Angela Hall: Jewelry

Words: Taylor Berk
Photos: Timothy Pakron

Angela Hall creates the jewelry you wish you could make, but better. Owner of the new kid on the block art boutique, Aster Hall, Angela’s designs have people talking. The concept of Aster Hall is a nontraditional gallery. Unpretentious and inviting, it features all types of art and anyone who has a passion for their craft, whether it be reworked steel, rubber tires, scraps from abandoned homes, or Goodwill fabric. Aster Hall really is, as Angela calls it, “homegrown,” with most pieces repurposed from original materials.

ART: Do you have a specific vision behind your jewelry design?

AH: I am most inspired by form and color. Like a painter I use stones and gems as my palette and think of their architectural elements. I try to make my designs bold, clean, and unexpected. Each gem and stone is handpicked from independent sellers and I feel that shows through in the uniqueness of my work. I also draw ideas from heirloom jewelry and overlooked materials, such as Fordite.

ART: What is “Fordite”?

AH: Fordite is oversprayed car paint of the 40s and 50s from a Ford plant in Michigan. They gave away the paint chips, cut and polished, in blocks that have layers of brilliant colors. These blocks can be cut down, reworked, and made into something completely new. It is the definition of functional art. It allows us to capture a little piece of Americana.

ART: What jewelry is hot right now in Aster Hall?

AH: Right now I’m making wedding bands and engagement rings. Some are even molded from Fordite. Each ring is quite extraordinary and has a special sentimental value to the customer. Many of the pieces are recreated from vintage rings handed down from a family member.

ART: Do you have a preferred stone or material?

AH: Too many to list! Ebony, fossils, Fordite, cinnabar, turquoise, onyx… I could go on. The colors are the most enjoyable facet of jewelry making. Each stone has its specific place in the entire design. It is the finishing touch that makes my jewelry purposefully functional. It flows with the offbeat and down-to-earth atmosphere of Aster Hall.

Magar Hatworks

Leigh Magar embraces the classic craft of millinery. Each of her artfully crafted hats is handmade in her Charleston studio. Starting with quality materials such as hand-woven straws, hand-dyed felts, and fashionable feathers, the materials are then blocked on new and vintage wooden hat forms. After the hat is shaped, it is adorned with embellishments, “resulting in a creation as unique as the head on which it will one day perch.”

Born and raised in South Carolina, Leigh studied Millinery at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Leigh is “impassioned by the sculptural process of hatmaking. She is inspired by the notion “where functional objects transform into art.” Leigh returned home to the south and opened Magar Hatworks in 2001. Magar’s hats are available at Barneys-New York, The Hat Shop in Soho and The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island or at her hat studio at 57 Cannon Street, downtown.

www.magarhatworks.com
843.577.7740,

Schneblies: Susie Sheftel

Susie Sheftel found herself drawn to folklore carvings in a little fishing village in Tecate, Mexico, and thought, “I can do this!” Sheftel was recently divorced, traveling with friends, and looking for inspiration when the light bulb went off. One afternoon, she painted a river rock with a colorful frog and said, “It’s a Schneblie™.” A name she created that comes from a hill in Sedona, Arizona called, ‘Schnebly Hill Road.’

Returning home to Greenville, SC, Susie began painting her Schneblies. A friend with a day spa encouraged her to display the paintings on the walls, and Susie sold every piece within a matter of weeks. Moving to Charleston in 2005, she joined Women at Work and the Center for Women where she was encouraged to trademark her Schneblies. Today, her house is filled with colorful artwork, paint supplies, storage containers for jewelry making, as well as prints stacked up in boxes and leaning against the walls. She believes that, “Whimsical art in the home offers a nice break from the often less whimsical circumstances of life.”

The turning point came about two and a half years ago when Susie needed double hip replacement surgery and took the opportunity to make the best of her time at home. She dedicated herself to her Schneblies, which she describes as “whimsical frog-like creatures representing a genuine concern for the state of the environment and the reality that climate change affects everyone.” Susie has always been environmentally conscious and when she discovered that frogs are one of the fastest disappearing species on the planet, she knew that Schneblies would serve a greater purpose. Schneblies come in a variety of forms, from necklaces, to bracelets (“Schne-bling”™), to greeting cards, pen and ink, giclee prints with soy-based inks, and painted furniture. Susie realized her colorful, whimsical, happy, and hip looking frogs could teach kids about being green, with art that would appeal to adults too.

“Schneblies are whimsical, frog-like creatures that represent a genuine concern for the state of the environment and the reality that climate change affects everyone.”

As the demand for Schneblies grew, Susie struggled to find the right environmental cause to support. Susie’s daughter had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 19 years old, so she decided that a percentage of every Schneblie sale would benefit the National MS Society. “Once I made my mind up what the Schneblies’ greater purpose was, everything started to fall into place,” Susie says. Customers tell her the Schneblies “Really make me smile.”

Sheftel is high energy and when she’s making people happy, she knows she’s doing her job. She is at an exciting time in her life where the possibilities for her art seem endless. Susie is currently working with an organic clothing designer to explore Schneblie-inspired wear. She’s also designing images for a children’s book and continues to expand the line of Schneblie inspired jewelry, adding gem stones to create “more unique personalities.” Susie believes that art will always remain relevant because it makes people feel good, and that is priceless!

Susie believes in the journey; she isn’t sure where the next detour will take her, but she is enjoying the ride.