Breakfast with Hyenas

Breakfast with Hyenas

Mornings in my house are a bit like an African segment on the discovery channel. You might recognize this particular scene: Lions peacefully devouring their kill under an acacia tree.

And in the periphery, the scavangers the jackals, they hyenas and the vultures slowly move in to harass the lions.

These opportunists are skilled in the fine art of pestering to the point of the lion being ticked off enough to leave, but not mad enough to consider the scavengers part of its meal.

And here a parallel scene, set in a 1920’s Sears Roebuk house on the north short of Long Island:

My daughter breakfasts alone on schooldays, she’s so good; toasting her English muffin to perfection before she drenches it in butter and honey and carries it gingerly to the table - ready to devour her loot.

As she sinks in at the table Mojo, cat with cattitude en masse swiftly slinks up on the tallest part of the sofa behind the table, Elfin, frenchie who can jump 6x her own height while snatching objects of interest positions herself under the table and lastly Buck, the lanky lab appears. Buck is an undercover agent who while pretending to be really really stupid swiftly applies third degree of hypnosis with his beautiful deep wells of eyes.

As soon as I am out of sight a Mayhem break loose:

Here’s the soundtrack, a mere 15 seconds long - pay attention:

Isabella : “NO, Buck NOOOOOO! STOP BEGGING!!” Isabella: “ELFIN!!!! STOP JUMPING!”

Isabella: MOJO!! Off the Table”

Isabella: “MAMA!!!!!!”

And here the gory details, reader’s discretion advised.

As Isabella raises the muffin to her mouth, Buck plops down an inch from the muffin-less side of her chair and plants a big paw on her lap as he gazes into her eyes. As she turns to push his paw off her lap with her muffin-less hand, Elfin jumps towards her other hand, and snatches the muffin.

In the midst of this mayhem, Mojo jumps down to bat the other half of the muffin off the table, and they all take off to devour their scavenged treat.

Isabella sighs and reaches for the muffin I hand her as she heads out the door to catch the school-bus.

Interesting, this never happens when she has cereal for breakfast; my scavengers are picky, just as I imagine hyenas, jackals and vultures would not bother if zucchini replaced the la carte zebra.

Conflict free Carbonado black diamond fine silver ring

Yay, set my first Carbonado! Exquisite ones. Let me tell you, nature did not check out what kind of settings wold be available trillions of years later before accepting these diamonds from outer space:D I selected a 1.2 ct stone to begin with.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=44371074

Roll of drums......

Carbonados - Diamonds from the Sky

So excited, checking the mailbox every day for my diamonds from the sky.... well, from the sky via my diamond-guy:)

So what are they and why are they so exciting, well Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonado and Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0612-mystery_diamonds.htm helped me to put the puzzle together:

Carbonados, often called black diamonds, a black carbon formation that resemble diamonds, have been show to have a chemical spectrum that indicates they originated before the formation of the Earth; their high hydrogen content suggests they are from a star-like environment. Since this carbon is only found in two locations on our planet, the Central African republic and in Brazil they may have arrived via an asteroid!!!!!

The term "carbonado" was coined by Portuguese in Brazil in the mid 18th century because it resembles porous charcoal. Carbonado diamonds are so tough that it took a 20-ton hydraulic press to break one. This means it is almost impossible to work carbonado into jewelry settings, since they are too hard to be polished or cut -- except with another carbonado. They get their hardness from their structure. While conventional diamonds are cut from a single crystal that breaks easily along a natural line, carbonados are made of millions of small crystals stuck together. Carbonados were first used to polish Brazilian hardwood before transporting it to Europe. In 1905 it was used to drill the rocks for the Panama Canal.

The origin of carbonado is controversial. Some proposed hypotheses are as follows:
1. Direct conversion of organic carbon under high-pressure conditions in the Earth's interior, the most common hypothesis for diamond formation
2. Shock metamorphism induced by meteoritic impact at the Earth's surface
3. Radiation-induced diamond formation by spontaneous fission of uranium and thorium
4. An origin in interstellar space.

None of these hypotheses for carbonado formation was generally accepted in the scientific literature by 2008.

Dr. Stephen Haggerty, a geoscientist from Florida International University, in the attached video, proposes that their material source was a supernova which occurred at least 3.8 billion years ago. After coalescing and drifting through outer space for about one and a half billion years, a large mass fell to earth as a meteor approximately 2.3 billion years ago, possibly fragmenting during entry into the earth's atmosphere, and impacting in a region which would much later split into Brazil and the Central African Republic, the only two known locations of carbonado deposits. Wow!
SO, to sum it up, Black Diamond also known as Carbonado is one of the most rare and most expensive diamonds that are existing on earth. Based from the experts black diamond was occur in irregular or rounded fragments, rarely distinctly crystallized, with a texture varying from compact to porous. Its natural colour is black or dark grey, and it is more porous than other diamonds. Can't wait to make my (the???) first eco-friendly carbonado ring!!! And they are conflict free, Brazil is part of the UN mandated Kimberly system of warranties


Meanwhile, back at the farm, it has been raining and raining and raining and I have been busy making rings, like this one http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43567963 , and this one http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43050668



And awesome Natural Awakenings Magazine, gave me a shout wahoo! http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1n9ks/April2010/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2Fesmeraldadesigns%2F153351130475

RInging in the new year-showschedule 2010 sort of final:)

Finally most shows confirmed my presence or not-yay. This is an iteresting game, barely able to digest the holiday foods you have to hurry, hurry, hurry to make the mid January deadline for spring/summer/fall shows...writing checks in $$$ for application fees from funds you need for the yearly March sales tax or ...:::sigh:: that vacation you foolishly envisioned when your back account had more than three digits before the full-stop.

Hence, and then the waiting game begins, especially for the hard core juried ones...

This year I got accepted to a really neat show upstate, the St Lawrence Rustic River art show http://www.stlawrenceriverrusticshow.com/ and waitlisted for ArtRider http://www.artrider.com/lyndf2010.html and Rose Squared http://www.rosesquared.com/
with backup show incase waitlist just stands for -we have not had time to say no to you, yet- and it does not want this time around...and in all there is 26 shows. Sugarloof festivals and Renegade Brooklyn shows decided I should not leave my quarantine yet, or something :b"...meanwhile, back at the ranch, Tonto disguised as a teabag is up to his neck in hot water." and I am making rings shows or no shows, just because I love to.

Stony Brook

Hiya!!!
As the leaves are falling and winds of indoorsness calling for brisk walks followed by high carbohydrate indulgences our show schedule is stepping up for the Holidays.

Somehow I managed to accept invitations from five back to back shows, all in the west part of Suffolk Country. Intense, I'd say:) After this I will take four weeks off to focus on etching metals and making leather cuffs and on-line sales and start the new season in sunny Pasadena. So there will be plenty of opportunity to see my designs:) every show will feature new additions. Our show dogs Bella and Elle decided sadly that the snacks on the other side of the rainbow bridge were worth exploring and sent us mischevious puppy rescues instead. You'll get to meet them when we start the outdoor show season, but hhere is an image to wow how much trouble they are.

This weekend we will be at Stony Brook University. I don't know about you, but I feel my IQ stepping up every time I visit this famous campus. By immersion that is:)

Stony Brook is home to brilliant faculty, honored by Nobel Prizes in Economics, Physics and Medicine, The Pulitzer Prize and many other awards. Amongst the exciting discoveries at/by Stony Brook faculty are::

* Identification and cataloging of 328 distant galaxies
* Discovery of the link between smoking and emphysema
* Development of the drug ReoPro®, recommended for all cardiac angioplasties
* Invention of an ultrasound method to speed up healing of bone fractures
* Creation of the smallest electronic switch, using just one electron
* Discovery of the cause of Lyme disease
* Technologies for 3-D computer visualization
* Discovery of the golden bamboo lemur, Hapalemur aureus
* Discovery of the most primitive fossil bird, linking birds to dinosaurs
* Construction of the first nuclear magnetic resonance image of a living organism

Directios to this show:
LI Expressway east to exit 62 north, Nichols Rd. (route 97). Take Nichols Rd. north for 9 miles. Pass the main entrance on left. At the next light turn left into the north entrance. At the top of the hill turn right. Go past the football stadium and make the first left onto Gym Rd. Take Gym Rd. to the Sports Complex parking lot.

Print out the coupon (link to .pdf on http://www.preferredpromotions.com/index.html for 20% (1$) off entrance fee

I will bring many new designs along: Basha Beads, Filigree Brasswork inlays in conch shell to mention a few...

Ethno BOHO rockin' designers

So the show was a lot of fun with awesome designers and customers. made many new friends and will return in January of 2010...so in love with the art and designs of Suzi Click http://www.suziclick.com/
beautiful designs and material, ethno-boho R&R vibe, exquisite materials, one awesome designer, delighted to own one of her designs. Visit Atelier Designers in NYC Sept 20-22 www.atelierdesigners.com


Back home Bob had taken great care of 'the farm' - still spent all Monday convincing the I wont leave again for a while. When the cat is gone....Elfin officially claimed my spot in the sofa, Jojo claimed my desk and Bella the doorway.
Had a lot of fun introducing Eowyn, a cool Tolkien inspired ring I just designed, to the cool Californians visiting my booth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2_o8SVVIs
...for she was not only a brave and fearless maiden, but a true warrior..... Says Tolkien.

Beauty and Courage in one form. Just like Eowyn. Making a custom one in silver for an awesome artist and friend that really has wings, Karin Alisa Houben of Gypsyeyes jewelry http://www.karinalisahouben.com
Truly awesome art...check it out!

Frenched

Its amazing how from one day to another an animal decides to come stay with us. Happened with Mojo and Jojo our cats, with Bella our golden and now with Elfin, a French Bulldog.

Her owner could no longer care for her and in a whirlwind with about a millisecond to search for information about this adorable breed and to secure our house for puppyhood we said :::YES:::

And nothing will ever be the same:)

Wikipedia tells that English Laceworkers in the mid 1800's brought miniature bulldogs when they sought work in France, their loyality and talent as a ratter made them very poular.

Photos dating to around this time show the Russian royal family posing alongside their French bulldogs, and they imported several of the little dogs from France. Other famous fanciers included Toulouse-Lautrec, the author Colette and King Edward VII. A French bulldog, insured for the, at that time, astronomical sum of $750, was on board the ill-fated Titanic.

The breed is brachycephalic, squshed in nose, and can neither regulate heat nor swim very well. Bulldogs and Terriers alike, there is no surprise the Frenchie has a strong will of its own and that the energy leels ranges from hyperactive to docile.

Elfin got her name from her elfin features and we think she is quite noble, but short, so hence her full name, Lady Elfin the Short. We have a great vet, Dr. Vic of Roslyn animal hospital, and he made sure that she is up to date on her shots, heart worm medicated and as of now, an it as she got spayed. Interesting, as fate would have it on July 14, yeah, quatorze Juliet, the French National day. If you live on the northwest part of long Island and need an amazing vet, Dr. Vic's contact info is here.


Stithces removed and she has had a month getting used to us, we have now started training her in addition to housebreaking her...yah, that bladder is small..and that head is very thick.

I was using first another Frenchie as my avatar on Etsy, and have just retired Elfin's avatar as I am selling metal artisan designs, not dogs (Godforbid).

Takes special measurements, softest collar or harness for a smaller breed strong as an ox! Agreat site for leashes and collars for all breeds, Allhoundsapparel
The ones we got are padded martingale collars that are as made for walkling both Bella our golden and Elfin. Handmade in California and shiped faster than lightning and very well priced.

We'll I'll keep you updated on our little pup growing up. For now I try to keep my boots vintaged the way they were supposed to be.