SPOTLIGHT ON ... ARTICLE
November 2007
Our featured designer for this month is Margot Carter-Blair
WHO WE ARE:
THE ROSARY WORKSHOP specializes in museum inspired rosaries, chaplets and jewelry made of rare, handmade and antique beads. The metal parts are all hand cast from antique pieces in sterling and solid bronze then antiqued to restore their original patina.
SOFTFLEX WIRE:
We have been using Soft-Flex wire since day one. About 10 years ago, I mentioned to a fellow jeweler, that I did not like the stiffness of another nylon coated wire we were using. She asked if I knew about the brand new, 'state of the arts' product called Soft-Flex wire. I didn't so tried hers and have been using it ever since.
I like the strength and suppleness of it so much that we now sell it to our online customers in the same size we use: 019 with 49 plied strands of stainless steel wire in 30 foot and 100 foot spools in 3 colors. We suggest our customers match the wire to the metals so carry the clear (silver) and gold/bronze to match our hand cast pieces (sterling and solid bronze). We also sell black for use when black beads are dominant, but the array of colored wires available are gorgeous!
Since our product is functional and put under abnormal pulling, stress and wear daily - handled more than most ornamental pieces - this was a major issue for us. We are now able to offer our rosaries as a generational heirloom.
CRIMP BEADS:
The next problem was finding a crimp (2mm) that did not chew up the wire, causing it to be the weakest place on the finished product. Mike showed us how to do this without forcing the crimp too much, 'A firm, warm handshake is the only pressure you need', he said, as he showed me by shaking my hand! 'Tight enough to make it hold but not too tight as it will cut through the wire'. It worked.
We only sell crimp beads from Soft Flex and we are as happy as our customers! Our favorite is the black ox but do suggest our customers match the color to the wire, silver or gold for the bronze. They are the best on the market.
We love SOFT TOUCH and only hope one day they will sell it in the gold/bronze wire, too! If so, we will sell that too!
MARGOT CARTER BLAIR - THE ROSARY WORKSHOP
Besides making jewelry and doing juried show, selling work to various galleries and museum shops (for years) I taught wearable art techniques in textiles and beads throughout the US, from DC to Hawaii. It kept me somewhat sane in the midst of traveling Navy family and the raising of 7 children, all of whom now have blessed us with a total of 13 beautiful grandchildren.
Through the Navy, we moved from coast to coast so was inspired from so many museum collections. My major in college was Fashion Design but we studied the adornment of peoples all over the world, including bead work and how it - beads - documented the migration of people. We also studied the cut of the cloth used to make their exquisite garments from hand woven and hand printed fabrics. I am sure all of these incredible textures and colors inspired me as my work began to move into prayer beads, rosaries, chaplets and religious jewelry. During this time, I also published several children's books and one on 'Banners and Flags, How to Sew a Celebration' (HBJ) which brought the joy of celebration, not unlike the garments and jewelry people wear in all cultures.
During my husband's illness (cancer), the rosary became a life line. When he died, the rosary simply became the source of not only strength but great interest. The past interest in history and the bead, just took on a new life! When I started to look for beads and metal parts to make rosaries, I could not find any great crosses that worked with the beautiful old beads so began to search out the possibility of casting old pieces. A few trips to flea markets while traveling to Germany yielded some encouraging pieces so there it began. The more we found the more exciting it became! Before I knew it we had handcart 100s of antique and vintage crucifixes, crosses, rosary centers and religious medals in sterling and solid bronze that we then antiqued to restore the original patina. I also had to find a strong but supple wire that would work, not only for jewelry but for the constant use rosaries would call for. Soft Flex wired filled this need for us and gave us a dependable product.
And like so many 'hobbies' (Although I had been taking rosaries to the juried shows and they were selling) it grew into a very successful online business! And of course, the more it grew, the more interested I became in the pieces, where they were from and how old they were. My love for history grew and grew. We now sell rosary parts all over the world, along with rare, one of kind rosaries, chaplets and jewelry.
Today, the rosary workshop also has a great online visual rosary museum (some date back to the 1600s) and it is used by historians and students alike. We also have a great running history called Journaling the Bead and we hope those interested will use this valuable chronological 2000 year old history of the rosary. It is a great resource for those who are interested in how the rosary grew and why people of all nationalities, denominations and religions use beads to count prayers.
MARGOT CARTER BLAIR
Author, Designer, Artist
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