If one could describe a person as ageless, it would be Fredrica . Her dear friends call her Fred but I have adopted my own nickname for her, “Fd”, pronounced F.D. As I near my next decade in life, I am thinking more and more about aging. And I’ve realized that I hope I too might be thought of as ‘ageless’ – a quality that imbues Fred with endless vitality and grace.
Fred is one of the loveliest clients I’ve ever had and one who I now have the privilege of calling a friend. She is the only client who greets all my staff by name, brings chocolates or small gifts for them and pushes her way to the back studio to meet the goldsmiths who make her custom pieces. Even my son Ando asks, "Mom when are we having drinks with Fred again?" He feels included with his Shirley Temple sitting next to our Manhattans and tells her his stories as she intently listens. She relates to everyone in a dear and playful way. People find it impossible not to gravitate to her, wanting to know more about this magnetic woman who you can’t help but feel graces your presence.
Her stylish clothes and layers of ever changing jewelry bob and jounce about as she talks. She gets excited when we are designing a custom piece with her and even does a little jig if we nail an idea she likes. She has an amazing eye and knows how to wear her elegant, yet down-to-earth style any time, anywhere. She doesn’t need extra diamond ‘sprinkles’ to justify paying for a beautifully subtle and meticulously crafted piece. She understands.
I still remember the day, maybe 10 years ago, when she first walked into Shibumi Gallery.
Years before, at a gallery in San Francisco, Fred had purchased one of the first gold rings I’d ever made. In the box with the ring was included a card with my name. She wore and loved the ring for years before deciding to try and seek out the artist whose name had been written on that card.
With the help of the internet, Fredrica came to Shibumi Gallery to find me.
This past Christmas Fredrica dropped by a holiday gift for my son and me. With it, she included the original card with my name on it from her first ring purchase so many years before. That card had brought us together or I should actually say it was the ring. And since that first meeting, we have piled many more rings on her fingers. I once even asked her, ‘How many rings does a girl need??” She told me that wasn’t a very good sales technique. But I now know the answer to the question - an infinity of rings!
Jewelry makes Fred happy and you know what, she wears it all. She is passionate about beauty and craftsmanship. Every time I see her she has layered her pieces in the most unique ways with old and new stacked together. She’ll even take jewelry apart, exchange chains or remove bits that don’t work for her. This woman knows herself. She also does not get caught up in the preciousness of jewelry. Even when she alters one of my own pieces I never feel disrespected. In fact, quite the opposite – I feel inspired by her spirit and vision. I can honestly say she is one of my muses. When I make things I often think, would Fd wear this? If the answer is yes then I’m pretty certain it’s a good piece.
I wasn’t sure I should disclose Fred’s age and asked her what she thought. As I turned up to her beautiful home last fall for this Shibumi Project photo shoot, she asked me if she could wear this shirt; she pulled it out and it was completely transparent on one side. This is Fredrica- she’s 63!
I love Fd, her spirit, her style and her generous and kind nature. I feel so lucky she walked through the doors at Shibumi Gallery looking for me. If you were to stumble into the gallery on a day she is there and we are designing and playing with jewelry, you’d think I have the best job in the world. And some days with Fd I would have to agree. It’s truly lovely and inspiring to have women out there like Fred, because then you know it is possible to be ageless.
Saturday, April 7th, 2018, Fredrica will be doing a “Layering Your Jewelry" workshop at Shibumi Gallery from 4-7pm. Come by for wine and nibbles and to meet her and play with us. Feel free to bring some of your own pieces that you love.
If you can’t come by I hope this post might inspire not only new ways to wear and layer your pieces, but also inspire us to be ourselves and afford ourselves the things that truly make us happy and help keep us ageless.
photos by Cynthia E. Wood