we all know the cheshire cat is smiling. i like to think it's because he imagines himself wearing a collar similar to a petra meiren necklace. bold and sassy – absolutely perfect paired with a big, toothy grin.
nicole discovered petra at inhorgenta this year -- her work has graced the pages of european magazines and the necks, wrists, and ears of characters in movies and models on runways. but this is not "serious" jewelry – petra's whole attitude and philosophy is that jewelry is fun for her to design and it should be just as fun for you to wear. so it's utterly playful, but creatively glam at the same time.
you look at her metal work and realize it is totally new. like when two stark pieces of silver join to become striking earrings that are jewelry lollipops. and, at the opposite end of the spectrum, metal threads are knitted into almost textile-like fine, woven ropes that she mixes up in all sorts of fanciful combinations.
her metals may be precious, but her other materials are, well, plastic. rubber. acrylic. pvc, even. and that's a good thing! because they're sturdy but soft (comfy and lightweight) and they are the vehicle that transports the all-important colors -- bright, happy, gotta get 'em colors.
petra designs for self-confident women who flaunt their own style and wear whatever they please. they wear their petra meiren pieces as if they were headed to the mad hatter's tea party, embracing the wonderland concept of "curiouser and curiouser" with each statement-making step.
(with grateful appreciation for Lewis Carroll's book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the fantastic imaginations it helped to create!)
