cord. And a bracelet made from think, chunky links tied with more black suede–it looks almost delicate. And a bent, brass, vintage key stamped with name and linked into another bracelet that could have been made a hundred years ago.
All created by hand, on site, while I chatted with these amazing artists who are getting national notice. Women born and raised in my neck of the woods and making a splash sharing a bit of their heritage and history as they create.
They’re websiteis under construction, but their facebook pageoffers a gallery of a few more photos than the ones I’ve shared here. And they’re running a contest through the first of December if you like they’re page and share a a status update showcasing one of their charm bracelets. So check ‘em out. You won’t be sorry.
Upcoming Best of North Georgia posts through the end of this year?Check back each Monday to see my favorite inns, water falls, festivals, hikes, restaurants, art, farm stands and much more! Things that make me love living where I live, despite being born and raised on the GA coast. Mountains and ocean. We have them all in Georgia. I love it all. But North Georgia…there’s something about this magic that just won’t let me go…
Tags: Anna DeStefano, anna's world, creativity & inspiration, North Georgia
