I call a front and a back of the same thing an inseparable . . . Thursday, May 9 2013 

Georgian silver finely engraved button – Scottish with a running fox. Found in London and into the studio collection although Barbara’s dog collection that I’ve been building for twenty years or so now needs a resort as she keeps taking pieces into her secret realm . . . dogs (foxes) especially!

Everything happens in twos it seems (inseparables), well Glenn Cooke owned the last post and yesterday he collected his latest two commissioned rings by Barbara Thursday, May 9 2013 

One of Barbara’s earliest sets of stacked interlocking rings was purchased at a Cintra House exhibition by Glenn Cooke, who was the decorative arts curator at the Queensland Art Gallery. ‘Cook-e’ has been a friend and supporter of us both and also we share many interests, Australiana: furniture and gold & silversmithing, chip art, tea towel art, matchstick art and found ephemera plus we are all members of the Australian Garden History Society. His third commission is featured today.

We have the table that goes with these two chairs in the Queensland Art Gallery Monday, May 6 2013 

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Glenn Cooke was offered the three pieces by Sharon at Lancasters in Toowoomba ages ago, he scooped the two chairs as they had wood and more particularly tooled leather work. He declined the deeply carved table from the set which shows her family crest by marriage, that of the Robinson clan. We are so fortunate to own this piece of early Queensland cabinetry using local timbers by an important female maker.

Anna Craig / Miss Lubke  was trained as a leather worker, was born Anna Charlotte Lubke in Hanover, Prussia, grand-daughter of the Count von Hartung. George Hulber of Hamburg had revived the ancient art of leatherwork and was accorded considerable fame in Europe at the time; Miss Lubke was one of his few students. She practised her leatherwork in Hamburg, then moved to London where she won awards, including a diploma for a leather-bound book at the 1896 East London Trades, Industries and Arts Exhibition. She was employed as private secretary to Princess Beatrice of Battenberg. Anna came to Australia in 1898 as companion to the wife of the owner of the Valley of Lagoons, a station on the Upper Burdekin, North Queensland. There she met, and the following year married at Ingham, Charles Baker Craig. She spent her early married years at the Valley of Lagoons. Housework was performed by Aboriginal servants so she had time to devote to her craft. Later Mr Craig acquired a property, Craigmore, in the Toowoomba district and the family moved between the two. Mrs Craig exhibited her leather and marquetry work with the Toowoomba branch of the Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland from 1902 to 1920; in 1914 her embossed panels included Phoebus and Apollo , Diana and Mermaid . In 1920 she received silver medals for her embossed leatherwork exhibits. She also showed leatherwork at the 1907 exhibition of the Austral Association. A leather screen and an album cover were exhibited in the preliminary Brisbane Women’s Work Exhibition that year; when shown in Melbourne the screen was awarded a first and a special prize in its class. She received a Queensland Jubilee Medal for her piano stool in leather work at the 1909 Queensland National Agricultural and Industrial Association (QNAIA) Exhibition at Brisbane and prizes for embossed leather work at the Rockhampton Agricultural Society Shows in 1917, 1918, 1933-36. In 1922 the Craigs moved to Waverley Road, Taringa, Brisbane, and Anna began to exhibit regularly with the QNAIA. Between 1925 and 1936 she was awarded several prizes for her leatherwork and marquetry staining. From Glenn Cooke’s biography of her in 1995.

 

We love the fan/thanks mail that we receive and we both treasure and preserve them, Dr Gael sends the most divine cards Thursday, May 2 2013 

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Recycled diamonds into very petite hand-made five leaf gem earrings © Bh April 2013 Tuesday, Apr 30 2013 

© Bh Commission – Caroline Cotton using x4 princess cut Diamonds (supplied) one each at centre and base of hook 9ct Palladium White Gold. Juan-Luis took an iPhone pic with a x20 power lupé to the lens - here is how small the handwork is . . . look at the saw blade.

We have been producing commissions and waiting on clients to collect their booty, two away on the weekend Tuesday, Apr 30 2013 

This a gem detail of a divine © Bh Necklace Commission for very old friends and client’s of both mal E and Bh: Celestine Doyle – Mothe’s Beads with new clasp and leaf button detail. Double strand of antique graduated Bone beads are connected with button detail and clasp to each side; Five Leaf Button set with central 3mm square orange BET Sapphire (0.27ct) and surrounding 5x3mm round Pink-Orange Sapphires (5=0.92ct) sits opposite a matching Leaf Bar & Ring clasp set with 3mm square orange BET Sapphire (0.27ct). 18ct yellow gold with matt and burnished finish.

Another pierced ‘big up’ ring commission I haven’t posted as yet Saturday, Apr 13 2013 

Brisbane fashion maven, astute jewellery collector, client and friend: Patricia Crowley with a test run of a ring we collaborated on ages ago. So great to post a shot of Tricia taken in the studio with her clunker of a whisky quartz . . .

The next show we are participating in opens in Canberra – 6:00pm April 4 2013 at Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Thursday, Mar 21 2013 

We are chuffed that our work made the invitation graphics – to our many commissioners and friends in Canberra, be there!

the larger .pdf is here to download with all the details . . .

The ring style is ‘London Bridge’ – this range version in two golds with BET Rubies Thursday, Jan 31 2013 

Barbara Heath sculptured wax cast in 9ct Rose Gold with handmade 18ct Yellow Gold bezels set with emerald cut BET Rubies 4-1.53ct – stock ring prepared for Handmark Gallery Tasmania.

Kevin Murray requests more info about the Barbara Heath/Sheridan Kennedy exhibition ‘new icons’ in 1987 Thursday, Jan 3 2013 

On 01/01/2013, at 2:53 PM, Kevin Murray wrote:
Dear Barbara,
Sorry to interrupt your new year, but I have a quick inquiry for the history of Australasian jewellery. Can you tell me what kind of work was in the ‘New Icons’ exhibition with Sheridan Kennedy? Was it commissioned work? Thanks, Warmly,

Kevin
///////////////////////////////
I have all the early editions of ‘eyeline’ where the show was featured in two reviews – Urszula Szulakowska’s review and Lehan Ramsay’s review.
I designed the graphics and set up the photography as well. Do take the time to read the articles, Roz MacAllan was the gallerist who initiated the show and as you will read was instrumental in positioning her artists as globally relevant at the time. Jewellery is seen as wearable sculpture and performance permeates That Space during those heady days. Collectors continue to make contact with us re: the availability of these early works.

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