Monday, November 8, 2010

Engine



I've established here that one of my favorite stores in the city is UnionMade. I pop in there all the time and a few weeks back I saw this beautiful bracelet.











































I couldn't get it out of my head.

Nearly all the men in my family are or were carpenters and construction workers of some sort. Before I was born my father inherited a tiny second home overlooking the bay that has been in the family since the '30s but was built long before that. He rents it out and has always done all the work and renovating himself. Long ago I remember my dad tearing up some portion of the house and showing me the square nails he was finding with pride. It meant that the house was even older than we thought, since square nails were last used around the early 1900s. Ever since then I've had a fascination with square nails and their beauty.

The "nail" for this cuff is a railroad spike. So simple -- weighty yet elegant.

5 comments:

  1. My dad passed away seven years ago. He was a construction worker by profession. I LOVE this.

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  2. sorry to hear your dad has passed. did he work around santa rosa? i love that he was in the biz too, just like my people. :) i often think about how much i love coveralls and work boots because of all those carpentry-men in my family. they make me feel sentimental and sweet. i also think my interest in people's hands comes from always looking at my dad and grandpa's worn, worked construction-guy hands.

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  3. Yes, he worked all around Sonoma County. I have and old chambray button up sears work shirt that was his. It's soft and worn to the point of being almost shear and my favorite jean cutoffs were made from an old pair of his work jeans that I hijacked back in high school :)

    Hey, I just remembered an outfit shot with the two together, here they are:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/23821209@N06/2843694760/in/set-72157604062050081/

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  4. wow, love that photo of you! the suspenders are the perfect touch. sporting clothes that belonged to family members, esp when they are gone but even when they are still here, is the best. it brings something special to my stride when i wear one of their pieces. so much of my clothing used to belong to one of my family members! they all tend to save everything so i have had some great closet raids over the years!

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  5. Cool bracelet loaded with character!

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