When I first started SHIBUMI, I was often surprised and energized by unexpected connections. I never knew who might walk through the gallery doors, who might be drawn to my work, or who might be excited to help support my creative endeavor. The anticipation of the unknown brought a sense of mystery and inspiration to my days—and continues to do so even to this day.

One afternoon, not a few years after I’d opened the gallery, Ellie walked in. I had just finished a beautiful 18k gold ring with a large tourmaline stone. The color made you want to dive in, it was so deep and luscious. Ellie immediately honed in on the ring and said, "I love it. I'd be honored to wear your work." She walked out the door with it. That was 2010.

And now, years later, Ellie and I have not only maintained our connection but have also cultivated a lovely friendship. She still wanders unexpectedly into the gallery adding pieces to her collection. Her kindness towards my staff and her familiarity with each of them is heartwarming. We've shared many stories over the years and she is truly one of my biggest fans. Despite her large collection of my work and the many pieces by other artists at SHIBUMI, I occasionally still see her wearing that tourmaline ring. She knows how to mix in new pieces and trade things around. She still seems excited to find a beautiful piece and learn more about the artist who made it. Although she has many beautiful pieces, she loves each one, and wears them all. Her unique style and our friendship have not only enriched my life but also influenced my creative process, inspiring me to create pieces that I know will resonate with her and others like her.

I met with her recently at her home in Marin to play with her jewelry collection and help create new layering edits to inspire her. She does a great job herself, but who can't use a fresh aesthetic eye? We spent the day in her colorful, accented house, having snacks, sipping wine, and playing around with jewelry and clothing. Ellie's home reflects her playful, relaxed, confident, and colorful self; even her classic Eames lounge chair has custom Prussian blue velveteen upholstery. Her style is a sort of Bohemian-chic, a reflection of her free-spirited nature and her love for vibrant colors. It's a place where you feel cheered up. While Ellie is originally from the East Coast, her free spirit and casual vibe seems right at home here in California. In her fringe-covered shoes, we sat at her kitchen table looking out on her yard and a line of adirondack chairs. She has created a sweet respite in this intense world. She is genuinely kind and appreciative, and I feel so very grateful she walked through my gallery door.

When I started my own gallery and my own work, it did not even occur to me that I might also be starting something more akin to a small community. One of the greatest benefits of doing something you love is meeting and gathering with the people who love what you do.

**ELLIE**
*Patron of the Arts, Design Appreciator, Loyalist, Free Spirit, Mother & Grandmother*
This photo shoot was a creative documentation project designed to explore new ways to layer and style jewelry while creating a reference book for inspiration.
Below are some examples of Ellie's jewelry collection where each piece has the potential to layer beautifully with others. Creatively playing with pieces allows you to create multiple looks that enhance your wardrobe and give you your own individual style.
We encourage you to explore the process of artful layering.
After the holidays, we’ll resume our LAYERING APPOINTMENTS to assist you with enhancing your collection.

Video music: January Heatwave by Hugo Tanov

An Artful Collection - Layering Edit with Laura

August 13, 2024Inspiration, Shibumi ProjectApril Higashi

WHAT IF YOU LOVED ALL YOUR JEWELRY?

And could play to combine your pieces for different looks?

SHIBUMI client, Laura, shares her jewelry collection and shows how she combines and layers her pieces in a variety of creative ways.

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

LAURA: Design Appreciator, Businesswoman, Wife, Mom to 13-year-old son and Baxter the cat. She lives her life surrounded by beauty, nestled in the East Bay Hills. The custom jewelry projects with Shibumi were an inspiring creative outlet.

JEWELRY: April HIgashi, Claudia Alleyne, Kelsey Simmen, and SHIBUMI GALLERY.

At SHIBUMI, we like to describe the jewelry we show as artful. In addition to talented artists and quality, handmade work by contemporary studio jewelers, we also have clients who love to combine their jewelry in unexpected and creative ways.

OUR CLIENTS
- Are conscious and care about who/what they support.
- Want to LOVE what they have and acquire special pieces.
- Want their jewelry to mix with different looks and work with other pieces already in their collection.

Does this sound like you?

This month we will be featuring ARTFUL LAYERING on Instagram + our Journal and offering personalized LAYERING APPOINTMENTS!

We encourage you to curate your jewelry collection and consider what you might add for your changing moods and styles.

During our August SALE we are offering the opportunity to bring in 3-5 of your favorite pieces and have us help you select new pieces to complement and enhance your collection.

Our team is experienced in combining unique layers of jewelry that feel like you. And this month is a perfect time to consider adding the right pieces to your collection.

Come visit and make a LAYERING APPOINTMENT with us!

LAYERING APPOINTMENTS

SHIBUMI: Decoding Japan's Green Grass

April 18, 2024InspirationApril Higashi2 Comments

TRAVEL NOTES FROM JAPAN
SHIBUMI: Decoding Japan's Green Grass

Did you know Japanese will meticulously tweeze weeds from their grass?

In Japan I found:

High standards are expected
It is respected to excel and focus on mastering a single skill
Kindness and cleanliness are required
Serenity is cherished
Small rituals, such as gift-giving, connect people

Below are a few of my favorite things I did on my travels:

My favorite city in Japan is Kyoto, so let's start there. The city's scale leaves lots to do with tons of crafts to explore as well as the tranquility of visiting all the shrines/temples. Then, add the food and the people - this city left me with such aesthetic delight!

Kyoto Museum of Craft & Design, Kyoto.

This museum offers a peek into all traditional Japanese crafts. It has an elegant, colorful display and explains their history. The exhibitions highlight a few contemporary makers. There are interactive demos and a sweet gift shop with many things you'll want to pick up. It's smallish scale is a good starting point to get you oriented to Kyoto and focus on what crafts you want to seek out.

Aizenkobo Indigo Workshop , Kyoto

I love dying fabric and have a soft spot for indigo; Its color comes from a specific soil. Utsuki san, the owner of Aizenkobo, personally inspects the best indigo for his workshop. He told me there used to be many indigo growers, but now there are only five in Tokushima and one in Hyogo. Natural dyes give stability and strength, but where as chemical production results fade over time. The natural dye doesn't mix with water so it doesn't wash away the color - it just improves over time. For cotton, the fabric must be dipped 100 times for the dye to reach the right color and quality, while it is 200 times for silk.

In addition to the gift shop in the front, the store has a special room in the back for custom clothing, pillows, norens, etc. If you visit, be sure to ask to see the dye studio.

Biking around Kyoto.

My favorite spot was alongside the Kamo River, where the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The city is very flat and set up in a grid making it easy to get around. There is a narrow bike pathway, and you can see the whole city. I loved getting out early and seeing the activities by the river. People playing music, picnicking, studying, fishing and kids jumping on the stones across the river. Bring a bento box and sit by the river. Our hotel easily arranged for bikes to be brought to the hotel. It is very safe to put a simple lock on the bike and run into shops to explore. Just be careful where you park. You can often pull up to a side of business and leave your bike, but they also have very inexpensive bike lots in busier areas. You pull your bike up and it locks in your front wheel. When you return, you pay around 100 yen to get it out at the coin-operated machine.

There is so much good food in Kyoto, I'll share a few I liked.:

Woven for an atmospheric coffee shop with pour-overs, a long bar, and a few sweets. (small)

Mimio みみお was near Woven, and we popped in there for a bowl of ramen. They seemed to love American rock and roll, and the vibe was light in the atmosphere. Their clients seemed casually hip. I'm sure there are many good ramen shops. I'm just mentioning this if you find yourself at Woven and want a quick bowl of ramen.

Chrome Natural Wine Life has lovely wines, and the people are kind. After having so much saki, I was in the mood for a glass of wine. We popped in here, and I liked their inspired food, too. We sat at the bar, and it was perfect for a casual but nice dinner. We didn't have a reservation, but many people who stopped in did.

Inui is a fusion dinner. We went here with a group of friends. You pick out the appetizers/mains, and they scale the quantity based on how many people are at the table. The food was delicious and innovative, and the atmosphere was cozy and modern. Make a reservation.

Many restaurants in Japan only have room for customers with reservations, so it's good to plan ahead.

Kiso Valley: Walking the Nakasendo Trial

I liked getting out to the mountains. We spent three nights in the Kiso Valley and hiked between a few towns on the old roads the Samurai once used to travel between Kyoto and Tokyo. You can make it a hiking trip or do a couple of day walks. We splurged and stayed outside Kisofukushima, Nagano, at Tsutaya Tokinoyado Kazari, a beautiful Ryokan with an onsen to ponder life. I enjoyed this little stop up in the hills of the Kiso Valley, where there was still snow and they had both indoor and outdoor tubs. The food was included and was top quality—really an exceptional experience. I enjoyed walking through Kiso-Fukushima one day and then checking out the lacquerware stores the next day. The second day, we hiked between Magome to Tsumago. There was a cute tea house where you could stop in for a donation and meet other travelers. Keep an eye out for small wagashi shops: I had a dried persimmon with a chestnut cream treat that was to die for. I wish I'd bought a pack to bring home. The Ryokans on the trail are often full. I recommend getting off the beaten track and exploring some of the Ryokans in the hills. You can store your luggage in a train station locker between towns.

We spent our last night in Nakatsugawa. While we didn't see much of the city because we were hiking, I liked the Shabu-shabu place we found called Aoygi. An older Japanese man and his family happily practiced their English and bought us shrimp croquettes, while a grumpy Japanese man and his wife efficiently served us. It felt like a place that had been around for a while.

Osaka

I'd wanted to visit another major city in Japan. We only spent a few nights here, so my impressions were brief. The highlights were the park by the Osaka castle, a walk at night by the river, and businessmen/women hanging out with colleagues by the river drinking beer on their blue tarps. Even though the city is older than Tokyo, the architecture is mostly modern with lots of malls, pachinko parlors, and the largest arcade in Japan. So there is that flavor. I recommend a day trip to see Himeji Castle, an hour or so train ride away, and for food find some Okinomiyaki and Tokoyaki.

I was there to visit artist/jeweler Liisa Hashimoto. When I asked her about the best Okinomiyaki, she said they were all good. We followed some businessmen into a crowded place and had a good meal. Their after-work banter and beer drinking were also a cultural sight to see.

The train ride to Kyoto is only an hour long, so Osaka can easily be visited while staying in Kyoto.

Last but not least, Tokyo. This massive city is just too much. I'd rather live there than vacation. There is so much to do that one can barely scratch the surface. But a whirl through the city's energy can be fun, too. Let's first address the jet lag. It is bad. So don't fight it. Get up early and head to the new fish market.

Tsukiji Outer Market

It opens at 5 am so that you can have king crab or sushi for breakfast. Getting there by 7 am is best since the crowds start around 8 am. We followed some Japanese down a small alleyway, and they were all lined up for uni. I like uni but wasn't sure if that was all I wanted to eat it at 7 am. Following the pathway further, I found a sweet, serene sushi bar, which we returned to the next day. We tried the freshly cooked Tamago, the grilled King Crab on our first day, and some mochi with strawberries and ended up at "John Lennon" favorite coffee spot. ALL DELICIOUS! Up early, we visited twice!

I can recommend this sushi refuge: Tsukiji Itadori Bekkan. We ended up sitting by one of Rintaro's investors in San Francisco, and she said she came here every morning for breakfast when she visited Tokyo.

Team Labs Borderless If you have kids, this was a fun experience of digital art and interactions. It makes for some amazing photos and they have different installations all over Japan, too.

Koenji Neighborhood. While I can't say I experienced much in this neighborhood, it is one I'd like to return to. It is called the Retro Hub for ex-punks and a neighborhood for creatives. I was visiting an old friend, Sayumi Yokouchi, and her studio, We met and had the best Fruit Sando—strawberry sandwiches at Jules Verne Coffee. You can find them all over Japan, but these were especially good. The walk back to the train station was under the railway and the roll-up doors were opening. Looked like there were fun bars and restaurants.

I enjoy thrift store shopping in Japan and hear this neighborhood is full of them. One tip is that a big chain called Second Street is vast and has everything. It's an excellent place to browse and get to know Japanese brands. There are a lot of smaller, cuter shops, but many of them specialize in American wear. At Second Street, I went directly to the rack where the clothes were chained and found Issey Mikaki, Dries Van Noten, Yoji, and other Japanese designers I did not know. It's still a bargain compared to paying full retail. The boys loved the sneaker selection!

Other food places I recommend:

The Japanese love their chicken, and you can eat every part! This Yakatori place made it extra special, and I enjoyed the experience a lot: Nakameguro Iguchi. This group of restaurants has a few, and I hope to return to the one specializing in tempura. Reservations are required.

Pork Tonkatsu- this was yummy. Nishiazabu Butagumi, reservations requested.

This is only my second trip and visiting with friends and artists who lived there along the way certainly made this trip memorable. Ivo, my boyfriend’s son, has very intentional dreams of moving there, so I'll happily return, hopefully sooner than later.

Curated ☆ Picks // Natalie Engels

June 28, 2023InspirationApril Higashi

Interior designer and SHIBUMI client, Natalie Engels, guest curates this selection of pieces choosing works that represent the things she is drawn to: Found Objects, Star Gazing and Balanced Design. Natalie believes design directly impacts our lives whether at work or at play, in leisure and in our communities.

The Road of Motherhood; 2010-2023

May 11, 2023Inspiration, Shibumi ProjectApril Higashi

I think the road to motherhood has given me super powers! My son Ando turned 13 this year. I see him thinking and fending for himself these days and think, ‘Wow his childhood is really over!’. He still needs me but it’s different. He is carving his own path and I watch in awe as I see this fine young man grow into our world.

So with this reflection I want to honor all who have mothered with a wish for a beautiful Mother’s Day. May your super powers ignite all areas of life - family and parenthood, your career, your community and every nook and cranny in-between!

I know motherhood has made me a better person and I am so grateful. 
And as everyone warned me, it goes by so fast…  

My very best wishes to mothers everywhere for your journey!