“Cada paso en la Tierra nos lleva a un mundo nuevo.”

“Every step we take on earth brings us to a new world.”

                                                                        —Garcia Lorca

I grew up in Texas and Mexico, but it is the muse of Mexico, which has shaped and continues to propel my visual sensibilities. 

 

Bright Raven is born from a passion I’ve had since I was a child for old Mexican silver jewelry from the 30s, 40s, and 50s.  Some pieces I inherited from my great, great aunt and namesake, Lillie Blake (my personal fashion icon!) and others I would scour garage and estate sales to find as a young teen.  To me, these were gorgeous works of lost art, so beautifully crafted by true masters of design in Taxco, Guadalajara, and all over Mexico.  These handmade beauties, tarnished and dented, were abandoned in forgotten drawers.

 

At age 13, I found what became my favorite earrings for the next 20 years. They were cemented in glue with random ear screws and broken bits of silver chains and other jewelry, that had been made into gaudy Christmas tree on sale for $15 at a garage sale. Sterling silver scrap metal with 1940s earrings!  I couldn’t believe my luck!  I painstakingly chiseled them out, polished them, and wore them proudly.  Sadly, because of nature of a screw-back earring, today I only have one.  

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During this time of Covid, I had time to wonder...What if I could make these unique masterpieces more wearable?  What if I could showcase these incredible designs and craftmanship, so others could see the beauty that I see in them and love wearing them?  Can I honor the long-gone artists who originated the pieces, while putting my own spin on them?  How do I let the world know that each dent, scratch, or chip is NOT a flaw, but the STORY of the many lives and hands through which this jewelry has passed? 

 

As I spread my own wings in this adventure, so may BRIGHT RAVEN fly!