The Creative Process….

When you do something really well it appears nearly effortless and others have a hard time comprehending just how it was that you got from point A to point B. While Armando has had a number of incarnations, magician has never been one of them so casting a little light on the subject seems relatively harmless.

The most frequently asked questions that he encounters are:
1. (Believe it or not) What is a horseshoe nail?
2. What are the nails made of?
3. How on earth did you think to make jewelry out of them?
4. Do you really do all of this by hand?
5. Will the nails rust or tarnish?

Horseshoe nails are just as the name implies: nails that are used to attach a shoe to a horse's hoof. This site provides an interesting history of the subject that is well worth reading: www.horseshoes.com/advice/nails/horseshoenails.htm

Armando uses only Swedish Mustad nails for his work: race, city head, MUD (used for increased traction in mud or snow) and e-slim in varying sizes and all are made of steel - not stainless steel. That said, they will develop a patina which Armando, the true craftsman, actually likes and a little steel wool will take care of easily. However, since October of 2009 he has given way to using a protective coating as a measure of prevention.

Two artisans from the seventies influenced Armando's jewelry: Hank and Oscar. He learned to hand-tool and copper wire from them and today he still holds that craftsman ethic of production for each and every piece. The design has evolved into something that Oscar calls "candy." But what brings his work forward is the global conscience of using, not only handmade ceramics and pearls, but recycled glass and wood to create a line of jewelry that makes a statement.

Most of the pieces are named after family members, people and pets alike. Others are named after certain attitudes of said members, mainly those in the latter category. A cat without an attitude is simply not a cat but this is not to say that only a cat can have one. In other words, the house is full of inspiration! Along with that realization came the realization that each piece actually is rather like a person: unique in its own way. Since they are crafted by hand no two pieces, even of the same design, will be identical to any other. The same two nails do not conform to the artist's hand and tool in exactly the same manner. Even each handmade bead will vary in shape, texture and color.