4.30.2009

Whoops-A-Daisy!


Matt and I were thrilled to find my tablescape featured on Apartment Therapy! Pictured are objects from our own apartment I styled for this shoot: vintage Steelmaster file drawers with (from left to right) Gunnar Nylund for Rörstrand ceramic bowls, Tiffany white art glass vase, Jonathan Adler ceramic owl and West Elm ceramic vase with some great pheasant feathers. Above it all, Whoops-A-Daisy Cyanotype print by Matt Shapoff for Handmade On Peconic Bay at Supermarket.

4.29.2009

Mommy and Me

Gift with purchase & complimentary gift packaging at Supermarket

My mother and I are particularly close. "Cyn pleeeeze, no more jewelry. I have enough sweetie!", she quips, as she hands back the box of custom emerald earrings with another cheerful reminder: "sell them honey, I don't need a thing!". She quickly adds, "you know what I DO need? An orange earring to go with that Donna Karan sweater,". OK, so this relationship is strictly on her terms.

Mother's Day is a joyous one for giving, nonetheless. With May 10th less than 2 weeks away, you must check out my gift guide of beautifully packaged and affordable sterling silver jewelry at Supermarket, and get a free gift with purchase for that other important person in your life (insert here: your name or your daughter's).

Get a free pair of Cynthia Rybakoff 8mm sterling silver bubble earrings with your purchase of $50 or more at Supermarket. Offer good until May 24th.

4.26.2009

Good As New


Re•cy•cle (rē-sī'kəl) To process used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products; synonyms: hand-me-down, nearly new, not new, passed down, pre-owned, worn.

Here’s another installment of what to do with your old jewelry that sits in that fancy box in your drawer and maybe makes you feel just a bit guilty you rushed into buying it in the first place. Above is a “before” picture of a pair of very fine pair handmade Tahitian pearl and black diamond earrings the client found un-wearable. They were too long for her face and the screw tops just too plain looking.


We discussed the problem, and the client agreed to let me peg set two of the black diamond beads into the screw tops and re-wire the drops one bead shorter, neatly solving both problems. Cost: $66 for labor and new materials.

Leave me a comment about your problematic piece or send me a picture, via Blogger, of your unworn jewels of any material, with a brief description of the problem, and I’ll email you back a free consultation on how to re-style your piece and what it might cost.

4.21.2009

Down To Earth


It's Earth Week, a celebration of appreciation for our earth and of the environmental movement's successes thus far, as well as an excellent opportunity for discussion of environmental issues and solutions. Today marks the actual event, so I felt it was a wonderful opportunity to introduce my husband Matt Shapoff's collection of framed prints made from recycled wood in our new Handmade On Peconic Bay shop on Supermarket.

When I'm not making jewelry, I'm helping Matt with sales and marketing for his stunningly beautiful Cyanotype and Van Dyke Brown prints in our online shops at Etsy and now Supermarket.

"Numbskull" by Matthew Shapoff, single edition Cyanotype print in handmade frame of reclaimed Mahogany, $118 at Supermarket.

4.18.2009

Made To Measure


We are not made alike, but when it comes to jewelry, one size only fits most. Companies design for the “average” customer (I've worked for quite a few), so if you are not, then you know the fit is not always quite right. Personally, I've never purchased a bracelet that didn't need alteration because I have an unusually small wrist, and I have to avoid bangles and cuffs altogether which sucks!

Introducing Made To Measure at Supermarket, a custom sizing service available for many of the jewelry styles in my shop. Look for the tag line THIS ITEM CAN BE MADE TO MEASURE. If your size is not listed or you’d like the piece altered in length, we can do that. Easily.

All you have to do is gage your wrist or necklace length with a piece of string and then measure that length with a ruler. Send me a message before ordering and I’ll confirm your custom size request.

4.16.2009

I’ll Have The Classic With A Twist


What happens when the uber preppy sterling silver bead bracelet meets the spiritual Far East wrist mala? A multicultural fashion statement for your wrist that's works as well for lunch at the Devon Yacht Club as it does for your upcoming trek to Nepal.

Like A Prayer Bead bracelets, strung on tropical colored Japanese wax cord, bring together two classic designs in a playful East meets West way that says "I like bright shiny things plus the comfort of my personal mantra". Use for friendship, fun and devotion.

Cynthia Rybakoff sterling silver Like A Prayer Bead Bracelets in 4 colors, $68.00, available at Supermarket.

4.14.2009

Spring Cleaning

Un-wearable old stuff courtesy of Pack Rat

Re•cy•cle (rē-sī'kəl) To process used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products; synonyms: hand-me-down, nearly new, not new, passed down, pre-owned, worn.

Everyone has a box of jewelry lying around that’s either broken or missing a part, has fallen out of favor, or was never quite right in the first place. Do you a. toss it, b. melt it (if it’s precious), or c. recycle it? If you picked “c”, then grab that pile o’crap and contact me for a no strings attached consultation. Meanwhile, here’s a case study on recycling a problematic piece of jewelry into something the client could actually wear. Check back in the future, for examples of re-styling different types of jewelry.


Pictured above are some lovable, colorful, hand painted wooden beads purchased on a trip to India. Problem: beads are loosely strung on unappealing white thread with no clasp or way to shorten length.


Solution: ream bead holes, re-string beads on heavier black waxed cotton cord and add a new sterling silver Bali bead slide to adjust necklace to desired length. Cost: $25 for labor + materials.

Leave me a comment about your unworn jewelry of any material or send me a picture, via Blogger, with a brief description of the problem, and I’ll email you back a free consultation on how to re-style your piece and what it might cost.

4.06.2009

100% Organic

Oxidized sterling silver colorblock torsade with antique Chinese turquoise, tiger's eye, carnelian and malachite

I've been collecting beads from around the world since 1973. Sometimes inspiration is as simple as a color story and rummaging through dozens of clear boxes and drawers filled with thousands of semi-precious stone beads in every color, size and cut imaginable. The result, a one-of-a-kind collection of beaded pieces, each stone with a story to tell.

Oxidized sterling silver colorblock bracelet with antique Chinese turquoise, tiger's eye, carnelian and malachite

The GreenPiece Collection debuted in the Summer of 2008 at The Parrish Art Museum Shop, as a seemingly randomly patterned assemblage of vintage beads chosen for their uniquely unadulterated color and form. The collection focused on an earthy palette of high quality semi-precious stone in luxe-bohemian style with superb and rare examples of greenish vintage turquoise. Crossing all lines between fashion, art and craft, GreenPiece is really about the visceral beauty of making things by hand.

Selections from the GreenPiece Collection are available only by special request at cynthiarybakoff.com, $138 to $995 .

4.01.2009

Fresh Direct


So what new business models, readily available to the aspiring designer/entrepreneur, will emerge victorious from this economic tsunami? My money is on the direct sale approach. Whether online, or at your local flea, fresh design is cropping up everywhere and it’s affordable.

One of the best examples of the new DIY sales model is Supermarket, a digital storefront platform where you buy products directly from the independent designers who make them, and guess what? The savings are passed on to you, the design hunter. Developed by co-founders Randy J. Hunt and Ryan Deussing of elsewares.com, Supermarket is a well-curated and designed shopping experience that “makes it easy to buy great design”, as boldly stated in the uber-accessible language of Mr. Hunt’s intuitive aesthetic.

Rosie The Riveter via Design*Sponge

Ryan was a guest blogger yesterday on Grace Bonney's heavily bookmarked design*sponge, with the important task of interviewing independent designers on what’s helping them get through this new era of careful-consumption. The resulting 15 “ideas for making upturns in a downtime” is a candid and informative look into what seems like optimism on the design front. Ryan included some of my own philosophy, under the heading "Good Idea: Adapt to new realities". Read the entire post NOW. And buy a copy of “Who Moved My Cheese?”, a motivational parable about dealing with change in your work and in your life, by Spencer Johnson.

Last year, the demand for my pricier goods dropped off to the point where I needed to make a big change (my cheese was moved). A couple of weeks ago, I opened a shop at Supermarket, for super cool sterling silver jewelry that’s mostly priced under $100 (I found some new cheese!). My sterling silver Collection pieces run as high as $2,500, but at Supermarket I’ve created a collection that tops off at $300. Happy hunting!
 
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