visit www.facebook.com/bellecostesnyc for updates on fairs and markets. Also updates on current collection etc.

Current and New…

Spring is right around the corner, so it seems according to the trees budding. I’ve been struggling with the winter blues.
It took me a bit to get my groove back in design, and here the pieces I’ve been working on.
There’s a big shift into GEOMETRICS in my work, something that started during the holiday market where I made this necklace
FORTUNE COOKIE 5 from old brass parts and was the best seller in my booth. I designed the Geometrics line literally during the
market. So it continues…

and subsequently followed by FORTUNE COOKIE 7 which was also a nice contender.

The DECO RED PENDANT is the result of my leather and metal obsessions. I have a few vintage
leather belts that have ornate silver and brass ornamentation and are among my favorite things
to wear. I love Sterling Silver leather bracelets, and a friend has one that I often play with, tiny micro
spikes that feel dangerous yet alluring.

This book I found recently at the Antiques Garage is a Play by Oscar Wilde “A Woman of No Importance”.
A good story reflecting the time when women’s reputations were deemed more important than their character.
I’m always looking for antique books to read and the covers of scarlet red leather and golden letter stampings are beautiful therefore become part of my displays and photos.
Here is a collection of reworked antique findings and parts collected over the years and now have come
to be resurrected in one of a kind necklaces.

Hello everyone! It’s that time of the year again. This is my booth at the Union Square Holiday Market.
Opening day was November 18th and we will be there until December 24th.
Come and check out my new line BLACK and TAN, new additions to the RESURRECTION VINTAGE,
as well as my collected vintage purses dating back from the early 1900’s.
Looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, as well as some new ones.
Happy Holidays!

Sparkly necklace
17 Peace Doves necklace

Linked and Woven necklace
My Vintage Elgin necklace

The necklaces above can be purchased here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BelleCostesnyc?ref=si_shop

Dear Celestina Victorian Lace pendant. Sold out. More styles to come.

Dear Celestina Vintage Crochet on old book chains. $45

My grandma is the one on the bottom row, from left to right and on both pictures. Circa 1920’s photograph of her sisters and cousins. I love the hairdos and the traditional Maria Clara dresses. These photos are among my cherished mementos of her.

“Dear Celestina”
I’ve found some exquisite vintage lace and crochet from my hunting expeditions lately. Some were given to me by friends.  It’s quite special to know that someone took the immense time to make these beautiful things. My grandmother Celestina taught me how to crochet and I remember her telling stories while she worked away. These pieces remind me of her loveliness and strength.

I am really missing the ocean these days. Those seashells and corals are about the closest thing to being there.

These jewelry and clutches will be available at the BBC Crafts fair and the Bleecker Arts Fair this May 21 and 22.

The Victoriana Convertible Clutches made their debut at the Hester Street Fair last Saturday May 7th. Will be selling them again on May 14th.
This bag “Safari Lilac” was featured in the Time Out NY Shopping and Style Events for May 5-11th. That was really niiiice!

These are the vintage materials I use to make the convertible clutches. Old spools of thread and buttons are just as fun to find.
The vintage crochet squares were once table runners…

During the winter time, which is typically my down time (no fairs or markets) I go through periods of hibernation and reflection. This winter had been rough for the world in all aspects. What is happening?!  There needs to be a balance…Without going into what is already obvious, let me say that there is nothing like being kissed by the sun.  The sun for me is the spark of creative flow…pictured here is my venture into hand bag design.

Taking myself back to when I was 10 years old, my classmates owned these mini crossbody bags made of saddle leather. They were all the rage then, and I wanted one badly. Sadly it took a long time for me to acquire one and the one I got was a Hello Kitty plastic bag. It was cute, but not as beautiful as the leather one. For many years into my young adult life I didn’t like to carry them, until my sister showed me her Coach leather bag. I noticed the craftmanship, the clean sleek look, the simplicity and practicality. From then on, I developed a bag craze. My vintage bag collection is like a library of design. From the micro beaded clutches from the 1920’s to the hand tooled Mexican leather to the classic Coach, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

These “Victoriana” convertible clutches are made with top quality leather remnants. My first design is a simple clutch that turns into a cross body bag. The chains and brooches are all from my vintage finds, as well as the Victorian lace and crochet. Each purse is uniquely made. These clutches are small in size but can hold the essentials for an evening out, or quite simply when that over sized hobo just isn’t appealing for the day. I’m very excited about these, and will be showcasing them in my Spring Markets and Fairs. Come and check them out!

Welcome all! In this page you will find a plethora of hand made  jewelry.  I use many types of materials ranging from ostrich shell discs to old Burmese rubies. I also love to use found objects like old brass drawer pulls and mother of pearl buckles and incorporate those in my jewelry or use them for my booth displays. Some pieces are limited run, some are one-of-a-kind, and some are my signature pieces. If you would like to purchase any here, they can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BelleCostesnyc?ref=si_shop

Currently, I am reading excerpts from this vintage book,  titled “Goldsmith’s Works” Oliver Goldsmith’s Prose and Poetical Works,  Life by Washington Irving. Published in 1856, this book is fascinating to me in every sense of the word. The cover title  “Goldsmith” instantly gravitated, but after handling it, I knew this was meant to be part of my bench. The beauty of the embossed leather design in swirling florals, the golden paint of the pages with the crosshatch detail, and the ridges of the binding reminded me of jewelry. This is truly a masterpiece of a bookmaker.

But I am not one to judge a book by its cover, the book itself is worthy of many nights of bedtime reading. There are  Prose and Poetry on The Hermit, The Traveler and Comedies titled “The Good Natured Man” and “She Stoops to Conquer”. There are essays on Love and Friendships and Chapters  from the Vicar of Wakefield on “The description of a person discontented with the present government, and apprehensive of the loss of our liberties” among the many discussions on human behavior.  Some of the essays are paired by clever illustrations.

It’s a truly amazing book that was well appreciated judging from the signatures of the people who have read it.  I will add excerpts as I photograph my jewelry on the pages I select.

“It is certain, the best method to cultivate this virtue is by letting it, in some measure, make itself; a similitude of minds of studies, and even sometimes a diversity of pursuits, will produce all the pleasures that arise from it. The current of tenderness widens as it proceeds; and two men imperceptibly find their hearts filled with good nature for each other, when they were, at first, only in pursuit of mirth or relaxation.”

Sterling Silver Dish Initials are hand made using old world tools: anvil, hammer, and dapping cylinders. I have all letters. 18″ chain. $42

“E’en now, where Alpine solitudes ascend, I sit me down an hour to spend, and, plac’d on high above the storms career, look downward where a hundred realms appear; Lakes, forests, cities, plains extending wide, the pomp of kings, the shepherd’s humbler pride.”

Vintage Swank gold filled tie clip up-cycled as a pendant, with “sugar raw” pink tourmaline and little moonstones. 18″ gold filled chain. $75

Freedom + Creativity + Passion = You

By remaining true to the idea of creating something new from old, I am rewarded with uniquely beautiful materials when I treasure hunt.
Old leather scraps become jewels, broken chains are taken apart to be embellished and re-purposed, vintage belt buckles become necklaces and pendants and so on…It’s taken me to a new level of art and design. The possibilities are endless…