Archive for the 'morse code jewelry' category

The (Slowly Emerging) Debut of "Barefoot & Bipolar Designs"

Feb 16 2010 Published by under barefoot and bipolar designs, cohasset, minot light, morse code jewelry, new, Scituate

“Barefoot & Bipolar Designs” 
A Reasonably Happy Subsidiary of Morse Code Jewelry
I’ve been toying with this idea for years… NON-morse code jewelry.  But I didn’t want to do it unless it had something truly unique to offer.  I think I’ve come upon a few ideas.  That’s not to say that I won’t make jewelry just because it’s beautiful, but I wanted the debut to involve something special.  
Nothing is officially for sale yet, as mcj’s website needs to be retrofitted to accommodate online purchases (there will also be a morse code jewelry outlet there for pieces that need a home!) but I thought I’d post these pictures to whet your appetite.
Below is a 1.5 inch diameter pendant, with a sterling silver bail (mounted on frosted acrylic just for photography) that features an antique postcard image of Minot Light in Scituate, MA (Cohasset likes to make a fuss that Minot Light belongs to them, but that’s jive… ;)
The glass is jeweler’s grade mineral crystal, and it is sealed and sanded into the back of the glass via hand-casting with resin. 
It is a genuine postcard, and you can see the aging of the paper both front and back, which is linen-based.  As I write this the date of the card is in another room, but if I had to guess from the comfort of my couch, I think I remember it being circa 1912.
From what I understand from the lady who sold me the postcard, I might cause quite a dustup with hard-core postcard collectors by “destroying” it the way I did… Sorry ’bout that, gang.
Next to come will be sand, yes, literally sand, enclosed in glass pendants from local beaches.  It will be “loose” under a low-domed piece of glass.  I’ve had several stops and starts getting this one right.  You wouldn’t think it would be hard to sandwich a little sand in between a couple of pieces of glass, but it can get messy pretty quick if you don’t have a steady hand.  Nothing a little quake-gel and sponge q-tips won’t fix, though…  Yeah, I know.  What the heck am I talking about… I’m not entirely sure either, but that’s the solution that’s workable right now to get it done.  It may become more Rube Goldberg as I go.  Who knows.
In the meantime, keep watching the blog and twitter and www.mcjusa.com for more updates and announcements!

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Wanna see what one of my clients ordered?

Feb 15 2010 Published by under custom order, morse code jewelry

This is is a custom order for a client through one my my jewelers, but it was so pretty, I thought I’d share.  She asked for something “red, white, and black” with a particular set of letters (don’t see a reason to share that!) The sparkly silver is a new new “kind” of silver, Argentium, which has an alloy called Germanium in it which makes it virtually tarnish resistant.  It’s much more expensive than .925 sterling silver, but for this finish, it’s worth every penny, since traditional silver is essentially un-polishable in the laser-cut “sugar-coat” finish.  It never, ever, looks right once it tarnishes, so these are a real find!  They actually look a lot like white gold, because the color of Argentium silver is “whiter” than traditional silver. If you look closely, there’a a vibrant rainbow beaming off of them!  I’m sure the client will appreciate it once she gets it out into the sunshine.

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Dec 06 2009 Published by under best, community newspapers, congratulations, king jewelers, morse code jewelry, south shore living magazine

CONGRATULATIONS
to morse code jewelry’s neighborhood jeweler,
King Jewelers. The region’s largest local newspapers
and the region’s glossiest upscale magazine gave
them their props! Valerie and the the gang
over there are the best!
(visit them at by clicking here)

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Dec 01 2009 Published by under buy, dealers, map, morse code jewelry

Check out morse code jewelry’s
groovy new authorized dealer map!
Click HERE to see it (BIGGER)
at morse code jewelry’s home site.

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Afghanistan calls…

Nov 23 2009 Published by under "marry me", Ingrid, marine, morse code jewelry, navy, Patrick


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If you haven’t met Ingrid & Patrick, they are the Navy/Marine couple that became engaged using morse code jewelry’s “Marry me” bracelet. Click here if you missed it. Below is an email I just received from Patrick. They had hoped to marry in the fall of 2010 unless Ingrid got called up to serve in Afghanistan.

The call came.


Here’s his unedited email:

Annie,


Some bad news….

Ingrid got a call last Tuesday morning from her command at her hospital. She has orders to augment an Army medical unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The US Navy often sends their personnel as Individual Augmentees (IAs) to Army or Marine Corps units engaged in the Global War on Terrorism in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She’ll start a month of training in January and then deploy for about 6 months as nurse a trauma hospital in Kandahar. It’s pretty intense work, but Ingrid has experience with traumatic cases working in the OIF/OEF ward on the east coast. This will just be a different part experience as she cares for soldiers and Marines a bit earlier in their road to recovery.

We have to delay our wedding a bit and push it back to January 2011 instead of October 2010. This will be a bit of a role reversal as I’ll be home in California and Ingrid will be deployed to a combat zone. Ingrid has made it through 2 of my deployments, so making it through one of hers shouldn’t be that bad.

Just thought we’d keep you updated. Ingrid’s going to keep the bracelet on through this deployment too. It fits over her latex gloves well…her engagement ring might stay home for the deployment though.

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•UPDATE•BeSt UsE oF mOrSe CoDe JeWeLrY® eVeR•UPDATE•

Nov 02 2009 Published by under "marry me", engaged, marine, morse code jewelry, navy, pirates


Step into the wayback machine! Last Christmas (2008) I sold a “marry me” bracelet to a young Marine about to ship out. He wanted to give it to his girl, who is in the Navy (stateside) but NOT tell her what the code of the bracelet meant until AFTER he was home safely. He is now home safely, they are engaged, and their identities can now be revealed! Here they are, with excerpts from his emails below. Meet Patrick and Ingrid!



From an email from Patrick’s mom to morse code jewelry
“Patrick carried the card with the Morse code “translation” of the bracelet with him while on deployment knowing Ingrid was wearing the bracelet everyday! That sparkling circle has provided a story for them to tell for years to come!”

From emails from Captain Patrick Mahoney to morse code jewelry
Been back for a few months from my deployment…sailed from San Diego to Hawaii to Guam to Malaysia to Oman to Qatar to Bahrain to Djibouti to Thailand to Japan to Hawaii and back to San Diego, got hit by a American Nuclear Submarine http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/21/navy.vessels.collide/index.html , had an outbreak of swing flu on the ships, and fought some pirates.

I proposed to Ingrid on Sept 8th on the beach in Carlsbad, CA. She said “yes”.

Ingrid wore the bracelet the entire deployment and when I had her meet me down at the beach I explained what meaning behind the bracelet.

We’ll be getting married next fall as long as Ingrid doesn’t get selected for deployment to Afghanistan, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed. Here is our “Knot site” http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/PatrickMahoney&IngridGarrett

I am humbled, honored, and tickled pink (!) to be a (small!) part of the story of these exemplary young Americans. May they stay safe and unharmed and secure in the knowledge that there are millions of people just like me who are grateful beyond words for their sacrifice.


Annie Fields, Founder, morse code jewelry

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May 04 2009 Published by under morse code jewelry, radio, WBZ


BIG news… LITERALLY. I’m getting back on the radio. I can’t quite believe it, because I honestly thought I was done with it, mostly because there seemed to be no good fit for me here in Boston, but out of the blue, an offer to do news for WBZ came through, and when one of the biggest terrestrial signals in existence comes a’callin’, who am I to say no?

I’ll be doing news for ‘BZ, starting around the last week of May or so, Tuesday through Friday nights from 8pm to Midnight, and Saturdays, either Noon-6 or 6-Midnight (sometimes one or the other). WBZ, at night, if you don’t know, reaches 38 states, two Canadian provinces and the Bahamas… This happens because back in the early 20th century when commercial radio was born, no-one foresaw how it would proliferate, so when the FCC was handing out slices of the audio band, it gave away AM1030 to WBZ with exclusivity, meaning that no-one else could broadcast on AM1030, thus making it “clear channel” thus, at night, when AM radio waves travel best and furthest, those 50,000 watts go booming across this great nation of ours stopping just beyond the Ohio valley!

Strangely, this position will allow me to grow morse code jewelry with some certainty, now, as the radio money can now be a reliable source of revenue for it, so I can hire some more help! AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I’ve been busier than a one armed paper hanger! And as my friend and customer Norm says, “morse code jewelry can be grown organically” as opposed to going out and borrowing capital, so whenever we can avoid owing anybody any money, that’s a good thing, huh!?

The irony in all of this is that my very first job in radio, straight out of college, was for ‘BZ! I used to answer phone and push buttons in Master Control for the likes of Dave Maynard, Norm Nathan, and David Brudnoy, may the last two gentle giants of the medium rest in peace, bless them.

So be listening! If you are anywhere east of the Rockies, try tuning in AM 1030 once it’s dark, and if it doesn’t work in your house, try your car radio, and maybe you’ll be able to hear me in Boston!

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