NANCY CHRISTENSEN // NEW WORKS

Tonight we receive Oakland artist Nancy Christensen and her new works, untitled.  The watercolor series is a zen-like exploration of space and attachment.  Her primary characters are connected to smaller entities conveying a quiet bond.

Party starts at 6pm, and we are offering 15% off storewide for the event.  Ed the Soulector will be here spinning his rare vinyl funk and R&B.  Last party of the year, hope to see you here tonight!

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Get to Know Solee Darrell

Yay!  So pumped to share with you our newest gal, Solee Darrell.  Solee will be working with me upstairs making jewelry.  Solee studied metalsmithing at Sterling Quest in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico, and is working on her own line of jewelry too.  She is a bright light, a total jewelry aficionado, and a welcoming spirit.  So happy she has joined team Nine!

We asked her a few essential questions so you can get to know her a bit:

1// What inspires you?
What inspires me most is other women! I love meeting women who have they're own distinctive sense of style and getting the chance to see the world through their eyes.

2// What is your favorite jewelry piece?
I have so many amazing pieces of jewelry that I've collected through the years. I have made some amazing rings that I love but of course they are always first to sell. I would have to say that my all time favorite piece of jewelry is a gold coin necklace that my mom got me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I always wear it when I'm going on a plane or when I'm doing something really important because it makes me feel a little safer.








3// Favorite Oakland spots for

Cocktails: Cafe van Kleef. I crave those greyhounds.
Beers:  Beer Revolution 
Burgers: In n Out, forever and always
Pizza:  Hi-life 
Fancy-Shmancy Date Night: MUA. Great ambiance great food.
Music:  The Fox Theater. It's beautiful in there!
Surpise us: Lake Merritt has been so good to me this summer. I love sitting on the cement slabs with some beer and friends.  And I recently discovered Oakland Floats. It's a deprivation tank spa! If you haven't tried it you need to! The coolest way to relax

Follow her @soleedarrell

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Top 100 Shops 2014!

Still catching my breath... so beyond honored to have been chosen as one of the Top 100 Shops 2014 by the SF Chronicle.  The story was featured in the Sunday Style section; we were nominated by taste-maker and author of This is Oakland book Melissa Davis.  I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful it feels to be recognized in this way.

It is also so lovely to see all the traction in Oakland.  I love this city, with all it's complexity and layers and I am so proud to call it my home both personally and professionally.

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us over the years-- my little dream is nothing without the community of people who appreciate and love what we are doing, not to mention our bad-ass team-- Christina and Solee I'm talking to you!

Thank you!  So full!

In celebration, we are offering a 10% discount through October for those on our email list.


High-five everybody!

L O V E + M E T A L

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Insta Love // Re Elle

What influences, inspires, sets your heart on fire?  Curiosity about what does that for other people opens up new ways to get inspired and lit up.  I love to watch what my jeweler peers are doing, what they are being moved by and how that eventually turns up in their work.

My Insta Love feature will now be all about this: my favorite outtakes from the jewelers and artists we house in the shop.This art form and craft, at its best, goes beyond making pretty little things.  It is tapping into the same human and universal mysteries that all art gets itself into.

Today I am sharing some of my favorite shots from Brooklyn designer Re Elle.  I own one of her Fold Cuffs, it is a daily wear that feels a part of my body.  Her feed is one of my most heart-throbby.

Follow her @re_elle
Enjoy.

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Origins // Tyson Miller of T.Morgan Made

It's my honor to introduce you to one of the boys of our Crown Nine crew, hailing from Los Angeles.  In his words, his line is "LA born.  LA bred.  LA made."  Tyson is one of the nicest dudes you can be lucky enough to come across, and a talent to boot.  His recent work has been a study in the deconstruction of form, beautiful little geometric shapes with jagged textures that read as earthy and modern. Tyson also works in precious metals, jamming out wedding rings and bands (total stunners).  He has lots of stuff for the guys, as like all my favorite designers, he first began by making work for himself.  The gravitational pull of collections that originate in this way are magical, they result in connection with other people who spin in the same orbit-- and we're definitely spinning in his.  

Here is more from my conversation with Tyson, enjoy.

KE: Why do you make art?
TM: Because it’s good for the soul, the simple act of creating something with my hands makes me unspeakably happy. That and it beats working in an office all day. 

KE:  Current obsessions?
TM:  Trying to make something so good it’s impossible for you to see it and not want it. That and Instagram so follow me ok! 

KE:  I'll be sure to plug you, haha

KE:  What artwork or artists influence your work?
TM:  I’m most inspired by my friends who are fellow jewelry designers and also anyone/everyone who is out there on their own making things. Whether it’s jewelry or letterpress or screen printing or craft beer or whatever, independent makers putting their heart and soul into making something to share with the rest of us is awesome. 

KE:  How do you want someone to feel while wearing your work?

TM:  Confident and comforted, like it feels strange when they aren’t wearing it.

KE:  How do you know when a piece is finished?
TM:  When I’m happy with the way it looks, it’s as simple and difficult as that. That’s the beauty of being my own boss though, I get to just decide when it’s done. 

KE:  What do you admire in other people?

TM:  I’m a bit of an introvert so I admire the opposite, unabashed extroversion. People who can just talk to anyone and be comfortable anywhere without really trying. Also people who are genuinely kind without expecting anything in return are pretty amazing too.

KE:  What special talent would you choose if you could magically gain one?

TM:  The ability to give hilarious and insightful interviews. 

KE:   Touché, haha!

KE:  How does destruction play a role in your work?
TM:  I agree with Graham Greene, “…destruction after all is a form of creation”. Destroying one piece often leads to the creation of something entirely new so I try to embrace it. In fact the Jagged collection was born because I broke a wax in the carving process.

KE:  What design are you most proud of/ sentimental/ moved by?
TM:  My California born & bred necklace and my two finger bar ring. I originally made them for myself just because I wanted to have them only to have other people like them enough to want one too.

                      

Follow T.Morgan Made

Instagram @tmorganmade

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The Girl Who Knows

For the next few months I am a Guest Editor in Residence at The Girl Who Knows, a lifestyle blog for living with soul. It is giving me a fun chance to write about topics that that don't totally fit here, but interest me and I want to share nonetheless.  Some of it, like my post today, feels a little more personal, the kind of stuff I tend to chat about with my close friends. Other posts will just be about stuff I'm into.  Enjoy my first two posts, and checking out the rest of the lovely TGWK blog.

#2 80/20 Your Life

#1 What to Read This Summer

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Go Far // Desolation Wilderness

This week I took a couple days off to go backpacking with some of my bro-dudes in Desolation Wilderness, just west of Lake Tahoe.  We started our journey at Echo Lake and walked 26 miles to Emerald Bay, camping out at a couple lakes along the way.  Our trail was an overlapping route of The Pacific Crest Trail that extends from Mexico to Canada, and the Tahoe Rim Trail that wraps the circumference of the lake, the terrain littered with stunning swim spots and wildflowers.  This time of year the thru-hikers on the PCT are walking this stretch and we were lucky enough to meet a bunch of them and ask them about their trip.  Here are some of my favorite outtakes from the journey, enjoy.

Dick's Pass overlooking Dick's Lake and Fontinellis Lake

Morning view at Middle Velma Lake

Loupin

Josh getting ready to fish

Lake Aloha

Campsite at Lake Gilmore

Bro-ing it out with my crew plus Michael, a PCT hiker who stayed a night with us

Mosquitos!

L O V E + M E T A L 

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GO FAR // BIG SUR

One of the best things about living in the Bay Area is our close proximity to so many beautiful excursions.  Big Sur is so close, the drive is easy and lovely, and when I am there I feel transported far away from my home.  It gives you that travel feeling without having to go very far or long.

This last weekend my best bud Lynsey and I drive down for two nights of car camping at Fernwood.  We hiked at Andrew Molera and Julia Burns, ate a relaxed lunch at Nepenthe, and cooked over the fire pit.  Here are a few outakes from our trip, enjoy.

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