Kora Bracelets with Garlic Scape

I came across Kora Designs through a friend of a friend while looking for new and unusual jewelry pieces to shoot for my portfolio. Amy and Maxandra were really open to loaning me some pieces and they spent a few weeks sending snapshots of their inventory for review. I had chosen a couple bracelets from what they had sent, but then Amy suggested a pair that were simple, understated and elegant and I went with it. I’m glad I did.

The bracelets are made from the horn of the Ankole cow, a breed indigenous to East Africa. The horns are “rescued” from local butcheries, where they would otherwise be discarded, and local artisans transform them into beautiful pieces of wearable art. Amy and Max are in Nairobi right now, trying to catch a flight back to the States, but the volcano in Iceland has disrupted those flights. I’m hoping we get to meet in person soon.

Victoria Escalle did a brilliant job with styling – we did two versions: one with garlic scape and one with small onions. The garlic scape won.

Victoria Escalle working on set

For anyone interested, this was shot on the little Calumet portable light table and a couple of Nova 32 light boxes with Profoto lights and a Leaf Aptus 75 tacked onto an old Hasselblad ELX with a 40mm lens. Below is a diagram of how this was shot. I’ve used the Calumet light table for a lot of my work; there’s this tiny bit of fall off when I slightly offset the Nova 32′s from the plexi that yields a tasty little gradient in the corners. After I first discovered that, I started to incorporate it into my work.

And, yes, the image was retouched. But mostly in Lightroom and a little in Photoshop. It didn’t need much work. Really.

Lighting Schematic Kora

A Rutabaga and a Pair of Diamond and Green Amethyst Earrings Set in Gold

My fruits and vegetables have taken on a new purpose as props for expensive jewelry. I love the earthy quality of root vegetables against the gloss and glow of gemstones set in precious metal. And in this case, I just love the word – rutabaga. I think Bugs Bunny used the word once in a football cheer.

What’s next? Now I’m looking for artisans with hand made jewelry. And maybe asparagus, but that’s out of season. What looks good with asparagus anyway? Tiaras?