Shiny objects. Whether it’s Cuban links, intricate feminine bracelets or the ring he put on it cause he liked it, everybody loves jewelry. Personal adornment is a cultural universal that spans the ages, and it means something different to every individual. For some, it’s a symbol of wealth, for others, a means of expression, and for others still, a sentimental reminder of a loved one.
The jeweler’s studio, unlike the carefully constructed pieces it produces, is a place of chaos. Filled with raw materials strewn about—hand tools, power tools, scraps of metal—it’s a beautiful mess. Susan Rabinovitz, owner of Midtown’s Little Relics Art and Jewelry Gallery, finds peace and fulfillment in the disorder of her workshop.
“I was self-taught up until a few years ago, and then I went and trained with masters at the Revere Academy in San Francisco, and got a master graduate certification,” says Rabinovitz. “That means I put in 700 hours with masters that taught me 14th Century goldsmithing techniques, stone setting, diamond grating and all that good stuff. I’m a pretty legit jeweler. I solder, I build things from raw materials … one of the things that sustains my business is the jewelry repair aspect of it. People may not be buying as much jewelry, but they’re definitely repairing their sentimental pieces.” Rabinovitz discloses that repair is probably about 75 percent of her shop’s income.
When she’s not busily repairing her patron’s jewelry, she’s always creating something new. Says Rabinovitz, “I have a huge sketchbook, and in between repairs I’m constantly building something.”
Jewelry making is simply in Rabinovitz’s DNA. “I’ve always made jewelry. Back when I was getting a B.A. in journalism, in order to pay for books, I actually made earrings for Nordstrom, way back in the day when they used to do Artists in Jewelry. When I moved up here, I worked in the corporate world, still making jewelry, and then my job moved to another state. So I went back to tending bar at Streets of London. I took some time to figure things out, and I kept going back to jewelry. Jewelry’s always been a love of mine and I finally just pursued formal training,” declares Rabinovitz.
Her kids hang out at the shop with her, and the love of making jewelry seems to run in the family. “When they bicker, I give them sheets of copper or sterling, and they get to go and literally hammer out their aggression, and you can see this look of euphoria come over their faces. Most of the textured metals here, my kids have done.”
“I was researching art projects for my kids to do over the summer and came across Miro and Kandinsky. I got really inspired by their use of shapes and lines, so you’ll start seeing some of my newer pendants have been heavily influenced by those two abstract artists.”
She’s also inspired by the architecture of Midtown. “There was this house over on Capitol, and it looked like a ship with a perfectly round porthole. They were remodeling it, and I was walking my dog. I looked up, and there was this screen across the round window, and so I made a round pendant with a screen in it and put floating gemstones in it.”
I asked Rabinovitz about her jewelry making process and what tools of the trade she employs to create new work. “Some of the layering projects I do, I hand cut with a saw, and if I’m making things rounded, I use a hammer and a doming block, which is like a dimpled cube. I use the divots of that to help create the roundness. I might use a power tool to create holes, or pierce it to put in a bale. I do a lot of fire. Torch work, solder and all that good stuff. The hammers I use primarily are a chasing hammer and the planishing hammer.”
She continues, “Right now I’m using a lot of 14 karat gold and sterling silver, and I also use a lot of copper in my projects, depending on what style or collection I’m doing. Because I’m a graduate of Revere Academy, I’m able to have a lot of connections to ethical sources for stones and for metals. So I know that most of my stones come from the United States or U.S. traders, and a lot of the suppliers are either green, ethical or both. Ethical meaning there’s no child labor, blood or trading for weapons. A lot of my semi-precious stones like jasper are American-mined and cut.”
This isn’t something that she really markets, but she does share it with people who are eyeballing or purchasing her pieces in the gallery. She explains, “It’s really hard nowadays to get any gemstones that are considered the blood or military-traded stones. Once industry miners pull the rocks from the soil, they have a serial number added to them, and they’re tracked from the dirt to the cutters.” Some of her favorite stones to work with include jasper (her dog is named Jasper), blue zircon and blue topaz.
Only local artists have pieces in the gallery, with the exception of one that Rabinowitz used to serve a lot of Guinness to at Streets of London. “My mission as a Midtown business owner is to keep it local.”
Although there are some pricier pieces in the gallery, it’s also Rabinovitz’s goal to curate gifts under $50, so that people on their lunch break can walk over and purchase something that’s handmade locally by a local artist. Some of the artists live just a few blocks away from the shop.
“One of my prerequisites to show work in my shop is you have to be nice,” she laughs. “I live in the neighborhood where my shop is, and it’s kind of embarrassing if someone showing work in my shop is less than approachable or rude to my neighbors.”
Rabinovitz’s upcoming July art show will feature herself, and she wanted to explain why. “I’ve always had featured artists, and have helped a lot of artist get murals, and helped to catapult their careers, which I love. I want to see my fellow neighbors succeed. So, it’s also my birthday month, and I said, screw it! I’m going to feature myself! This has pushed me to create a lot of work, and I’m super stoked about it.
“My favorite show every year is the holiday show, which is a group show. The artists come up with these amazingly giftable pieces that are under $50. It’s always very amazing to see their creativity and scaling down from mediums they’re normally working with,” she smiles.
“What I love about owning a business in Midtown is that people want to see you succeed. They’ll come in and buy a $10 item to be supportive, especially other local small business owners. The word of mouth is amazing.” She loves supporting other local businesses in turn—The Federalist, Dad’s Kitchen, Old Ironsides and Tres Hermanas are some of her favorites.
“I love how diverse this community is, how amazingly eclectic it is,” concludes Rabinovitz. “It makes my heart happy to see people expressing themselves and being loving toward each other. That freedom of expression is one of the top reasons we’ve stayed in Midtown and decided to raise our kids here.”
Show some love and go see Susan Rabinovitz’s solo show at Little Relics Art and Jewelry Gallery (908 21st Street in Sacramento) July 9, 2016 for Second Saturday. Find more info at Littlerelics.com. Please note that Little Relics will be closed for a holiday break through July 7.
Stuck on that perfect gift for your Secret Santa? Want to outdo your handmade cookie brigade from last year? Fear not, reader! Submerge has you covered with not one, not two, but nineteen unique, eclectic, (mostly) local gifts for any interest, any budget. Unique handcrafted jewelry? Check. Hottest in baby couture? Double check. Art, sports jerseys and dare we say, fish farms? Check, check, check. Peruse the list, get your shop on, and save a little room in the budget for yourself—we guarantee you’ll find some things you won’t be able to live without!
Custom Lamp featuring Local Photographer Miki Lansdowne’s Work
$23.95 – $63.95 at Lampinabox.com/miki-lansdowne
A stylish table lamp will quickly and easily add some flair to any room in the house. Rather than getting a run-of-the-mill IKEA or HomeGoods lamp that you’ll see in every other home, check out this cool option: a custom lamp featuring Sacramento-based urban exploration photographer Miki Lansdowne’s work (Sparrowandtheowl.com) wrapped around the entire lampshade! Los Angeles-based Lamp-In-A-Box is featuring many of Lansdowne’s epic photos on their lamps. Our favorite is her shot called “Explore the Keys.” Check out what other pieces would look like wrapped around a lampshade, swap out different stands and bases, click order and voila, you’ll get an awesome custom lamp in the mail to spruce up your pad, office, band room, art studio, wherever! You can even design your own lamp from scratch.
Tantris Metal Guitar Picks
$7.95 at Tantrispicks.com
This holiday season, give the gift of metal. These hand-finished, hand-polished stainless steel guitar picks from Elk Grove-based Tantris Picks are machined from surgical grade stainless steel and deliver a solid, bright attack that no other pick can. These things are perfect for rock/metal guitar players. They come in multiple badass designs like “Lucky Shot” and “Ace of Spades,” so pick up a couple pairs for the metalheads on your shopping list and maybe they’ll dedicate their next song to you!
Handmade Jewelry by Artist Susan Rabinovitz
$5 – $100 at Little Relics Boutique & Galleria (908 21st St., Sacramento)
All women love jewelry, that’s a fact. Moms, sisters, girlfriends, wives, grandmas, aunts—chances are, there are more than a few ladies on your holiday shopping list. Artist Susan Rabinovitz hand makes creative and stylish pieces of wearable art right here in Sacramento, and they range in price from very affordable (starting at just $5) to around $100. She makes cool stuff for guys, too, so visit her Midtown boutique and gallery Little Relics to see more handmade jewelry. While there, you can check out work from rotating guest artists.
Keytar Key Covers
$5.99 at Evangeline’s (113 K St., Sacramento)
It’s a common problem: too many keys on your keychain. “Which is the house key? The gold one? The silver one?” Eliminate the chances of getting keys confused with these sweet Keytar Key Covers! It’s not required, but highly suggested, to mouth your favorite guitar solo every time you open a lock with a Keytar.
Fruit- and Vegetable-Shaped Percussion Shakers
$8.25 – $14.99 at Skip’s Music (2740 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento)
They may look like real fruits and veggies, but these babies aren’t edible! They’re actually percussion shakers and they’re ready to add a hefty dose of rhythm to your next jam session. Pick some up today at Skip’s Music, where they range in price from $8.25 for the smaller ones to $14.99 for the larger ones. They sound great and, best of all, make for perfect stocking stuffers.
Skater Jenny Baby Socks
$27 for six pairs at Trumpette (2020 I St., Sacramento) or at Trumpette.com
Is it just us, or does it seem every other month like someone is announcing, “I’m having a baby!” No matter what season it is, those babies will need socks. What better to gift than these cute and stylish Skater Jenny socks from Sacramento-based luxury children’s apparel company Trumpette. They come in a six-pack of feminine colors for just $27 (for the baby boys out there, look for the Skater Johnnys).
Gucci Pinoy Snapback Hat by Official
$32 at Theofficialbrand.com
If you gift someone this sick “Gucci Pinoy” snapback hat from Sacramento-based headwear company Official, it’s like giving times two! One hundred percent of the proceeds from this hat go to the Philippine Red Cross. Official first released this design three years ago and it sold out immediately. Since a number of staff are Filipino, they were heavily affected by the recent typhoon that devastated the country, so Official decided to bring the hat back and give all the proceeds to charity. Pre-order the hat now at Theofficialbrand.com. Ships starting Dec. 12, 2013.
Black Sophisticated Ring by Compliment
$36 at Shopcompliment.com
This bold and sophisticated black ring by local brand Compliment is suited for work or play, featuring black Swarovski crystals on a silver band. Compliment founder and creative director Melissa Camilleri hand crafts jewelry, stationery, and “gifts for the spirit” in her studio space on Alhambra Blvd. Her work can be found at Identity Boutique (2600 J St., Sacramento), at GOOD: Street Food and Design Market, by appointment at her studio and via her website. Being a former high school English and AVID teacher, Camilleri is passionate about equality in educational opportunities for young people. That’s why 5% of Compliment purchases go to the Compliment Scholarship Fund, which supports young Sacramento-area women in their quest for a college education. Giving always feels good, but that makes it even sweeter.
Let’s face it, sports jerseys are expensive. So we suggest putting one on your list and hoping that someone else picks up the bill. If you want to go all authentic, it’s going to cost upwards of $300, but replicas are just as good at around $75 and can even feature your own custom name and/or number. Available for men and women in white, black and our favorite, purple. Listen up Sacramento, the Kings are here to stay, the Magoofs are out and we’re (finally, fingers crossed) getting that downtown arena. The hype is real. It’s time to get that jersey and rep your home team with pride.
Gift Cards to Sacramento Restaurants!
Any amount you want, available at most local restaurants
Still can’t decide what to get for that special someone? Save them the hassle of returning whatever it is you’re going to get and opt for gift cards to any of our many amazing local restaurants. If you will allow us to suggest a few: Clark’s Corner for that local East Sacramento cozy bar vibe (they have killer food too!); Tequila Museo Mayahuel for some of the best damn upscale Mexican cuisine you’ll ever taste; Paragary’s Restaurant Group, because, well, one gift card is good at many different tasty restaurants (try Hock Farm!); LowBrau for sausages and craft beer; and Red Rabbit and/or Magpie for farm-to-fork American fare that’ll straight up knock your socks off. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with gift cards, especially ones that fill up bellies with amazing food. Plus chances are good you’ll get taken out to a good dinner! Bon appetit.
j27 Art Gallery
If you’ve driven through or walked down J Street past the 2700 block lately, you’ve more than likely noticed the new sign outside what used to be Papi’s Pizza that simply says, “Art.” Meet j27 Art Gallery, a brand new gathering space co-owned by area artists Susan Rabinovitz and Michael Shane. Rabinovitz, known for her hand-forged jewelry, met Shane, an abstract painter who also owns a shipping and delivery company, at the Sacramento Art Complex where they both had studios about a year-and-a-half ago. “We’d always discussed doing something together,” Shane said during a recent conversation with Submerge. “So about two months ago when I started looking at commercial space I called her up and said, ‘Are you still in?’ and she said, ‘Yeah!’ so we came over and looked at this space. We signed the lease two days later.” Shane pointed out that they are aiming to break the “Second Saturday only” mold and that they want to be “an everyday gallery.” Every weekend there will be something going on, not just on Second Saturdays, be it a live art exhibition, live local music, meet and great sessions with artists and more. Currently represented at j27 are paintings and jewelry from Shane and Rabinovitz as well as a slew of other regional artists’ work including abstract paintings by Gayle Rappaport-Weiland (June’s featured artist); photography from Monica Lunardi and Allister Oliver; fused glass art by Nicole Krohn; sculpture work by Molly Brown, Paula Swayne and Angela Ridgway; paintings from Donna Marie Sterpe as well as cartoonist Eric Decetis’ world-renowned work and much more. Shane pointed out that j27 is proud to be the only gallery selling Decetis’ original art, whose cartoons have graced the pages of countless publications. All in all, j27 has an excellent mix of art found in all sorts of mediums. It’s easy to get sidetracked when in the space, as there are so many eye-catching things to look at. “We’re trying to be very picky about the art that we hang,” Shane said. “We want to have an upscale environment and we want to be the place where people come to buy fine art. But, we want it to be a fun place too; we don’t want it to be stuffy. If you come in, you’re going to hear music, we’ll talk to you about the art, it won’t be dead cold and quiet. It’s important to carry that real high-end stuff, but you don’t have to make it, you know, cold and museum-like.” Learn more about j27 and the artists behind it at j27gallery.com or just stop in. They’ll be open every day starting at 11 a.m. (1 p.m. on Sundays).
-J. Carabba
