Tuesday, December 23, 2008

My Grandfather's Shop

My grandfather David has a home jewelry shop, crammed with rough stones, molds, machinery, bits of wax, old coins, bits of maps, hand tools, centuries-old hawaiian prints, old family photos, and jewelry in every stage of production. He's almost 91, and has had a long life of collecting interesting things from faraway places.

When I think of the shop, I smell hot wax, electroplating chemicals, and dust from stonecutting. It's always been a magical place to me, with its mix of art, craft, and ephemeral suggestions of other places and times.