Honey Moon

A full moon over Greece's Temple of Poseidon in June 2008.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTHONY AYIOMAMITIS, TWAN

Skywatchers will get a special treat as a full moon occurs tonight, Friday the 13th, something that hasn't happened in June since almost a century ago, in 1919. Known as the Honey Moon, as well as the Strawberry Moon or Rose Moon, the actual full moon occurred very early Friday morning, but will still be nearly full when it rises in the east Friday evening. 

With the sun's path across the sky at its highest during this month of the summer solstice, the moon is at its lowest, which keeps the lunar orb close to the horizon and makes it appear bigger and more amber (hence the name Honey Moon) than other full moons this year. The amber colors are due to the scattering of longer wavelengths of light by dust and pollution in our atmosphere. 

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the name Strawberry Moon name comes from the fact that it's strawberry season, and Algonquin Native American tribes knew this was the time of year to gather the ripening fruit. 

This is the first time since Oct. 13, 2000, that a full moon has occurred on a Friday the 13th of any month, and the last time it will happen until Oct. 13, 2049.

The superstitious may want to steer clear of black cats this Friday the 13th, but venturing outside very early in the morning will be worthwhile. Enjoy the spectacular sight of the full Honey Moon in the night sky, I know I will! 

In today’s world, the phrase "Friday the 13th" rolls off the tongue, instinctively linked to bad luck and strange happenings. Everyone knows Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day. But why does it have such a bad reputation? If you want to learn more about where the superstition of Friday the 13th comes from, read my sequel blog The Myth of Friday the 13th.

Murano Island - A Glassmaker's Paradise

Murano Glass Factory
(photo courtesy of The Golden Fingers)

A few years ago my husband and I had the chance to revisit Italy. Of course, we couldn’t miss Venice as one of our stops along the way, and among all the other tourist attractions like San Marco Basilica, Rialto Bridge, Grand Canale, Palazzo Ducale, a classic concert in Piazza San Marco and countless museums, we took a tour of the lagoon, Murano Island included.

Since 1291, this tiny Venetian island has been the home of Venice's glassmaking industry. Murano is actually a series of islands linked by bridges in theVenetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about 1 mile north of Venice, accessible by boat only, and measures less than 1 mile across with a population of just over 5,000.

Murano Channel (photo courtesy of Travel Via Italy)

Murano’s reputation as a center for glassmaking was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and the destruction of the city’s mostly wooden buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano.

Murano’s glassmakers held a monopoly on high-quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk  glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans of Murano still employ these centuries-old techniques, crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass jewelry to chandeliers and wine stoppers.

Murano Glass Factory (image courtesy of Lin Thorsen)

Venice kept protecting the secret of the production of glass and of crystal but the Republic partially lost its monopoly at the end of the sixteenth century, because of some glassmakers who let the secret be known in many European countries. Today, Murano is home to the Museo del Vetro (Murano Glass Museum) in the Palazzo Giustinian, which holds displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.

Some of the companies that own historical glass factories in Murano are among the most important brands of glass in the world. These companies include Venini, Ferro Murano, Barovier & Toso, Simone Cenedese and Seguso. Today, in order to protect the original Murano Glass art from foreign markets, the most famous Glass Factories of this island have a trademark - "Vetro Artistico Murano" - that certifies products in glass made in the island of Murano. 

Colors, techniques and materials vary depending upon the look a glassmaker is trying to achieve. Aquamarine is created through the use of copper and cobalt compounds, whereas ruby red uses a gold solution as a coloring agent.

Murano Millefiori Glass Bowl (image courtesy of Fossilfly Imports)

The murine technique begins with the layering of colored liquid glass, which is then stretched into long rods called canes. When cold, these canes are then sliced in cross-section, which reveals the layered pattern. The better-known term "millefiori" is a style of murrine that is defined by each layer of molten color being molded into a star, then cooled and layered again. When sliced, this type of murrine has the appearance of many flowers, thus mille (thousand) fiori (flowers).

Filigree, glass engraving, gold engraving, incalmo, lattimo, painted enamel, ribbed glass and submersion are just a few of the other techniques a glassmaker can employ.

Special tools are essential for Murano artisans to make their glass. Some of these tools include borselle (tongs or pliers used to hand-form the red-hot glass), canna da soffio (blowing pipe), pontello (an iron rod to which the craftsman attaches the object after blowing in order to add final touches), scagno (the glass-master's workbench) and tagianti (large glass-cutting clippers). The tools for glass-blowing have changed little over the centuries and remain simple. An old Murano saying goes "Good tools are nice, but good hands are better," reinforcing the artistic nature of the glass-making process, which relies on the skill of the worker rather than the use of special tools. 

Murano Glassmaker (photo courtesy of Megan Cytron)

(Information courtesy of Wikipedia.com. Thank you!)

Elegance in simplicity

“Simplex munditiis” - elegant simplicity - was the rule the Roman poet Horace laid down for the uttermost refinement of taste. About 1,500 years later, Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”, and about 5 more centuries later, Coco Chanel expressed her groundbreaking view on fashion by telling the world that “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”.  

Countless philosophers, academicians and fashion designers have shared this wisdom over the centuries, and the statement still stands true today, 2,000 years later, as it was in Horace’s day.

As I make a living in the jewelry design business, I will aim this blog at jewelry, but the same standards can be applied for clothing, home decorating, event planning, etc. In my world simple elegance is a creative design that makes a statement through color, an unexpected element, a modern twist on old details, or simply trough the beauty of a pearl or gemstone. A piece of jewelry can be intricate or colorful without losing its elegance, provided that the materials and/or colors don’t clash.

There is no pre-established recipe for elegance. The way I see it, the most important part is that the piece(s) match the personality of the wearer. Determine your elegance by picking pieces that flatter your aesthetic persona and suit your personality. The first impression we make is a visual one, and the way we adorn ourselves can convey the impression we wish to represent. 

A bold necklace is a more playful jewelry item, perfect for a lively personality, while a delicate necklace will unveil a more quiet, romantic personality. Earrings on the other hand are sexier and flirty as they draw attention to the face and curve of the neck. Bracelets are classically sophisticated and effortlessly refined.

So elegance is simple… Or, simple is elegant… No matter how you spin it, you can have elegance in simplicity. 

Be elegant, be simple, shine on! 

To learn more about ADORA by Simona and our products visit http://www.adorabysimona.com or email simona@adorabysimona.com 

Adventures in Beverly Hills

Last month ADORA and I were in for a big treat. The Beverly Hills-kind of treat… It all started a few months prior when I got a phone call from Infinity Media, Inc. and was asked to participate as a product sponsor in this year’s Queen of the Universe Pageant event.  Of course I said yes, and off I went to buying supplies, creating, photographing, gift-wrapping and finally shipping my sponsorship package exactly one day before my self-imposed deadline.  

My part as a sponsor consisted of handcrafting original jewelry creations that were going to be offered as prizes for each of the 57 contestants. As a sign of appreciation, my husband and I had the pleasure to be invited by the organizers to attend the event as VIPs. Fun! Here I am in my "red carpet moment", just before going in to claim our seats. 

A few words about the event: An international beauty pageant created by Joyce Giraud in 2012, now at its second edition, Queen of the Universe is an amazing show where beautiful women from all over the world compete for the royal crown in a glamorous event. This year’s event took place at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California on March 16, 2014. 

The Queen of the Universe Pageant is a non-political, non-partisan platform for young women to achieve personal growth and development, to create dynamic communication skills, learn time management, and balance and establish a way of thinking that enables them to create the life they want to live. For more information about the pageant, please visit Queen of the Universe Pageant 2014.

For the event I created 54 pairs of unique earrings as a gift for the contestants. Each pair was meticulously handcrafted, and staying true to my “one-of-a-kind” motto, they feature a variety of gemstones, pearls and crystals in different shapes and colors, with no two pairs alike. For the winner of the Queen title and for the 1st and 2nd runner-ups I created three distinctive necklace and earring sets featuring mixed metals, Swarovski crystals and gemstones. A special gift was also created for the stunningly beautiful founder of this event, Joyce Giraud, actress, model, and a beauty pageant titleholder. She is a two-time Miss Puerto Rico, the 2nd runner up in the 1998 Miss Universe pageant, and had previously represented Puerto Rico at Miss World in 1994. She has recently joined the cast of the upcoming fourth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

A gallery of designs featuring all the jewelry pieces that were gifted for this event is published in an online catalog that can be viewed by accessing the link below (if there are blank spaces please allow a minute for the pictures to download and without refreshing the page continue browsing by clicking the side arrows): View Gallery of Designs here.  I also created a short promotional video for the event: Watch promotional video here

 

The star-studded panel of judges had the very difficult task of selecting a queen among the 57 contestants, one more beautiful than the other. In the end, the Queen of the Universe 2014 title was awarded to Miss USA, beautiful Ariel D. King. Well-deserved, congratulations! In her year of reign as a Queen, she will promote awareness to helping the less privileged, contribute her full support in helping diverse charities, be an advocate for the needy, and most of all be a great ambassador of humanity and a role model for young women around the world.  May this time be filled with many wonderful new experiences for her, and let's wish that she does all the great things that she is destined for!

And..., it seems like she likes her gifts from us.  Here she is rocking her ADORA jewels at a party in LA last week. :)

To learn more about ADORA by Simona and our products, or our participation in this exclusive event, visit http://www.adorabysimona.com or email simona@adorabysimona.com