Parrish Relics in Tear Magazine

Parrish Relics

The paintings and sculpture of the old masters can teach us a lot about the past. If you're a dreamer, looking hard enough at these works lets you travel culturally through time into unfamiliar places like baroque Venice, Belle Epoque Paris or Victorian England. Some of us have the ability to drift into art as thoroughly as others immerse themselves in a book, and let the work inform them. Each would likely tell a different story about what they saw, as each person makes the experience of looking at art their own.

Maybe you choose to concentrate on the quality of the painting's intricate details.

If only you could, you'd run your fingertips along the brush strokes made by Titian, Degas or Rossetti to feel the movement of the artist in the moment of creation.

Maybe you've looked deep into the painting, deep enough to imagine yourself living in that period. Possibly royalty, you wear a silk gown or suit that's been hand- embroidered along the trim with a favorite flower or your family crest. You are adorned with unique jewels from head to toe. Most likely, you are sitting for a portrait, which is why you've got your best on. Who would've thought that thousands of people would be staring at your image in awe at a museum hundreds of years later? The luxurious sensation of silk and gold is almost tangible, but for the constant modern reminders that bring you back into your jeans-and-T-shirt-wearing reality.

Your vision may be distracted by your ringing cell phone or an alert that lets you know you've got email. Although "being connected" to everything is a nuisance at times, it also means having access to the things that you really love, whether it's your best friend on the phone, a museum's website featuring more of Titian's paintings, or www.parrishrelics.com, where you can have your very own exclusive jewels custom-made from your favorite old master painting. Parrish Relics combines the craftsmanship and beauty of antique jewelry with the convenience of modern shopping methods and accessibility to the public (regardless of social status!) Feel like a king or queen without the hassle of heavy and uncomfortable jewels! A tiara or crown made by Jennifer Parrish incorporates methods using lightweight and flexible materials, something any royalty would have appreciated but that only the modern consumer like you can enjoy.

"I am heavily influenced by Byzantine, Medieval and Renaissance images, by Gothic Architecture and the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites," Jennifer explains. Certain images that you see in paintings stay with you. I like to see if I can bring them to life again. It's really fun to sit down and make it happen, and use something modern to make something that was originally created in the 14th century."

Parrish's sence of reminiscence manifests itself in a multitude of ways. She makes her Relics using her own human hands, a rarity in today's mass-produced world. This ensures that a sense of touch and feeling finds it's way into these curiously personal designs. She actually prefers to do custom work, since she finds recreating the same design to be tedious. This preference is an asset for both her creativity and for customers looking to find a unique piece of jewelry. Brides-to-be often go to Jennifer Parrish to design or recreate the headpiece or other adornment of their dreams. Parrish Relics are particularly popular with brides wanting Renaissance-style weddings, but her ability as a jeweler means that she can accommodate a broad range of styles. Parrish even has a custom line of jewelry for people who love animals, called "Creatures," and will create a pendant using a picture of your pet or favorite animal. Being a true animal-lover, Parrish donates fifty percent of the proceeds from these creature pendants to an animal charity organization (listed online) of your choice.

Jennifer Parrish produces and sells Parrish Relics from a home that would be the envy of any true romantic. It is said that the contents of one's home and their arrangement tell much about a person's character, and this certainly holds true for Parrish. Casually placed about are irreplaceable or rare remnants of lives that were lived more than a hundred years ago. Silver handheld mirror and comb sets that once absorbed the vanity of well-to-do ladies, hand-painted fans that once cooled the bodies of women wearing cumbersome outfits, and various pieces of furniture and bric-a-brac that make up the homes of people past now make Jennifer Parrish's home a special place to be in. Parrish likes to surround herself with "treasures" that perhaps only she may find beautiful. Her sensitive eye for detail means that you must look closely around the environment, or else you may miss an important element or two of her home- or character. Parrish Relics jewelry is the same way- ornate and beautifully detailed- in this case with semi-precious stones, stained glass, beads, and antiqued metal finishes.

Parrish Relics are certainly beautiful to the eye and sometimes even the nose can appreciate their beauty. She incorporates the sense of smell by including frankincense and amber in her scented resin amulets, or by adding essential oils or roots like Lady Slipper, Vetivert, and High John the Conqueror to her glass vessel amulets.

"my attraction to these stones is not just for their natural beauty, but also for the legends of their power."

Her advice for future jewelers and artist hopefuls? "Follow your dreams and do what you like. You can't create for other people, or what you think other people are going to like. Do what's inside you , if you're happy with it, then people will be drawn to it."

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