Naturaleza Organic Jewelry

2011-12-29T18:19:00.000-09:00

Appalatin

2011-01-01T14:35:00.000-09:00

take a monsterbite of organic jewelry

2010-05-18T05:46:00.003-08:00

For a daily dose of handmade goodness you can visit monsterbites365.com, where fellow artists and sisters Ash and Kimmy feature an artist each day.

Today Marlon is featured, with an earring giveaway! Leave a comment and win a chance for some earrings!

Celebrating spring...

2010-04-19T18:08:00.003-08:00

Spring is always our busiest and most exciting time of year. We just returned from a wonderful trip to Nicaragua in March, after a great show at Kentucky Crafted. In Nica, Marlon had the chance to collect a lot of materials, and most importantly, we got a chance to visit with family and friends. We came home to a lot to catch up on, but a warmer studio and beautiful weather has made it fly by and feel easy compared to the dreary and bitter cold winter days.

The garden is planted, the dogwoods have already bloomed, thank goodness Spring is in full swing!

This week Marlon will be demonstrating his craft at the Berea Artisan Center and getting ready for our favorite art fair, Cherokee Triangle!

Cherokee was our first art fair, 5 years ago. We moved to Louisville from Nicaragua and had only a week to put together a booth design, business cards, etc. Lots of great advice, creative ideas, mirrors, rocks and other props came from our friends. Five years later, it's hard to believe that this will be our 6th time at Cherokee! It's a good way to celebrate the bittersweet anniversary of moving to Kentucky, we are so thankful that so quickly we created new, lasting and warm memories in our new home. So stop by our booth with your green cup in hand, and let's say cheers to 5 years of Naturaleza Organic Jewelry!

Art Full Life - Kentucky Crafted: The Market 2010

2010-01-27T17:18:00.000-09:00

Last year was our first year participating as vendors at Kentucky Crafted: The Market. Like many of the shows we do now in Kentucky, I grew up going to this show. It's a huge indoor marketplace featuring juried members of the KY craft marketing program. We were honored to win the "Best New Exhibitor" award in 2009. This year a photo of our almond oval necklace was featured in all of this year's promotional materials. Friends have sent us clippings from several magazines distributed state-wide. What an honor!
We hope you'll come see us in early March and support other Kentucky artists and craftspeople.
Booth #503

Another happy engagement...

2009-12-28T14:00:00.001-09:00

It's always special to know how our rings have played a role in the memories and commitments of another happy couple. Congrats to Micah and Andrea!

"I recently ordered 2 Nacascolo rings. I proposed to my girlfriend at Christmas with the ring, and since, we have gotten nothing but praise for them. I wanted to thank you for the prompt service and amazing product. Again, thank you for the time and craftsmanship that went into making these rings. It was great to have them be a part of such an important day for us!

Micah & Andrea"

Photo by Mikenna Rapp

Modern Hippies of the Month

2009-12-17T10:31:00.003-09:00

What we like about Modern Hippie Magazine is that it takes two terms that get thrown around a lot, breaks them down, and takes them back. We'll be honest, in Kentucky, even the hippie-est of us all don't always embrace the term because more often than not it's used in a derogatory way. We were thrilled when Ellie Campbell of Modern Hippie Magazine interviewed us for this article, and appreciated her giving us a trip back to the dictionary to think about these words and their role in our lexicon:

mod‧ern “of, pertaining to contemporary styles of art, literature, music, etc., that reject traditionally accepted forms and emphasize individual experimentation and sensibility”

hip‧pie “a person, who rejects established institutions and values, seeks spontaneity, direct personal relations expressing love, and expanded consciousness…

Indeed, we can embrace being Modern Hippies, and appreciate Modern Hippie Magazine naming us and Naturaleza Organic Jewelry Modern Hippies of the Month!

Read on for the full interview...

Dusk in the nick of time...

2009-12-10T18:38:00.004-09:00

Presenting the "Dusk" necklace, inspired by the magic moment between sun and moon. Handcarved moran and nacascolo woods.

We're glad to have a few new additions to our inventory in time for the holidays.
Necklaces make a great gift.
Check out these new designs, using sustainably collected organic materials as always!

Eco-friendly Gift-Ready Packaging

2009-11-22T06:17:00.009-09:00

We're gearing up for the holiday rush. From November 24-December 6 we are offering FREE US Priority Shipping for all orders. Order your earth friendly organic jewelry early and often!

All jewelry is beautifully packaged and ready to give as a gift. We have taken great care to bring you the most eco-friendly and efficient packaging available, always avoiding unnecessary packaging waste.

Year round, we use 100% recycled paper jewelry boxes, tied with a natural green raffia ribbon and including a personalized card with your order, instructions for care, and information about Naturaleza Organic Jewelry.

We use 100% PCW recycled envelopes and paper for our packaging, cards and shipping. We often re-use envelopes to reduce waste.

Naturaleza Organic Jewelry is committed to sustainability every step of the way.

Oro Plano Ring - organic coyol seed with 14k gold inlay

2009-11-03T12:03:00.003-09:00

Oro Plano Ring
A slightly different version of our popular Oro ring.
This is a very elegant ring with a strong gold stripe contrasting against beautiful organic black coyol seed.

Moran Fuerte

2009-10-28T17:51:00.004-08:00

A marriage of contrasts. Each strong, bold, and complementary to the other.
A simple design that says much more, made from black coyol seed and yellow moran wood. The moran was collected last year in Nicaragua in the forests surrounding Marlon's family home in San Lorenzo.

We are proud to introduce the Moran Fuerte to our full shop, originally made by customer request.

An elegant choice for an engagement, wedding, commitment or anniversary band.

Don't forget, wood is the traditional fifth anniversary gift!

Fall colors.

2009-10-28T16:49:00.007-08:00

This week we have probably hit the peak of fall color here in Kentucky. We miss the leaves when they're gone, but their beauty reminds us of their importance. In Nicaragua, some deciduous leaves change color, but of course there's less spectacle during the season change in a tropical climate. Fall in either country is the best time for collecting seeds.

In Kentucky we find coffee tree and walnuts that we use for jewelry in abundance in a walk through the park. Marlon's love of seed collecting as a child gave him a keen eye that he uses in archaeology, spotting tiny details on a walk in the woods or during an excavation.

We attempt to bring some fall spirit to our Etsy shop and photographs. Enjoy these photographs of sustainable wedding, engagement or commitment rings.

Bridezilla beware, the Green Bride Guide is here!

2009-10-13T16:06:00.005-08:00

Picture your classic Bridezilla, beautiful on the outside and crazy on the inside. She's making everyone in her life miserable. She's a mess, possessed by the years of fantasizing about the perfect day. And if Bridezilla weren't frightening enough, her carbon footprint is bigger than Bigfoot's. Her perfect wedding might be beautiful on the outside, but that pretty wedding comes with an environmental and human cost.

There are lots of new resources available for brides trying to turn a new green leaf. From traditional to funky, lots of handmade, fair trade, and ecofriendly wedding options are emerging. The Green Bride Guide is an online clearing house of providers of ecofriendly wedding services and products, and we're proud to be members of this new on-line community.

Check it out, and if you've got a Bridezilla in your life let her know that there's a cure for bad karma.

Five Years of Love and Marriage

2009-09-28T16:16:00.007-08:00

We just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary!
Wood is the traditional fifth anniversary gift, so Marlon is sporting a new Asi Nacascolo band to replace his original band, lost years ago.

Marlon collected the nacascolo wood by hand in Nicaragua, and is ready to create some beautiful new pieces with it. Hopefully this time his wedding band will stay on his finger, but if it doesn't at least he can make a new one!

A Nicaragua vamos!

2009-07-16T18:29:00.002-08:00

We are going to Nicaragua to visit family and collect materials once more, July 18-August 11. Our Etsy shop will be closed until early August, when we will begin accepting orders to complete when we return.

This has been a wonderful, full, busy and exciting spring and summer so far. We have neglected the blog as we've scrambled to create jewelry for art fairs, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and lots of custom orders for wedding season. On top of it all, Amy started a new job.

We're excited that all of Amy's immediate family is coming to Nicaragua with us. It will be an adventure and a good opportunity for our families to reconnect.

Thanks for your support! We'll be in touch around the bend...

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

2009-06-21T18:12:00.002-08:00

We are honored to announce that Naturaleza Organic Jewelry will be featured this year at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Marketplace. Please share this information with friends who may be in Washington DC during the festival!

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
We are honored to announce that Naturaleza Organic Jewelry will be featured this year at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Marketplace. Please share this information with friends who may be in Washington DC during the festival!

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
We are honored to announce that Naturaleza Organic Jewelry will be featured this year at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Marketplace. Please share this information with friends who may be in Washington DC during the festival!

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
National Mall, Washington DC
June 24th-July 5th
Marketplace Hours: 10am-6pm
(Closed on June 29th and 30th)

For more info visit:
www.festival.si.edu

Celebrating Earth Day!

2009-04-22T05:06:00.003-08:00

Today in Kentucky we woke up to sunshine. In April the days vacillate between dark skies and cold winds and perfectly blue skies that let the sunshine warm the dirt.
Our garden is full of life after patiently waiting for the peas, carrots, beets and spinach to sprout. The strawberries are already flowering!

Earth Day is an important day for us. But every year, I find myself feeling more disillusioned on Earth Day. Has it been this many years of celebrating the earth but yet we're destroying her more and more each day? I got my start as an activist creating a middle school recycling program quite a few years ago. The university where I attend graduate school still does not offer recycling in most of its buildings. And recycling is the tip of the melting iceberg, as we know. There's so much that needs to happen to save this amazing planet.

We're committing to reducing our carbon footprint even further this year. We love to travel, so we'll be off-setting our trips to art fairs, weddings and Nicaragua. After realizing that it's not hard to participate in a "blackout" by turning the electricity off for a few hours, much less an entire week like we did in the ice storm, we'll be having some self-imposed blackouts this year.

Happy Earth Day everyone. But really, can we make it every day?

Introducing coyote wood rings

2009-04-14T08:24:00.002-08:00

The coyote wood has a beautiful grain and rich brown color. We are excited to be listing several new rings in the shop featuring coyote wood.
The "Fuerte" ring features a strong stripe of coyote wood surrounded by deep black coyol seed and accented with silver. It's sister ring is on the way, a mirror image with a coyol center and coyote edges. The perfect set for a wedding band, engagement ring, or fifth anniversary present!

Naturaleza Organic Jewelry is a GREEN BUSINESS.

2009-04-09T13:45:00.003-08:00

We're excited to be recognized as a green business as part of Green America (formerly Co-op America). Green America is a great resource for other green businesses, sustainable investment opportunities, etc.
The seal of approval recognizes businesses who use sustainable practices that are friendly to people and the planet.

Naturaleza Organic Jewelry got its start when Marlon started selling his fair trade jewelry years ago in Nicaragua, and our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability has always been at the heart of our work.
We use 100% sustainably collected and salvaged (recycled) materials for our designs.
Check out Green America and find other green businesses.

Moran Rings...just listed!

2009-04-07T17:24:00.002-08:00

We have a beautiful new addition to our regular offerings of ecofriendly organic wood rings.
The Moran tree grows in Nicaragua, where we selected small pieces from the forest floor.
The rich yellow color is stunning, and the wood grain is distinct.
We look forward to offering more rings with Moran soon, and happily accept custom orders made from Moran.

Spring Blooms

2009-04-02T13:34:00.007-08:00

We've been delighting in the explosion of spring color, the trees this year are especially full of bright pink and purple blooms. We've updated some of our photos using the beautiful spring colors collected on a neighborhood walk.

2009-03-26T14:17:00.003-08:00

I made this necklace for my friend Sue.
The design inspitration came from the petroglyphs of the Ometepe Islands which is a beautiful place located in Nicaragua.

Springing into action

2009-03-25T11:52:00.003-08:00

We're so excited that spring is here! A time for growth and renewal. For Naturaleza Organic Jewelry it means we have art fairs coming up soon, wedding-season orders to fill, and we're ready to introduce some new items soon.

We've been on a blogging hiatus, one thing after the next! We took a wonderful trip to Louisiana filling our bellies and our souls with some creole and cajun culture and food. Marlon is hard at work in the workshop catching up. We planted our spring garden, which Marlon can keep an eye on from the window of his studio.

Wood and Sapphire - 5 Year Anniversary Gift

2009-03-03T09:04:00.004-09:00

The traditional gift for a 5th wedding anniversary is wood and the symbolic gemstone is sapphire or pink tourmaline. We were asked to make a custom nambaro wood ring in honor of a 5th anniversary and were delighted with the results!

Kentucky Crafted

2009-02-24T06:34:00.004-09:00

We survived 5 days of Kentucky Crafted from booth setup to teardown. It was a great experience, and very gratifying to see our new jewelry, wholesale line, and indoor lights and booth setup at work. Lots of friends stopped by to say hello.

The most exciting news is that we won the "Best New Exhibitor" award. Unfortunately the news came at the end of the fair because a glitch kept it from being announced at the award ceremony. Nonetheless, we're proud!

Marlon is back in the workshop, catching up on on-line orders. Lots and lots of rings!

Countdown to Kentucky Crafted...The Pimp My Booth Episode

2009-02-15T11:08:00.005-09:00

We're working around the clock to get ready for the biggest art fair we've participated in yet. I grew up going to this art fair, one of my inspirations for "playing art fair" as a child. I never would've guessed that one day I'd really be a vendor at Kentucky Crafted.
Not only is this the biggest fair, but the first where we've really needed indoor lighting. We spent all day Saturday trying out our setup in a garage. Thankfully, Marlon can do electrical wiring and carpentry. The new wooden frame we built is a lot of work to set up, but it should work great. I guess it's a trade-off since we sell small jewelry, we still have to do a pretty elaborate booth setup to display it. Other artists have huge art, so they just have simple walls or pedestals to set up but then they have a lot more to haul. We are always tweaking our display. I think it's really important that our display help communicate that our jewelry is natural, so we use green and browns, linen and burlap. Marlon has made really nice display pieces using recycled/repurposed wood and wire. We have been gathering cool stones to use over the years, a simple and subtle way to display the necklaces. Ring display is still the most challenging piece. We are using some simple linen ring stands and we got a new ring tray too.

Checking more things off the list...
-tags printed : DONE
-new photos taken : DONE

Top 100 Green Blogs

2009-02-13T15:43:00.001-09:00

We're thrilled to be featured in "Top 100 Organic Living Blogs"

This is an excellent list of great green blogs. We're excited to start trolling the gardening blogs to gear up for spring planting and seed starting!

Please check it out!

Exciting new business cards!

2009-02-11T11:12:00.003-09:00

We got our new business cards in the mail today and they turned out beautifully!

We've been doing a lot to get ready for Kentucky Crafted: The Market.
The Market is a huge indoor fair that features the juried artists of the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program. We're excited to be included in the best of the best in Kentucky!
This is our first year at The Market, and our first major indoor festival. For a long time we've been working to improve our promotional materials, and The Market gave us a good excuse to get on the ball. Luckily, my sister Allison does a great job with graphic design and helps us out. We're super excited about our new business cards and hope they'll go a long way towards helping people remember us and find us again.

Catching up...

2009-02-03T19:00:00.002-09:00

The power is back on, thankfully, after too many cold and dark days. Marlon is hard at work catching up on orders and is making good progress. We shipped out 6 Etsy orders tonight!

We're gearing up for Kentucky Crafted, so while the power was out we took a few trips to the hardware store. We are building a big frame from which we'll hang all our "walls" and signage. I ordered new business cards. Now we just have to make more jewelry, order tags, make flyers, a wholesale order form and catalogue, tag everything, fix our signs...the list goes on.

We're really excited that Marlon was featured in the KY Crafted press release this year since the theme for The Market is "natural."

Winter Wonderland...

2009-01-31T17:17:00.003-09:00

We are still without power. Today the ice started to thaw a bit, creating an amazing sound as the water began to flow, and huge chunks of ice came crashing from trees and power lines. A beautiful curse, this ice storm!
Here are a few pictures of the spectacle.

Ice Storm 2009!

2009-01-29T09:46:00.001-09:00

We were struck hard by the ice storm. Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in our area, and we're some of them! We have no heat or power.
Marlon is not afraid to work in the cold, but everything takes longer without power. He's doing some soldering and sanding today, and hopes that we can get our orders out soon.

Mayan Numerology Rings make great Valentine's Day gift!

2009-01-25T17:16:00.003-09:00

Share a special date with a Mayan Numerology Ring. Every ring is handmade with up to three numbers, using ancient Mayan symbology. A great way to commemorate an anniversary, wedding, engagement, or the day the sparks first flew!

Read more about our rings, find them on Etsy.com, and write us if you have any questions. You can play around with the numbers too!

Naturaleza Organic Jewelry featured on The Artist Diary

2009-01-21T05:28:00.002-09:00

Naturaleza Organic Jewelry is featured on a great new blog http://theartistdiary.wordpress.com/
Please check it out.
Thanks Tracey!

Ready for 2009...

2009-01-17T07:51:00.003-09:00

We had a wonderful trip to Nicaragua. We plan on telling some of our stories with blog posts soon. Unfortunately we found it impossible to be near internet access enough to send updates during our trip. The good thing is that we spent lots of time away from internet access and technology in general and settled in to life in Nicaragua.

Marlon is still in Ometepe Island searching for petroglyphs, and I'm back in Kentucky, freezing and slowly adapting back to life and work here. I'm juggling grad school (my last semester), interpreting, and jewelry!

This is an exciting time for us. We're getting ready to participate in our first Kentucky Crafted: The Market, a huge fair sponsored by the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program. We hope this will bring new wholesale opportunities that will sustain our business year-round.

It's exciting to be back in the Etsy world again! A break was nice, but we miss all the contact with customers and other artists. We hope our blog will be more and more of a way to stay connected.

The countdown is on...

2008-12-13T07:38:00.002-09:00

Just a few more days until we hop on a plane and return to Nicaragua. Marlon finished his archaeology dig and I took my last final exam, so now we're just packing and tying up loose ends before the trip. The good news is we have had a lot of ring orders this week, so Marlon will be busy in the workshop all weekend.
We're going to keep our Etsy shop open while we're gone so that people can still find us. Our rings won't be available until Marlon returns from Nica in late January, but all of the other jewelry is available. My sister will be helping us ship it while we're gone (hooray!).
We can't wait to see our family and friends in Nicaragua. We'll be going to two weddings, lots of holiday festivities, and hopefully get a dose of mountains, beaches and volcanoes too. Marlon hopes to collect lots of new materials, and I hope to photograph more of the trees and places where we find our materials.
We're hoping to update our blog while we're there, so stay tuned!

Osage Orange

2008-12-01T06:34:00.010-09:00

I just started working with Osage Orange wood (Maclura pomifera). I discovered it when I was working on an archaeological dig in Illinois few moth ego, at that time I didn't know what type of wood was it, but when I first saw it I just get fascinated with the yellow-orange color and the rings in the cross section. I collected a few pieces of wood to do some experiments. Now I have a couple of projects going on to use this beautifully wood.
It have been four months since I found this wood. Even though Osage Orange trees are really common in Kentucky, the funny thing is that I finally just learned the name of the tree a few days ago when flipping through a small book about trees of North America at a friends house. I learned that Native Americans used the wood to make bows, which made my connection to the wood even stronger, as an archaeologist and someone who used a bow and arrow as a boy in Nicaragua. I love finding out that the connections I have to certain materials end up having other stories behind them too.
Keep your eyes out for some new Osage Orange pieces on Etsy.

Front page glory, and the rest of my day!

2008-11-25T19:11:00.002-09:00

Amy here...
So, I'm a full-time graduate student. Today I spent almost 11 hours in a video editing lab, learning how to edit videos for the first time, and for a grade. It's a long story, but today was one of the first days in a while I haven't checked my e-mail, Etsy, or anything all day long. My eyes felt like they were bleeding when I finally left tonight, but I was rescued with a cold margarita by good friends visiting for the holidays.
I come home, and really should just go to bed, but then I discover that my treasury "I Wood, Wood You" made it to front page today! How exciting!
Marlon also worked a long today, digging in the cold dirt in Santa Claus, Indiana (yes, the home of Holiday World), working on his third week of an archaeology dig. He's ready to make more jewelry after a weekend with my family in Henderson, Kentucky. Farm fresh produce and Thanksgiving delights await!

We heart treasuries...

2008-11-23T12:44:00.003-09:00

The inside world of Etsy revolves around treasuries. The beautiful collections on the front page are curated by anyone who can nab a treasury, and then the more they are viewed, clicked and favorited, the better the chance they have of making it to the front page.

We rarely are so lucky to get the much-coveted treasury, but today was our day! Looking through my favorites, I'm always drawn to wood and green. Go figure. So today's treasury, "I Wood, Wood You?" is a tribute to other great works of art on Etsy made with wood. Great gift giving ideas!

We are also featured in a treasury full of green. Thanks francinefrancine!

EARRING GIVEAWAY!

2008-11-20T07:06:00.003-09:00

Follow our blog, post a comment, and win a free pair of organic earrings!

Post a comment to this week's giveaway announcement, and on Sunday, November 23 we will draw the lucky winner. One post per customer, please, but please spread the word about the contest.

The winner will get to choose between one of our featured pairs of sustainable organic earrings.
Coyol Circulos or Coroso Circulos.

FREE SHIPPING

2008-11-20T06:54:00.003-09:00

As a favor to our customers this holiday season we're offering FREE SHIPPING on all items in our Etsy store!

We need all orders to be placed by December 12, in order to ship out by December 16 before our trip to Nicaragua. Please place your orders soon. Let us know if you have any questions.

Where's the "green" in our jewelry?

2008-11-11T12:18:00.003-09:00

Ecofriendly, organic, sustainable, green, groovy, granola...
Where's the green in Naturaleza Organic Jewelry?

It all starts by how and where we collect our materials. We sustainably harvest materials by picking small quantities from the forest floor, rather than using woods that have been logged from a forest. Our process uses very little energy; we use a minimum of electricty and automated tools, most is done by hand. We use all natural products to treat the woods and seeds, not chemicals, dyes, varnishes or laquer. Just natural oil and beeswax.

Mother Nature holds us in the balance, so we see our jewelry as a way to honor the earth and all that it gives us. The more we can behold the earth's beauty, the more we will care for it.

Read more about our commitment to sustainability.

Commitment

2008-11-09T06:59:00.004-09:00

It's really been a great joy to work with customers looking for the perfect engagement and wedding rings - a symbol of commitment and unity. For many people, it's important that their rings (and their entire wedding) reflect their values, so they look for eco-friendly, sustainable options rather than diamonds and mined metals that may be damaging to the earth and exacerbating human rights violations and inequality.

Tim wanted a special ring for his partner of over 9 years. He chose the "Delgado" ring, made from coyol with two unity symbols on each side. His partner Gemma was delighted with the ring, and they shared this photo with us. Thanks Tim for sharing your story, it makes our work all the more enjoyable and special.

See more of our ring designs in our Etsy shop.

Terra Furnishings features Naturaleza!

2008-11-07T12:08:00.002-09:00

A beautiful website featuring a nice selection of eco-friendly products is now featuring Naturaleza Organic Jewelry.

Read their blog featuring Marlon.

What's in a name...

2008-11-06T08:58:00.002-09:00

We've been thinking a lot about names lately. When we started our business about 5 years ago in Nicaragua, we chose the name "Naturaleza al Descubierto" which means nature discovered, or nature revealed in English. We wanted to highlight that Marlon's art reveals a side of nature that many do not see.
Even then, I was worried it was a mouthful for English speakers. But we wanted a unique name, and one that was at least partially in Spanish to communicate Marlon's background and heritage.
Finally, we're taking the plunge. All of our cards, our website, everything now says...
Naturaleza Organic Jewelry
We decided to keep Naturaleza and add Organic Jewelry in English to make it clear what we do. Marlon also decided that he wanted my name on things. It's confusing - I run the business side, so really people need to talk to me to place orders and such. So now our cards will have both of our names, and hopefully that will make sense to folks. I just don't want people to think that I'm the talented one. :)
We'd love to hear your feedback! It's been quite a task getting things switched over, but in the process we've been giving our cards and other things a makeover, so that's fun.
We spent a while at Kinko's this morning making new cards. They really look good, thanks to the help my sister always gives us! But it's never simple at Kinko's, there's always some little glitch that makes things complicated, so we still need to work out the kinks.

It's Election Day!

2008-11-04T07:53:00.003-09:00

Election day is here. It's a sunny, warm, beautiful fall day in Kentucky.
We're hoping to get a little bit of everything done today: mowing the lawn, new jewelry designs for our wholesale line, making our wholesale price list, homework and making cornbread for an election party tonight!

2008-11-03T15:33:00.002-09:00

I made two new designs today.
I'm working on developing some new pieces in between orders.

2008-10-31T13:33:00.003-08:00

Today I was working on this ring, it is a custom order.
The customer provided a special stone he collected in Chile, and requested an inlaid silver leaf design.
I like to work in a new design but I have to admit that is always a challenge. In the end I am happy with this ring. I'd like to keep using the leaf motif in other pieces.
I hope this will make a very special symbol of the couple's relationship! It's an engagement ring.

2008-10-30T05:54:00.004-08:00

This has been a busy week of filling orders and trying to catch up on changes to the website. We're really ready to get this blog rolling! It's amazing how much time I can spend trolling flickr, blogs, indiepublic, etc.

We feel like finally things have taken off this year, that we've been able to reach a much bigger audience through Etsy. But right as that's happening, the economy takes a downturn and now we don't know what to expect or how to best keep business steady. All we can do is network, meet new people and try to reach new folks.

Here we are in the workshop, making rings, taking photos...

Our little helper.

2008-10-28T11:13:00.005-08:00

Our cat Pickle loves to help. She is obsessed with silver chains. If we get out the jewelry it's like she can sniff them out and she comes running, trying to pilfer them away.
Today while I was taking pictues she decided wanted to model some red earrings. She loves sitting inside the light box. Loca!

Winter is coming!

2008-10-27T14:12:00.002-08:00

Is cold outside, winter is coming. Usually during the winter I work inside of the house and during the summer in the garage, but this winter I'm going to try to make jewelry in the garage. Today wasn't bad, will see if I can survive for the next five months.

Cinnamon Toast

2008-10-26T06:27:00.002-08:00

A beautiful fall treasury on Etsy features our Nambaro wood ring:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=16984

Nice day for a white and black wedding.

2008-10-25T12:27:00.002-08:00

Our Unidad Times Three ring is featured in this collection of white and black wedding itemss:
http://www.handmadefinds.com/the-black-and-white-wedding/2008-10-25/

The Unidad "unity" symbol of a circle with a dot in the middle signifies the coming together of two people. Triads of three represent the elements and the earth. A very simple design with great significance!

Rings, rings, and more rings!

2008-10-24T09:25:00.001-08:00

We were featured in a great blog about rings!
http://ringblogger.blogspot.com/

Check it out.

Tweeting on Twitter

2008-10-21T19:30:00.001-08:00

What next? I thought updating my facebook status was novel...but now there's Twitter, supposedly all the rage.
We're gonna give it a try in the name of our jewelry business.
If you're on Twitter, our username is naturalezanica
http://twitter.com/naturalezanica

New Fall Photos

2008-10-21T19:10:00.002-08:00

We've got some great new items up on-line, and we've decided to start taking blogging more seriously! So stay tuned for more tidbits on our lives and jewelry.
Marlon is working on a dig this week in Ohio and I'm holding down the fort in Louisville. The fall weather is just stunning, put me in the mood to be outside with the camera. Marlon has created a lot of great new pieces, it's just a matter of having a chance to actually get them photographed and listed.

http://www.naturalezanica.etsy.com

2008-10-17T09:40:00.003-08:00

A slideshow of our trip to Alaska, August 2008.

Appalatin

2008-07-09T12:44:00.003-08:00

Appalatin
http://www.appalatin.com

We started the band two years ago.
I play the guitar, sing and compose songs. We play mostly Latin American folk music, especially songs from Nicaragua and original music. But we like to mix in a little bit of old-time, bluegrass, traditional and Americana folk.

Campana Cientifica Indio Maiz

2008-02-21T12:27:00.006-09:00

Informe Clik aqui II campaña de investigación científica a la Reserva Biológica Indio Maiz

Nieve

2008-02-12T18:08:00.002-09:00

Un poco de nieve no viene mal...

2007-09-28T09:14:00.001-08:00

Marlon Obando Solano

1040 Wagner Ave Louisville, KY 40217 502 634 2109 martierrasol@gmail.com

Summary of Qualifications

Extensive experience in a diversity of archaeological research settings
Outstanding interpersonal skills
Enthusiastic project coordinator and leader
Experience in Cultural Resource Management
Specialized experience in archaeological topography and mapping

Education

Bachelor’s of Arts in History and Archaeology, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN-Managua), 2004. Thesis: Topography in Archaeology

English as a Second Language, University of Louisville, 2005-2006

Specialized Coursework

Archaeological Topography training, practicum, and thesis
Restoration and conservation of archaeological artifacts
Regional and local history

Archaeology Research and Fieldwork Experience

Technician

Gray and Pape, I-69 Project Phase III Washington, Indiana, October 2007- December 2007

Technician

Gray and Pape, Dayton Project, Phase III, Dayton, Ohio, December 2007

Project Director, Archaeology Cultural Resource Management Plan for the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve

FUNDAR (Friends of the San Juan River), Nicaragua, 2004

Directed an intensive field work expeditions and archeological survey of Indio Maiz Biological Reserve
Authored Archaeological Resource Management Plan Proposal for Indio Maiz Reserve

Field School Technician

UAB (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain) and UNAN-Managua. Miraflor, Esteli, Nicaragua, 2001, 2002, 2003

Excavations on the Cebollal Arriba site, residential context
Ethno-archaeological documentation of basket making and ceramics
Restoration, flotation machine, ceramic analysis, lithic analysis morphology, fauna analysis

Field School Technician

UAB and UNAN-Managua, Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, 2002-2003

Surveying, excavations and topographic mapping of Carolina site, Kukra Hill
Ethno archaeological documentation of the formation of shell dumps. Observation and interviews with inhabitants of the coastal area
Community archeology education and appreciation workshops in public schools

Technician

Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Rivas, San Jorge, Nicaragua 2003

“Chronological implication for greater Nicoya from the Santa Isabel project, Rivas, Nicaragua”

Excavations in the pre-Columbian Santa Isabel site in Rivas, Nicaragua
Laboratory analysis of archaeological remains, ceramics, lithics, and soil samples

Field Survey Technician

Project director Manuel Roman Lacayo Anthropologist. Tisma, Masaya, Nicaragua, 2003

Intensive archaeological field survey in the Tisma municipality

Technician

UNAN Managua, MNA-65 site, Managua Nicaragua, 2001- 2002

Excavation of Site MNA-65 funeral context
Laboratory analysis of archaeological remains

Field Survey Technician

UNAN Managua, Archaeological Impact study of the Olympic Stadium construction, Managua Nicaragua, 2003

Field Survey of Olympic Stadium area

Intern and Technician

Nicaraguan Cultural Institute (INC), San Francisco Convent Granada, Nicaragua, 2002

· Inventory, classification, and documentation of pre-Columbian ceramics confiscated from an archaeological trafficker

Other Work Experience

Owner and Artist, Naturaleza al Descubierto, 2002-Present

Production, sales and marketing of handmade natural jewelry at art fairs and galleries
Facilitated jewelry workshops for youth groups, ages 6-14, 2005

Spanish Teacher, Los Monitos Spanish School, 2006-2007

Taught “Spanish through Music” Workshops to children using songs and games in Spanish to provide an engaging cross-cultural experience at multiple schools

Assistant to Manager, Mayan Café, January-July 2007

Interpreter and Facilitator, St. Williams/Esquipulas Parish Delegation, August 2006

Planned, accompanied, and provided cultural orientation and interpretation for organic farming and nutrition delegation to Nicaragua

Board Member, Esperanza en Acción Fair Trade Organization, 2006-Present

Technical Knowledge and Skills

Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Research, TopoCAL (topography program), AUTOCAD. Experienced with equipment such as Total Station, Theodolite, GPS System, digital photography.

Additional references available upon request. All references provided speak English.

Cuento de los Nicaraos

2007-04-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

Era un dia soliado de un mes de mayo, el calor estaba intenso, ninguna alma de la madre tierra estaba interesada en posar bajo los inclementes rayos del sol, excepto el garrobo y el lagarto que con toda placides dejaban sus tosco cuerpo a los intensos rayos solares. La tarde ya estaba avanzada y en los ranchos se preparaban la ceremonia para la noche de fiesta de la lluvia, este día que era muy importante para la cultura nahuas, estaba lleno de algarabía y festividades, donde las almas libres bailaban hasta que los huesos y los músculos no podían soportar mas los ritmos de la música tamboril. La ceremonia además de los bailes estaba llena de comidas especiales para agrado del dios, y bebidas desde las más suaves hasta las fuerte y crudas, todo por supuesto hechas de maíz, que a mazo de basalto botaban al más guerrero de los guerreros de la región ístmica...

Venezuela

2007-03-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

La migra y el Inmigrante

2007-01-04T14:08:00.000-09:00

En esta foto estoy haciendo el papel de un inmigrante indocumentado que esta intentando trabajar en los EU. mientras un amigo hace el papel de la migra. Escenas como estas son muy comunes a adiario en los EU.

Que asi sea.

2006-12-24T08:30:00.000-09:00

En estos dias de navidad todos corremos a conseguir el regalo perfecto. Pero cual es el regalo perfecto? un bonito cuadro para colgar en la pared o una simple tarjeta de navidad? una cena especial o una rosa roja? Bueno, muchos son de la idea que algo hay que dar no importa que.

La nueva casa

2006-12-22T11:14:00.000-09:00

Hola
Esta es la nueva casa

Nicaragua y su arqueologia

2006-12-22T10:54:00.000-09:00

Nicaragua es un pais con muchos recursos arquelogicos que deben ser protegidos e investigados para que nuestra gente sepa de sus raices.