The Brand: Cat Bates is an artist and jewelry-maker based in Biddeford, Maine. Cat has been working on this body of work for the last decade and it continues to evolve organically and magically. Cat says, “I find a distinct beauty in utilitarian objects, and often notice that through use such objects become more beautiful still. I think of a bronze oarlock, its exterior caked with oxide from exposure to salt spray, its interior buffed to a warm luster by the rubbing of a dinghies wooden oars. It excites me to see that the metal has been worn smooth, and to know that if use continues the metal will eventually wear thin, will eventually no longer serve its function; that the use of an object will eventually lead to its end. I design jewelry that will last long enough for use to compound its beauty. If you wear one of my pieces, I hope that you will take pleasure in knowing that you are part of what makes it beautiful.”
Description: Inspired by wharf pilings, wooden buoys, and the bricks that make up so much of Portland’s landscape, this silver pendant is sand cast from a hand carved master, with a charred edge leather piece layered in the middle. The tan cord is hand-braided in-house using a kumihimo loom, and is pigmented rather than dyed and will fade to a pale white or grey over time. It features Bates’ signature sister-clip clasp. This necklace is like a poem to Maine’s port city.
Details: Silver pendant with leather, tan hand braided nylon cord, silver sister-clasp closure. Measures 11 1/2" inches in total length, pendant measures 1” long. Handmade in Maine.
A Note From Erika: I love the contrast of the dark smooth leather with the texture of the silver. As with all of Cat’s work, it just gets better the more you wear it.
The Brand: Cat Bates is an artist and jewelry-maker based in Biddeford, Maine. Cat has been working on this body of work for the last decade and it continues to evolve organically and magically. Cat says, “I find a distinct beauty in utilitarian objects, and often notice that through use such objects become more beautiful still. I think of a bronze oarlock, its exterior caked with oxide from exposure to salt spray, its interior buffed to a warm luster by the rubbing of a dinghies wooden oars. It excites me to see that the metal has been worn smooth, and to know that if use continues the metal will eventually wear thin, will eventually no longer serve its function; that the use of an object will eventually lead to its end. I design jewelry that will last long enough for use to compound its beauty. If you wear one of my pieces, I hope that you will take pleasure in knowing that you are part of what makes it beautiful.”
Description: Inspired by wharf pilings, wooden buoys, and the bricks that make up so much of Portland’s landscape, this silver pendant is sand cast from a hand carved master, with a charred edge leather piece layered in the middle. The tan cord is hand-braided in-house using a kumihimo loom, and is pigmented rather than dyed and will fade to a pale white or grey over time. It features Bates’ signature sister-clip clasp. This necklace is like a poem to Maine’s port city.
Details: Silver pendant with leather, tan hand braided nylon cord, silver sister-clasp closure. Measures 11 1/2" inches in total length, pendant measures 1” long. Handmade in Maine.
A Note From Erika: I love the contrast of the dark smooth leather with the texture of the silver. As with all of Cat’s work, it just gets better the more you wear it.
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