Gifts from the Art of New Jersey

The Star-Ledger - www.NJ.com
by Vicki Hyman
Tuesday November 11, 2008

Why brave the mall when you can find one-of-a-kind gifts in your own backyard? (Okay, a high-speed internet connection also helps.) We've hit up craft fair organizers and scoured the web for these intriguing holiday finds from both established and up-and-coming New Jersey artisans.

Jeweler Jennifer Jordan Park, who lives in Budd Lake, manipulates silver, gold, enamel and gemstones to create exquisite works of wearable art. Her jewelry is inspired by nature but often abstract in nature, with Art Deco flourishes and fearless color combinations.
The 18-inch Chrysalis necklace features two cloisonne enamels set in granulated 22 karat gold with freshwater pearls, $5,500.
Pink tourmaline and white sapphire set off the cloisonne enamel in her "Red Sky at Night" pin/pendant, $1,750.

You can check out her pieces and contact her through her website, www.weareverjewelry.com.

Her first foray into knitting resulted in one "super-ugly sweater," but Robbinsville's Rebecca Sohoni has refined her technique in the five years since. Now she turns out fringed scarves, snug cowls, embellished shrugs and charming capelets accessorized with colorful knit appliques and brooches. She's found a welcoming audience on etsy.com, the online crafters marketplace, and New Jersey customers will get free shipping through the end of December.

Her virtual storefront can be found at www.happiknits.etsy.com.

From her shop and studio in Hoboken, Megan Avery creates whimsical clutches, totes and handbags to order, often out of vintage fabric, like the Ashley clutch ($60). Customize your handle and straps, trim, pockets -- she'll even make some of her styles reversible. Check her out at www.maverydesigns.com, or stop by her store at the corner of Willow and Seventh streets in Hoboken. She'll also be at the Hoboken Holiday Crafts Fair the first three weekends in December at Hoboken City Hall.

Former graphic designer Dana Melnick of Holmdel infuses her jewelry with an energetic elegance. Her pieces are sold under the name Dana*David (her husband, David, convinced her to turn her hobby into a career), and they've been featured in the pages of InStyle, Elle and Lucky magazines. Her Scribble collection includes a heart-shaped pendant in 18K yellow gold with a diamond, $950. You can find her work at fine jewelry stores across the state; for a list, go to www.danadavid.com. She'll also be at the holiday crafts fair at the Morristown Armory Dec. 5-7.

Branchville woodworker Jim Fiola has been crafting fine jewelry boxes for so long that he now names some of his pieces after his grandchildren. Many of his architectural boxes are made of exotic combinations of birdseye maple, cherry, walnut and bubinga wood, with lined drawers and lacquer finishes, like the quirky "Jonah" jewelry box, $319. He also offers customized boxes. Order through his website at www.dcwoodboxes.com. He'll have a booth at the holiday crafts fair at the Morristown Armory.

Dana Osborne-Biggs of Jersey City stumbled upon a box of antique skeleton keys at a flea market and opened a door into a new career. Well, she's kept her day job, but in her spare time, she crafts vintage-looking wallets, cuffs and purses out of leather with those evocative keys as fasteners. She also sells her wares on www.etsy.com; her wallets go for $55, and the studded, top-stitched (and vaguely sinister-looking) cuffs sell for $50. She'll also make key-accessorized clutches to order for $145. "I'm kind of obsessed," she says. "I'm always looking for different ways to use and incorporate them."