O is for Orient

elva

A collection of antique bronze ornaments of Asian origin came into our possession several years ago thanks to a beautiful customer. There were fourteen in all--three different designs--strung together with fraying cord and a tag showing hand-written Asian characters and a wax seal. Were they buttons? Pendants? How old were they? Where did they come from? Though we weren't sure what they were or how to use them in a design, we knew we loved them. And there they sat for all these years...admired but unused in our vintage collections. Fast forward seven years, when we stumbled upon some beautiful raw brass beads from India on a recent adventure this summer--suddenly we felt we had found just the right way to incorporate and enjoy these beautiful creations. The beads have been polished to a high golden sheen, and their somewhat rustic faceted finish seemed the perfect complement to the natural patina of the pendants. Simple, but striking. Easy enough for every day, elegant enough for an evening out. (Full disclosure--we kept one for ourselves and made seven more to be enjoyed by others.) Ranging from 28 to 29.5" in length, each is entirely unique, with a bit of a mystery behind it.

$ 148.00