The horsehair bracelet on Blake Greene's wrist is more than just an accessory.
It's a celebration of the lives of her horses, Shady and Dixie. The horses had been with Greene since she was a little girl; both recently passed away.
"To have something like this is really priceless. It's a word that's sometimes overused, but really, it's a cool thing to have them with me all the time," Greene, a Tallahassee photographer, said.
Greene couldn't carry this special memory around with her without Lisa Phipps, lead designer of Chic Verte, who created the piece.
"There are so many things that are thrown away or people walk by every day that are beautiful," Phipps said. "They can be repurposed and given new life as treasures or mementos that you can wear and keep with you all the time."
When translated from French to English, the name of her line, Chic Verte, means "fashionably green" — which suits her business well. Every piece is created from natural and environmental materials like wood, feathers, antlers, shells, acorns, shark teeth, eel skin and coral. The environment elements have all fallen on their own and the animal pieces all come from animals that aren't alive any longer.
"The materials I use are really just anything that I come across that I find interesting or pretty," Phipps said.
Phipps also encourages people to bring in heirlooms or items of value to incorporate into the jewelry, such as pearls that fell off a relative's pearl necklace, an old compass found during an adventure, or —like Greene — horsehair from family horses. She takes these items and integrates them in with the natural materials to create earrings, belt buckles, bolo ties, necklaces, bracelets or other items.
"When a horse is getting older or about to pass away, I've always taken a cut of my horse's mane or tail and kept it in a box," Greene said. "She (Phipps) gets the importance of taking something that's beyond special and turning it into such a great beauty that I can carry with me."
The Phipps family has a history in the jewelry making business. Mrs. William Klamp — Phipps' husband's great-grandmother — began making jewelry in Chicago in 1898. Years later, the family business would travel to Tallahassee and be passed down to Phipps. Although she always enjoyed making pieces, Phipps had decided to take a break from the business after her children were born.
That is, until a red oak tree fell on the Phipps family property in September 2013. She became mesmerized by the natural designs and divots in the tree. She got an itch to be creative and knew she had to do something with the wood.
Her husband brought the tree back to her workshop. There she began to make wood sculptures, which would eventually bring her back to jewelry-making.
"I started with sculptures and they were beautiful. But turning it into jewelry, you can take it with you, you can enjoy it," Phipps said. "Especially for people who work inside, they've got this reminder that there's something out there."
Her workshop is a living testament to the philosophy she holds about her jewelry. The outside space next to her home allows her to embrace the wilderness and channel it into her pieces. There are boxes on top of boxes full of different shapes, sizes and types of wood, feathers and other organic materials.
"Appreciating nature for its beauty and the value of being able to spend time outside is so special for me," Phipps said.
To find Chic Verte pieces, visit Cole Couture Boutique, Shine Jewelry & Gift Boutique or www. Etsy.com. Specialized pieces are made by appointment; call 894-0800.
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