The Cherry Hat Collection

Every year, when June rolls around, I look forward to fresh cherries. It starts out with the appearance of a small bag at the supermarket which tells me to keep an eye out for an email announcing the exact days that fresh cherries will be available for picking. Then we head out to pick pounds and pounds of cherries. I prefer the bing cherries while my husband waits for the sour variety. He makes jam while I sit on the porch eating my cherries right out of a bowl. 

So it was of little surprise that I was inspired to create a cherry hat collection from this delicious summer fruit.  

cocktail hat

From Inspiration to Creation

Piece de Resistance

Wood Nymph

Made from real branches this creation was quite the challenge. Inspired by a piece of diamond jewelry from Van Cleef and Arpels, I didn’t have a solid hold on what the final piece would look like.  A walk in my garden showed me some branches as a starting point.  After soaking them in water for several days, they were sufficiently flexible to be pinned into shape.  The leaves were made from a buttery soft leather and shaped individually.  The cherries were bedazzled one crystal at a time.  Only once the different elements were completed did a final creation reveal itself to me.