Bon… a tray. Sai… a planting. Bonsai… a planting in a tray.
The purpose: Contemplation for the viewer. And the pleasure of
effort and ingenuity in the creation of the product for the grower.
And the question… is this true for plants as well as jewelry? You
be the judge and in the end… let me know what you think. I
proceed.
How is it made. It begins with a specimen of a plant. A seedling
perhaps. A cutting. A wee bit of a tree of a kind suitable for the
development of your showcase. Truth be told… a bonsai from almost
any perennial woody-stemmed tree or shrub. Some are more suitable
than others. Small leaves and needles are most appropriate.
And so… in the plant… as in most jewelry… esthetics of the
creator play a major role in the formation of the product. I am so
excited here at what I am about to show you that it is shivering me
timbers… piracy and pirates aside. This… ladies and gennulmen…
is awe at its finest.
Again… I proceed. Know this my friends. The creation of a bonsai
is in no way to be equated with dwarfing… which would be
tantamount to genetic transmutation. Nay nay. We are talking
original origin. Like marriage and relationships… and the
appreciation of caviar and dry wine… bonsai requires
cultivation… though there are some out there who might disagree
with one or more of my above choices.
As to the brewing of a unique piece of jewelry… it is no
different. To paraphrase a quote I once heard and which has stayed
with me as an absolute truth from the day I first read it as it
relates to creation: It does not matter if you pull it by its head
or by its toe… as long as you keep pulling it you will eventually
give birth to your own artistic form.
The greater the art… the longer it lasts. Bonsai have been known
to survive for over five hundred years. Many artists… in one form
or another… have depicted the bonsai. Paintings. Wood block
prints. Most originating in Japan and China.
But jewelry… that’s a tree of another metal. So how about a gold
and diamond bonsai of serious proportions. About 5 1/2 inches high.
About 6 1/2 inches wide. About 6 inches deep. With about 39.25
carats of diamonds. Big enough to place on a coffee table. Created
by an American artist who has known what the creation of jewelry was
all about. With unsurpassed detail. All done under the careful eye
of one David Webb… an ultra master-craftsman in my book. Without
ever having known him… I suspect what this man had was the
incredible amount of patience and the keen vision required to create
something of this order. He is a favorite of mine.
So… you want to see his bonsai?
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at http://www.tyler-adam.com where you
will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that
says Current Tidbits. Click it… and you will see represented on
our pages… a bonsai tree created by a superb American jeweler.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark