A Visit With Dorothy Bauer Quite recently I had the opportunity to spend the latter part of an afternoon with the hospitable and most gracious Dorothy Bauer while she exhibited her new line at the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft. Also in attendance, were working husband, Bob and the little ones, Fany and Charly (photos of ALL below!!)
The Philadelphia Buyers Market is a bi-annual show held at the City's convention center and features everything from jewelry to furniture. Although the name of the show is a bit deceiving, believe me, you won't find amateur crafters participating. Very strict guidelines govern whomay and may not exhibit; for starters, each artist must own their bona fide company, create the end product and be present at the show. More than 2,000 artists exhibit at the show and attendance is by buyers who are admitted only upon presentation of a wholesale license and a healthy admission fee. All in all, it's a fabulous event and a wonderful way to spend the day.
Year after year, one booth continues to stand out from the rest: Dorothy Bauer's. Although tons, literally tons, of jewelry is on display throughout the show (approximately 6 double sided aisles!) only one booth features rhinestone specific jewelry and accessories to the degree of Dorothy and Bob Bauer.
So how, exactly, can Dorothy's jewelry be described? Fun....definitely fun, whimsical, figural and sparkling and not unlike its creator's personality! The primary goal of the artists in attendance is to take orders for the upcoming sales season. Lots of papers fly and decisions are quickly made involving lots and lots of money on the three days the show is in town. As the Bauers hail from California and are regular exhibitors at the show, it's quite obvious that the trip east is more than worth their while.
Having the pleasure to chat with Dorothy Bauer is inspirational. Aside from discussing some of the current trends in jewelry, what styles are popular, what
seems to be "hot" and even how to possibly enhance some, as of yet, unseen drawing board designs, it's simply amazing to watch Ms. Bauer talk with her customers and soon to be customers with her pixie-like charm.
Without even knowing how so many collectors and costume jewelry wearers have become overly interested in Juliana and other high end glitzy styles, it was apparent upon entering the booth that big and showy creations had been on Dorothy's mind as well while designing her new 2002 line.
From peridot colored rhinestones taking the shape of a salamander to
frogs sitting atop leaves in enough pieces to form a parure, the booth is so filled with glitter that perusing must be done very carefully lest a piece of eye candy be missed!
The Dorothy Bauer jewelry line, once aka: A Piece of the Rainbow, is well designed, quality manufactured costume jewelry. Stones and plating are of a high quality and best of all, the imagination of the designer continues to come shining through year after year!
In fact, one would be hard pressed to find a single boring piece of jewelry within this line. Perhaps best known for her Christmas tree and ornament line, I must admit that I first became familiar with Dorothy Bauer by way of her holiday light bulb brooches that, to this day, give me great pleasure. It was the purchase of these pieces that first introduced me to Ms. Bauer. Imagine my surprise when, almost seven years ago, I phoned the Bauer studio to inquire about the bulbs and my call was answered by Dorothy Bauer herself! Complication began when I realized I could have the bulbs created in any color of rhinestone my little heart desired!!
Each year a specific number of limited edition Christmas Trees are offered and these miniatures are nothing to scoff at - my first limited edition is so large it stands by itself in its own tree stand!
The Bauer line, however, consists of so much more than Christmas trees and her display at the show is living proof. Flowers, handcuffs, pocketbooks, and the coolest year round, never drip, ice cream cones are some of the many pieces available to be worn or displayed. But what makes a shoe pin or a dressing table brooch so interesting? It's the style, the proportion and especially the hand picked rhinestone colors that set Bauer pieces apart from many run-of-the-mill currently manufactured costume jewelry creations. Whimsical personality comes shining through each and every piece and it is this ingenious character that makes these pieces so highly collectible.
After hours of watching and chatting and surveying almost a dozen wall boards and a full multi-tiered case of jewelry, I was still seeing pieces I had missed on the first, second and third viewing pass.
The day had ended, but lest I forget, there are the two babies that not only accompany Mom and Dad to the shows but who are the most well behaved poochies. These are "show" dogs of a different ilk and I do think they truly believe the customers comes to see them. After all, they are an integral part of the exhibit as they show off their custom created collars and I.D. tags. By the way, your best friend may have his or her name in rhinestones, too......just ask!
The Bauer studio is located in California and orders may be placed by emailing dorothybauer@yahoo.com
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