Photos from Rubanesque
Photo from Rubanesque
Each Saturday I focus on an artist that I admire,
My friend Ruth has created a shop on Etsy called: Rubanesque!
Ruban(esque) is ribbon in French.
Ruth created bracelets from old silk/velvet ribbons gifted to her by her French Husband's Grandparents.
"Inside a dusty cardboard box, nestled forgotten treasures, hidden for years in a drawer…" said Ruth.
Photos from Rubanesque
(L) Antique Purple Silk Velvet Handmade Cuff from Rubanesque (R) Tim Walker for Vogue
Ruth's first collection is called, The Golden Age.
Ruth writes, "Each one of these unique, one-off (and truly so!) cuffs have been created from antique ribbons dating from the 1900′s and these were the very first ribbons gifted to me by my husbands grandmother. We went to visit her on 26th December last year for a family lunch and she unearthed an old stiff card box, contained within were ribbons her husband, Georges Faure, had put aside many years before."
(TL and CL) Tim Walker for Vogue; (BL) Screen Siren from How to be a Retronaut;(R) Antique Moon Silk Ribbon Handmade Cuff from Rubanesque.
(TL & BL) Antique Green Silk Velvet Art deco Handmade Cuff from Rubanesque (R) Tim Walker for Vogue
Ruth continues to write, "These ribbons are the only remaining pieces and I only had about 10cm of each ribbon to work with, sometimes less. These were ‘enchantillons’, originally used by the salesman for showing the haute couture houses in Paris, London etc so that they could order the different colours / styles.
….parting with them is going to be seriously tricky!"
Photos from Rubanesque
Ruth's French husband's family has a century old ribbon/textile company.
The walls surrounding Ruth's family desk are covered with incredible silk tapestry paintings.
"Georgy Faure (Ruth's husband's Grandfather) was one of three brothers who took over the Faure family silk factory which had been founded in 1864 by their father Henri Faure, in the middle of Napoleon III ‘s reign. Georgy was given the responsibility of looking after the Jacquard ribbon department, where many would ruthlessly discard their old out-of-fashion ribbon stock and outdated salesmen echantillon (sample) books," said Ruth.
"Georgy saved what he could which he donated a huge wealth of Jacquard ribbons to the Museum of Art & Industry (Musée d’art et d’industrie) in Saint-Étienne. The family company still exists today and is run by Georgys son Julien, and you can visit their site here."
Photo from Rubanesque
Ruth also writes a blog about her daily life in France, "Le Petit Coquin."
Photo from Rubanesque
Ruth shares her story, "I combine turn-of-the-century ribbons, heavily laden with gold thread and hand trimmed silk velvet, with Swarovski crystals embellishments to bring luxe, and contemporary pieces with a touch of old school glamour."
Photo from Rubanesque
Ruth gives a sneak peek of two of the bobbin necklaces which are a work in process.
The story behind these wooden bobbins, which were originally used for spooling silk in her family's factory (at the turn of the 19th century), is that they are a little broken or chipped and therefore had been cast aside as they were no longer suitable for use on the looms.
"When I came across a bag of these beautiful hand-carved bobbins and decided I couldn’t possibly let them be thrown out or used as kindling (shocking but true!)… they came home with me. Each bobbin is sanded down, cleaned and then I wrap a piece of ribbon around the wooden core." Ruth said.
Photo from Rubanesque
Follow this link to Ruth's Etsy Shop to discover more.
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