Cemetery Cross

Jane Beeder’s Vintage Cross Jewlery

Copper Turquoise Beads with Vintage Silver Cross
by Jane Beeder

To say Jane Beeder travels the world is an understatement. From her years in spent in the Middle East buying antique strings of hand carved gemstones to her upcoming trip to Russia, Jane never misses a chance to search out the most exquisite and exotic beads for her original jewelry.

In her recent show last month at Hayden Hays Gallery at the Broadmoor Hotel, Jane’s jewelry held it’s own with all the other masterpieces displayed.

Crosses, whether they are antique Navajo sterling silver, gem studded artifacts from Morocco or hand crafted by local Colorado Springs artists, are combined with the rough-hewn gemstones, hand-forged crosses and elegant silver findings that are a hallmark of Jane’s work.

Many of her recent pieces combine Coptic (Ethiopian) Crosses with turquoise beads.

Ethiopian crosses are made from elaborate lattice or filigree work in a baroque style.  The artists designing the African crosses take great delight in creating ornate decorative patterns. They embellish a simple cross with trefoils, flared arms, fanciful projections, complex openwork and intertwined patterns of lines that symbolize eternity.

Traditionally worn around the neck on a deep blue cotton cord, the crosses are given to children when they are baptized and they become one of the most prized of all personal possessions.

Named after the region they come from, the crosses that Jane uses in her work are hand-cast and made from nickel or brass alloys.

Jane Beeder combines a hand-carved Antique Lapis Lazuli and Sterling pendant with oversized Lapis Lazuli rondelles and hand made sterling silver beads

Jane’s studio at Cottonwood Center for the Arts is an out-of-the-ordinary voyage. Crammed floor-to-ceiling with Chinese antique cabinets full of exotic beads just waiting to be turned into collectible, wearable works of art, Jane can be found working surrounded by overflowing baskets of chunks of amber, strings frosted 1930’s lucite and tribal beaded headbands

.

For more of Jane’s necklaces, check out photos of her work here on Fresh Ink.

Jane’s studio, #103, is at 427 E. Colorado in downtown Colorado Springs at Cottonwood Center for the Arts. For more info about Jane’s workshop, call (719) 520-1899. Her work can be purchased at Cottonwood on Tejon or The Boulder Street Gallery in Downtown Colorado Springs.

July 4, 2011 | Categories: Antique Silver Crosses, Artists, Celtic Crosses, Christian, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Cottonwood on Tejon, Cross of the Day, Crosses, CrossoftheDay, Ethiopian Crosses, Galleries, Hand Carved Crosses, Inspirational Artwork, Iron Crosses, Jane Beeder, Ornate Crosses, Religious Art, The Boulder Street Gallery, Traditional Crosses, Vintage Cross Jewelry, Vintage Crosses | Tags: Christian, Coptic Crosses, Cross, Cross Jewelry, Cross of the Day, CrossoftheDay, Ethiopian Crosses, Hand Carved, Hayden Hayes, Inspirational Jewelry, Jane Beeder, Karen Rivera, The Broadmoor Hotel, Vintage Crosses | Leave a comment