Podcasts about Louis Comfort Tiffany

Continuing our look into the early history of a truly great American jewelry house, this episode explores some of the immensely talented craftspeople and goldsmiths who were instrumental in bringing Charles Lewis Tiffany and Louis Comfort Tiffany's visions to life. Learn about the contributions of Paulding Farnham, Julia Munson, and Meta Overbeck, along with some of the women who were responsible for crafting some of Tiffany's stained glass masterpieces.

Tiffany & Company is a jewelry and luxury goods brand that has managed to saturate pop culture and public awareness, though many people are unfamiliar with their early history, and their close connection to Tiffany glass. Come with me as we get to know three of the main figures who made the jewelry house the unstoppable force it remains today- Charles Lewis Tiffany, Louis Comfort Tiffany (yes, the glass guy), and George Frederick Kunz.

Just the name "Tiffany" evokes the glamour and elegance of the Gilded Age. But there is much more to the story than just the eponymous retailer who continues to sell fine jewelry and decorative objects today. Carl is joined by Lindsy R. Parrott, the Executive Director of The Neustadt Collection, one of the country's most important collections of Tiffany glass and archival materials, to discuss the two Tiffanys - Charles Lewis Tiffany who began the original retail silver and jewelry and his son Louis Comfort Tiffany who created revolutionary designs in stained glass.   

A couple of months ago, Ben Miller turned up at the Salmagundi Club in New York's West Village to assume an unfamiliar role: that of interviewee rather than interviewer, sharing his expertise on nineteenth century American silver with the audience of the Gilded Gentleman. It's a conversation that we are proud to present to you now. Silvery was in a state of flux during the nineteenth century. Discoveries of huge lodes such as the Nevadan mother given its name by Henry Comstock, new production methods like silver plating, and most importantly, the maturation of the domestic industry, were shifting American styles from the Englishisms of Paul Revere to the Yankee grandeur that was Gorham, and the glory that was Tiffany. That's the metanarrative. But Ben and GG host Carl Raymond don't shy away from pesky niceties such as the difference between the silver of Louis Comfort Tiffany and his father, Charles, the importance (or unimportance) of hallmarks, and the most consequential question for listeners hoarding family silver in the attic: whether nineteenth-century services have value beyond their weight in . . . well, silver.

Studio artist and instructor Jean Cheely has been working with fused glass techniques since 2001. She uses many approaches to transform “super cooled” liquid into art pieces. Jean is an award-winning artist who exhibits in juried glass competitions in the U.S and abroad. She has pursued her passion by studying under nationally known artists at numerous glass studios, including:  The Corning Museum of Glass Studio, Arrowmont School of Arts, Pittsburgh Glass and The Chrysler Museum Glass Studio. Currently she is an instructor at the NCSU Craft Center.Jean's work can be found on her website and  Cary Gallery of Artists, Cary, and the Tacoma Museum of Glass Museum Store,  Tacoma, WA.Website:  www.jeancheely.comJean's artist recommendations:    Lino Tagliapietra  - www.linotagliapietra.com    Mary Ann Scherr - gregg.arts.ncsu.edu/exhibitions/all-is-possible/    Louis Comfort Tiffany - www.tiffany.com     Support the show

Stanton Studios, expanded from the well-known Stanton Glass Studio, was founded in 1979 by Bryant J. Stanton. Beginning with a workbench in a loft studio and a couple of crates of glass, the studio has grown into a nationally-recognized business with completed work in businesses and homes across Texas and the United States. In addition to Stanton, his four sons and their team of craftsmen operate Stanton Studios just north of Waco, Texas.  Stanton began his journey into the world of art as a young adult in high school. When he wrote a research paper on Gothic Cathedrals, he became fascinated with stained glass and window bays. Later, attending Texas Tech then transferring to Baylor, Stanton studied 3-Dimensional Studio Art and found that he incorporated glass wherever possible in all of his art projects. But the young artist didn't begin pursuing his passion until a fateful event occurred.  When Stanton took an off campus walk, he discovered an old stained glass shop and met a man who changed his life by teaching him the craft. After making his first butterfly sun-catcher, the young Stanton was “instantly hooked.” He accepted a full-time job at The Warehouse working for Homer Owen and made inspirational gifts – sun-catchers with bible verses on them.  In 1979, Stanton began his own business in a downtown Waco, Texas, shop and started calling churches and businesses, advertising his services. He received his first restoration job fixing up windows for Central Christian Church. His first two window commissions were created for Pelican's Warf and the Brazos Landing; ironically, both waterfront restaurants wanted Pelican-themed windows looking out onto the Brazos River.  Stanton taught his first child, Tiffany, the shop's ways and how to handle glass. Soon after, Nathan and Jordan, the eldest sons, began learning their father's trade. Jordan was “a little clone of his father” and quickly picked up the skills needed for creating glass. As assistant manager, he accompanied his father to meetings. Nathan, the eldest son, found that working with glass was not his passion and learned his own trade – woodworking. Tiffany eventually taught her younger sibling, Samuel, to work with glass, and he joined the shop as a grouter.  As time passed, Stanton hired an in-house glass painter, Joe Barbieri, his wife Suzanne eventually became the bookkeeper, and Jordan became the official manager. Samuel also moved up from being in “the mud room” to being a builder. Tim, the youngest son, joined the shop as a builder, and Nathan helped to expand Stanton Glass Studio into Stanton Studios as he brought his woodworking abilities to the shop. Since founding the business, Stanton has worked tirelessly designing and creating works in glass. The knowledge and experience gained have allowed him to complete iconic works that are not only breathtaking but magnificent feats to design and build. He and his family can tackle projects ranging from stained glass for churches, residences or businesses to huge sculptures for universities or giant glass domes for hotels. Stanton says he most enjoys projects that are big and challenging, such as the 3-story long DNA sculpture that hangs suspended in a stairwell in the McLennan Community College Sciences Building in Waco, the iconic dome of the Driskill Hotel in Austin, and the restoration of the priceless Louis Comfort Tiffany windows for a Galveston church. Stanton has come a long way from that first butterfly suncatcher. He and his family are always learning more and continuing to find new challenges in creating the most beautiful art glass. Due to their success, Stanton has served on several community boards, including the Waco Chamber of Commerce and the Waco Art Center. He is the current president of the Stained Glass Association of America (SGAA) and also served as the past Editorial Chair of Stained Glass Quarterly magazine. SGAA's 2023 conference will be held in Buffalo, New York, September 27 through October 1. As Stanton Studios continues to hire more builders and expand, its founder hopes that the business will live on through his sons, who are now in charge of teaching the new hires the skills involved with stained glass making – keeping the art and craft of stained glass alive.  

For more than a century, it was presumed Louis Comfort Tiffany was the sole designer of his prized mosaic products. But in recent years, personal letters by the head of his women's department revealed his most famous lamps were the work of a woman from Tallmadge, Ohio. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiomysteries www.twitter.com/mysteriesohio www.facebook.com/ohiomysteries Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What you'll learn in this episode: Why people collect jewelry even if they have no intention of wearing it How understanding the historical context of a piece of antique jewelry can increase your enjoyment of it Why if you only invest in one vintage piece, it should showcase the quintessential style of the period Why interest in estate jewelry has skyrocketed How to choose a reputable dealer About Ron Kawitzky Ronald Kawitzky, with his late wife, Sherry Kawitzky, is the founder of estate jewelry firm DK Bressler. The young husband and wife team began their treasure hunts searching for the very finest jewels and rare collectible objects at markets and fairs across the country, and later expanded their travels around the world — throughout Europe and the far edges of the globe, including Ronald's native South Africa. The two developed a defining style and built a collection of brilliant jewelry spanning a broad array of stylistic periods from antiquity to the 21st century. This collection evolved into the DK Bressler brand, named after Ronald's mother, Doreen Kawitzky, and Sherry's mother, Selma Bressler. Together the couple set up shop in New York City's Diamond District in 1990, while continuing to scour the globe for unique treasures to bring back home. While Sherry passed away in 2001, Ronald continues their legacy, finding the very best jewels and gemstones that fit their shared style. Additional Resources: DK Bressler's Website DK Bressler's Instagram Photos:   Ron Kawitzky didn't set out to become a jewelry dealer, but like many collectors, once he started buying antique and estate jewelry, he couldn't stop. His passion for jewelry (and the history behind it) led him to found the estate jewelry firm DK Bressler with his wife, Sherry. He joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about what qualities collectors should look for when purchasing antique jewelry; how to choose a reputable dealer; and why you should always buy jewelry that excites you. Read the episode transcript here. Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. Here at the Jewelry Journey, we're about all things jewelry. With that in mind, I wanted to let you know about an upcoming jewelry conference, which is “Beyond Boundaries: Jewelry of the Americas.” It's sponsored by the Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, or, as it's otherwise known, ASJRA. The conference takes place virtually on Saturday and Sunday May 21 and May 22, which is around the corner. For details on the program and the speakers, go to www.jewelryconference.com. Non-members are welcome. I have to say that I attended this conference in person for several years, and it's one of my favorite conferences. It's a real treat to be able to sit in your pajamas or in comfies in your living room and listen to some extraordinary speakers. So, check it out. Register at www.jewelryconference.com. See you there. Today, my guest is Ron Kawitzky, owner and founder of the estate jewelry firm DK Bressler, which is based in New York. Ron's choices for his wares are fueled by his knowledge and his passion for history. That's pretty evident when you look at his exhibits at tradeshows and elsewhere. Today, we'll learn about Ron's own jewelry journey as well as the estate jewelry market yesterday and today. Ron, welcome to the program. Ron: Good morning, Sharon. Nice to speak to you. Sharon: It's so great to have you. Tell us about your jewelry journey. Were you creative as a child? How did you get into jewelry? Ron: I was actually creative as a child. I was an arts major at school. I dumped mathematics for artwork, which I much preferred. I won all kinds of awards for that, but I was a history buff too. Between the two, knowing about jewelry periods just seemed natural and normal to me. Sharon: How did you segue? What did your family say when you said, “I want to be a jeweler” or “I want to go into the arts”? Ron: My father said, “You can't make a living on that.” For birthdays and holidays, you got a piece of jewelry, but you couldn't make a living out of buying one or two pieces of jewelry a year. He wasn't aware of London and New York as centers for the jewelry trade and profession. He was not ecstatic about it at all, but I've been collecting and buying and trading since I was young, so it seemed quite normal and natural to me. Sharon: So, you were involved even though your bent was towards art. At the same time, you were collecting jewelry and enjoying it. Ron: Yes, very much so. I always liked collecting things. I was kind of a nerdy kid. I bought everything from paintings to silver to small jewelry when I could find them. There was no appreciation back in those days, which was diamonds or nothing. Sharon: You went into accounting, though, right? Ron: Yes, isn't that awful? It's public now, but I would normally deny that entirely. Sharon: Well, you can make a living in accounting, at least here in the States. It seems a little bit of a dichotomy to me, jewelry and accounting. Tell us, your firm is called DK Bressler. Obviously, that's not your name. How did that name come about? Ron: My last name is Kawitzky, which people can't spell. It's K-a-w-i-t-z-k-y. In order to try to avoid terminal problems and whatever else, we picked my late wife's name. My late wife's mother's name was Bressler, and my mother's name was DK. It worked out that way. Sharon: When did you establish your business? Ron: I established the business in 1990, 1989, or something like that. It's been fantastic ever since, frankly. Sharon: Along the way did you study jewelry? Did you continue to deal in jewelry when you were in the corporate world? Ron: No, I bought jewelry as gifts and presents for my wife. I always loved dealing with it and playing with it. From the age of 13 I went to London with my parents, and I remember my mother had a friend in the jewelry trade. I would sit in their apartment and open a bag, and all these colors and stones would come flying out of the bag. I was always intrigued, and I was 13 at the time. This seemed great. So the idea that I could make a living out of it when I got older was very exciting for me. Sharon: Was it always in the back of your mind as a second career if you stopped doing accounting? For me, it would be if I couldn't take it anymore. Ron: I really quit the day I graduated from accounting school. It was a seven-year master's program. I couldn't tell you one thing. The next day, I was so unmoored. I think I have a left brain, not a right brain. It went more towards style and beauty and stuff like that. Sharon: Seven years, wow! Ron: Columns of figures didn't do it for me. Sharon: So, tell us how you opened your business. Did you open the door and say, “I'm here”? Did you have inventory? How did you do that? Ron: That is one of those critical moments that your life changes. It turns on a little occurrence you don't give full credit to, but life is not a straight, linear thing. It evolves in twists and turns. At some point in my existence, in the 80s, I found myself unemployed, probably unemployable as well. It was a very difficult time, and my wife said to me, “You've talked about the jewelry business for your whole life. Maybe it's time to finally get your hands dirty and take a chance and commit.” So, we did, with a lot of help from her, of course, and it worked. Sharon: That's a good point you made, several good points, about the fact that life is not linear. I guess to some people it might be. Ron: But wouldn't that be boring? You don't know what's around the corner. Sharon: I was thinking of the description somebody once told me about their brother who had made a lot of money. He just kept rising up the corporate ranks, and they said he led an "enchanted" life. So, he had a straight line, in a sense. Ron: Yes. Sharon: Did you open your business here or in South Africa? Ron: No, I grew up in South Africa but I'd left South Africa a long time ago by then. I opened it over here. I had a rucksack. I put three or four things in a bag and paid calls on Madison Avenue and 47th Street, at the infamous 10 West 47th Street. It was the center of the whole antique estate trade. Sharon: Who are your clients today? Who do you sell to? Who buys from you? Ron: Social media is one of them. Thank God, we have a great reputation and a history that goes back since 1990, which is already a long time ago. People call us when they want things, certain styles they need to source. We put it together, or we do shows and meet new people. We do travel a lot. I travel to Europe, to England, in America as well. Sharon: During the lockdown- maybe you did travel- but how did you manage? Ron: People were very willing to buy. They were happy to buy. I kept them in contact and in touch. Collectors are collectors. There were even more collecting types because they wanted to amuse themselves when Covid was in full flow. Sharon: Ron, what do you consider a collector? There's no real answer, but I'm always curious. What do you consider a collector? Ron: It's quite amazing. If you're buying something like Louis Comfort Tiffany, in many cases, it's men who collect things. They have no intention of their wives ever wearing it, but they love the object. They love the history. They like everything about it, and they'll buy it for their collections. He has since passed on, but I had one collector who would frame the pieces I sold him and hang them up in his bedroom. He would have a wall full of the most glorious jewelry by Tiffany, by Castellani, by Giuliano, necklaces and bracelets and things, and no one would know what they were worth. It was quite amazing. He had no expectation of wearing anything; he just loved the piece and appreciated it. Sharon: How about the women who buy from you? Do you have any women collectors? Ron: Yes, very much so. Women want to wear the pieces or fantasize about wearing the pieces, so that adds another dimension to it, which is nice. Sharon: How does history influence what you choose when you're looking at another dealer's pieces, or whoever you're buying from? How does history influence what you choose? Ron: Because I was a history buff, it was so exciting to find a piece of jewelry with certain motifs or illusions to, I don't know, Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1901 or something. it's interesting to see how people relate to these pieces. They feel part of the whole, storied past. People want to be part of a historical event. It sets you in time. It sets you in romance. It sets you in all kinds of things. Sharon: When it comes to history and historic jewels, do you have a particular time period, like ancient gems? Is there a particular time period where you start or stop? Ron: Yes. Roman cameos are wonderful, interesting to collect, but not always fully appreciated, not always fully understood. It's a very esoteric, arcane business, and it's subject to fraud and other things since you're carving with a natural stone. But if you make a study of it and you know a little bit about Greek or Roman mythology, it makes sense. Suddenly you're a part of something going back 1,000 to 1,500 years, and that's very exciting. It places you in history. Sharon: When you say that some people don't appreciate it, are you talking about people who say, “It's just another cameo,” or “I don't get it”? Ron: It's the equivalent of—and forgive me for saying this—putting the painting over the couch in the living room. It matches the color. It's there because it's beautiful, not because the green of the drapes matches the green of the carpet. Do you know what I mean? The jewelry is more important than anything else. Sharon: If someone is looking at two pieces but one has a history behind it, are you saying people will go for that? Will they say, “Oh, this one fits me better”? How does that work? Ron: How typical it is for the period? That's what you want. If you would like a piece of 1960s jewelry, it should be the quintessential piece. It should be by someone like Andrew Grima. You want somebody who understands context; otherwise, it might not mean all that much. You can just buy something for its beauty, too, but context is nice. If you understand anything about art and history, and you look at a piece of Andrew Grima's work, you understand it. There's a synergy. There's a joint thing there with Jackson Pollock, who also dripped oil onto canvas. I've seen gold dripped onto a piece of jewelry effectively. You know what I mean? It's not a very elegant way to put it, but you need the best for its time. Everything is classical in the right sense. Sharon: What do you think people should look for when they want to buy a piece of estate jewelry? Just, “Oh, this is interesting,” or should they be looking at value? Ron: It should be, “This is interesting.” You have to love it. It's like buying a share. You have to have faith in the company you're buying a share in. It's not just a question of buying something I don't believe in, because if things change, tastes change, you might not fully realize it, but it might take years to be worth its value again. Sharon: The dealers, or the people who are selling their own jewelry or buying from dealers, do they understand and appreciate the history? Ron: That's where we come in. We try and explain where it came from, what was happening in the world at the time. Is it a piece of industrial Deco jewelry? Do we know that it's 1930s, 1940s? The world was at war. It has a context. You want something to collect from the time. You wouldn't want to buy a flower brooch in 1942. It wouldn't really much sense, would it? Sharon: It's always interesting to know what the history is or to have a part of history when you're choosing a piece of jewelry as opposed to just—not even an interesting piece of jewelry, but— Ron: You need to educate yourself, and you need to pass it onto the client who wants to be told. He has every right to be told, “This is what makes this a fine piece, and that's not.” You do have to love the piece. You want to wear it; you want to enjoy it. That goes without saying. It is the prime mover of the whole thing, but once you pass that, you need to know details; you need to study. Sharon: And what do you think about today when people are looking at jewelry? What do you think is the most popular when people are looking at your jewelry? Are they looking at brooches? Are they looking at rings? Ron: Rings are probably the first seller. Rings and earrings are always the first, followed by bracelets, I would think, and ending up with brooches. Other dealers always say brooches never sell. I find that we sell brooches all the time. They're beautiful objects, even if they're not worn that much. I used to have a client who put the brooches on her lampshade next to her bed. She had a whole lampshade full of them. She just loved looking at them. When the light came through, she was so excited. It was a pleasure. Sharon: There are fabulous brooches around, yes. Do you find a difference between the coasts in what people are interested in? Ron: Yes. It's a little bit low on brooches on the coasts because you're wearing thinner dresses. In Palm Beach, you wouldn't wear giant, heavy brooches because it would drag down the silk that you're wearing. Even having said that, the ladies that wear brooches are probably also wearing Chanel and heavy fabric to go out for lunch and elsewhere. Sharon: You do need some substance behind it in order to have a brooch. Ron: Yes. Sharon: There are tricks to get that substance, even on a T-shirt. So, why is there more interest in estate jewelry today? Do you think there is, and if so, why? Ron: Very much so, as evidenced by the fact that there's not too much stuff around. We've really been battling to find fresh inventory. Part of it is because a lot of it is sold these days through the auction houses instead of being sold through dealers. It seems to be a push towards the auction houses. Sharon: Are you finding it more of a challenge today to find pieces? Ron: Yeah, very much so. Either people don't need to sell, or these are prosperous times. Sharon: Do you buy through auction houses? Ron: Very, very little. I have a few things that I need that I'll track down. The auction house can be very helpful, but mainly you want pieces that haven't passed through those storied doors. People want privacy to a large extent as well. Some people want privacy. They want to buy; they don't want the whole world to see what they paid for things. Sharon: That's a good point. During the lockdown—it seems you were online a lot more through Covid. Ron: Yeah, we had to get more into that because I'm a little bit lost that way. I can't fully understand the internet and what you can do with it, but luckily, I have good helpers that help me do that stuff. It doesn't come naturally to me. I'm still stuck in the past history-wise. Sharon: I think it doesn't come naturally to a lot of people, including people like boomers on the tail end of the baby boom. It's overwhelming in terms of what there is to learn and how fast it changes. Ron: It's amazing, isn't it? Anyway, we found ourselves sitting in front of the computer monitor. People called up for things, and we were shipping out stuff from all over the place, which was wonderful. Sharon: Somebody would call you up for something, and you could look on Instagram or different sites to find it? Ron: Our own site would bring people in. Sharon: I was looking at your site last night. Is there a lot more you have? Ron: Yes, we have ten million things, it seems like. What you see online is probably half of a half of a percent. We have things in every category, every range. Buying is the treat, as everyone knows, and collecting and organizing things and curating is exciting to me, too. I have different collections of different things. I guess it shows if somebody's looking for something. We have copies and duplicates; not copies of jewelry, but similar pieces in duplicate because we loved it. If a piece is in great condition and exciting, it's worth buying. Sharon: Do you find more pieces that are worthwhile from a historic perspective over in Europe? Do you find them in people's safe deposit boxes around the country? Where do you find those? Ron: You never know where the next piece is coming from, Sharon. It's amazing. Overseas is one thing, because there's a much greater appreciation for estate and antique jewelry in Europe, I believe, than even in America, but you're going to beat the bushes a little bit and try to get things from your suppliers. There's always something coming out. Sharon: Do you think there's more appreciation of estate jewelry abroad because people here like shiny new things? Ron: That, to an extent. They've been spoiled. They treat jewelry as an accessory. I find that the Germans, the English, buy things more as an heirloom piece. They want to pass it onto a grandchild or something. They look at it differently, whereas we look at it as more decorative, completely decorative. You buy it and you get bored with it, and the wedding is over and you can't deal with this piece again. You move, and there are people who'll sell a piece of jewelry. Whereas the Europeans have considered it very carefully and look at the long term, thank goodness; otherwise, there would be nothing left altogether to buy. Sharon: That's interesting and makes sense. Not to denigrate anything or anyone, but jewelry has to be pretty. Whether it's historic or not, it has to be something you like, whether you're going to pass it on or whether you think it's going to be sold to another dealer. It has to be pretty. Ron: That's the first thing I said. You've got to love it. You have to enjoy it. You must think of it as a piece of pleasure that you're wearing on your chest, which is lovely. Sharon: I'm always interested in this question, Ron. What is the catalyst that got you to switch? You said you were unemployed, but switching from accounting to opening your own estate jewelry business is a huge step in my book. Was there something? Did your boss come in and say, “I want this by tomorrow”? Ron: Now, you asked me a long question. I need to lie down on the couch, probably, to answer this question. I was in a public company we founded that was very successful. Then came the stock market in the late 80s. If you recall, everyone lost their money. We lost our second go-around for money. It was a long story, but effectively, that was really it. In the food business, we came up with an idea that was very lucrative, and it worked very well, but no one was buying anything in the late 80s in the stock market. So, I found myself available, as I said. Sharon: Some people have a business, but they're on Ruby Lane, or you see them at the shows on weekends buying and selling jewelry. Were you doing that? Was that in the background? Ron: We always bought things. We always knew some dealers, and we'd go and tour these antique shows on the weekends. There used to be many more of them in New York. You'd meet people and find things and dabble a little bit, but it was always just buying. We never did any selling because whatever we bought, we liked. I still have those early pieces I bought when I wasn't even that familiar with them. It really made a big difference. I never stopped enjoying that, and it came in very handy. When I found myself unemployed, I started selling the things I'd collected. That got me in the business that way, through the back door. Sharon: I think you said an important point about the fact that there are not as many antique fairs right now. It's partly Covid, but are they just waning? Was this something that was going on before Covid, that there are fewer antique fairs? Ron: There were so many. There were two or three every weekend in Westchester and Long Island. We would travel all over the place in those days. When the kids were young, we'd bundle them up and go spend money. I guess we chose well, because you'd sit in a little auction house storefront in Queens somewhere, and you'd buy a little pair of earrings for $120 and it seemed magical. By the time we got home, we'd be so nervous. “Oh my god, is this the right way? Is it the wrong thing to buy?” Then Monday morning you'd rush off to 47th Street and sell and make 30 percent of your money, and you'd say, “That was easy. I could do this again.” Confidence just gets built on confidence, and it worked, thank goodness. Sharon: Wow! I give you a lot of credit. Some of the things I look for when I'm buying a piece of estate jewelry are, besides the fact that I should love it, that it has to be in good condition. Do you need to be somebody who's worked with jewelry to know that? Ron: Condition is important because that could impact the future of the piece after a year or two. It should be correct for the time, correct for the period. It's really important, and you should get pleasure out of it. The prime thing is to enjoy it, wear it with excitement, and you'll get many years of pleasure out of it. Sharon: I think it's really important to wear it with excitement, like, “Oh, my gosh, this is so fabulous! Look at this!” I'm thinking of dealers who have sold to me, and I felt like they were selling as opposed to somebody who—I know when I've looked at some of your pieces, you explain where they came from or why they're important. Is that what we should be looking for? Ron: Yes, very much so. It's a good question that you asked, Sharon. I think it's important for a dealer to be reputable. They should be steeped in knowledge about what they're buying or selling. You find out more about your car before you buy it; you should find out about the wonderful piece of jewelry. It's of equal value in many cases. Sharon: I'm thinking about some of the pieces I've seen which you've shown, a fabulous pair of cameo earrings. Ron: Yes. Sharon: It sounds like you're saying the dealer has to be the first line in terms of educating somebody. Ron: That's so well put. It's exactly right, but you've got to do your own work. You should ask them for a write-up on an invoice, and probably in most cases, these things should be appraised for insurance purposes. It's important to understand what you're buying. It's an arcane, esoteric world, and people should be careful. Sharon: How do I know if I'm buying from somebody reputable, let's say I go to the Miami Show in January or February, which is huge in that there are so many dealers. What should I look for? How do I know that somebody's reputable? Ron: Look at the other pieces the dealer has in his showcase. You'll see the kind of pieces he gets. Most people are just buying gold for gold and not of an age and not of a period. It might not mean anything to them, and it might not mean anything for the customer, but I'm saying to enjoy the piece more profoundly, steep yourself in knowledge of the piece and the age and the epoch. I think that's really important, and condition is everything. Sharon: That's a good point, having brought several pieces that I purchased from other dealers that I took to the repair shop several times. The condition is very important. Ron: Welcome me back, and we'll talk about it for as long as you want. I can't think of anything more fun than discussing a piece. I love it. It's exciting to me, and I like transmitting the excitement to the next person. Sharon: You have several pieces you've shown me in the past. I could feel your excitement. They weren't pieces that called to me so much, but I could feel your excitement in it. Ron: I still enjoy it. I still get excited every time somebody brings a piece. You could look at it again and study again and discover something new about it, and that's the thrill. It connects us to our whole history, to the whole background, to literature. It makes sense. If you understand it, you'll get more pleasure out of it, like anything else. Sharon: That's a very good point. Ron: Thank you so much, Sharon, it's very nice of you to include me in your podcast. Sharon: Thank you very much, Ron. Ron: You are so welcome, and thank you. Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

A Winter Weekend Festival in Norfolk, Connecticut! February 26 & 27, 2022 A Winter Weekend Festival in Norfolk! Two days of fun for all, indoors and out… food, live music, art exhibits, winter sports and hiking, tours, open houses, kids' activities and more. WINter 2022 will be mostly in-person with precautions in place; others are virtual, either live-streamed or on demand. So mark your calendars for February 26 & 27, 2022, and come back often to see what's new! Also save the dates for our annual summer Weekend in Norfolk festival, the first weekend in August, three days of fun for everyone, August 5, 6 and 7, 2022…we hope we'll be able to invite you to come in person! Saturday, February 26, 2022 On demand (links to come) Cooking demonstration: Classic Spanish paella Two concerts from the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Guided tour of Battell Chapel's stained glass windows In-Person and Live-Streamed All day Town skating rink, 23 Mountain Road, will be open if weather permits and the ice is solid. Free All day Hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing on Norfolk's miles of trails. You can purchase a take-along lunch at any of Norfolk's great restaurants. Free 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Creative art display celebrating the Norfolk Library and featuring works made by the children of Norfolk. Special treats will be served. At the library, 9 Greenwoods Road East. Free 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Wildlife walk with John Anderson of the Norfolk Conservation Commission. Meet at the Norfolk Hub, 2 Station Place, and drive to the trail. Free 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Immaculate Conception Church, 5 North Street, will hold special open sanctuary hours for display and information sharing about the church, building history and stained glass windows. Printed materials will be available, along with docents, to answer any questions. Free 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. “Hidden Doorways,” photographs by Angus Mudge at the Norfolk Library, 9 Greenwoods Road East. Free 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Land Trust properties, a group photography show at the Norfolk Hub, 2 Station Place. Free Time to be announced Open house at the Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance barn. The ambulance squad will be doing a t-shirt tie-dye activity for kids and adults. 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Battell Chapel, 12 Litchfield Road, will be open for viewing the stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany and David Maitland Armstrong. Covid precautions will be observed: everyone must wear a mask and social distance must be maintained at all times. This historic chapel and its beautiful stained glass windows are among Norfolk's most popular artistic treasures. Take this opportunity to see these dazzling works in person if you can. Free 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Enjoy a bonfire and S'mores supplied by the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department at its open ice event for skaters, curlers and hockey players. The Curling Club will also be there, doing demos and serving hot chocolate and snacks. Free 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Norfolk Curling Club will be demonstrating the basics of curling and allowing the public to participate. This event will be held in conjunction with the Fire Department's bonfire and skating event at the rink by the town baseball field at 23 Mountain Road. The Curling Club will be serving hot chocolate and snacks in addition to the Fire Department's S'mores. Free 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. “Ladies, Legends & Lakeside Dwellings: Alfredo Taylor in Norfolk,” Zoom talk by Ann Havemeyer. A highly original architect, Taylor came to Norfolk in the first years of the last century, and within a short period of time had put his distinctive mark on the landscape, designing stone and timber houses, lakeside camps, commercial buildi

The Tiffany Kid https://zalma.com/blog Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE presents videos so you can learn how insurance fraud is perpetrated and what is necessary to deter or defeat insurance fraud. This Video Blog of True Crime Stories of Insurance Fraud with the names and places changed to protect the guilty are all based upon investigations conducted by me and fictionalized to create a learning environment for claims personnel, SIU investigators, insurers, police, and lawyers better understand insurance fraud and weapons that can be used to deter or defeat a fraudulent insurance claim. The insured grew up with his wealthy parents on the shores of San Francisco Bay in Marin County. He wanted for nothing that money could buy. He was tall, blond, blue-eyed and handsome. Debutantes pulled their sister's hair for the chance to dance with him. Life was good, but dull. The insured tried drugs. The results disappointed him. He was brilliant, so college was no challenge. He felt he would die from the boredom. Nothing challenged his intelligence. He found the cure for his boredom one summer vacation from college. On a dare, he surreptitiously entered the home of a neighbor. He removed a single, solid brass and stained-glass dragonfly lamp made by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the 1920's. From this single event he found more excitement, a greater “high,” than he had ever had with drugs. The flow of adrenalin as he entered, his neighbor's dwelling was delicious. He had found the excitement he wanted. He had finally found a way to relieve the boredom and lack of challenge in his life. He did not steal for profit. He stole for excitement. He did not need the lamp. He could have bought many similar lamps with the money in his trust fund. Like all addictions, burglary on a small scale continued. His burglaries occurred in Marin County and in the small college town where he went to school. He specialized in burglary limited to removing Tiffany lamps and objects of art from their proper owners. He managed to amass a collection of considerable value. Burglary, however, was too easy. © 2022 – Barry Zalma Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE, now limits his practice to service as an insurance consultant specializing in insurance coverage, insurance claims handling, insurance bad faith and insurance fraud almost equally for insurers and policyholders. He practiced law in California for more than 44 years as an insurance coverage and claims handling lawyer and more than 54 years in the insurance business. Subscribe to “Zalma on Insurance” at https://zalmaoninsurance.locals.com/subscribe and “Excellence in Claims Handling” at https://barryzalma.substack.com/welcome. You can contact Mr. Zalma at https://www.zalma.com, https://www.claimschool.com, zalma@claimschool.com and zalma@zalma.com . Mr. Zalma is the first recipient of the first annual Claims Magazine/ACE Legend Award. You may find interesting the podcast “Zalma On Insurance” at https://anchor.fm/barry-zalma; you can follow Mr. Zalma on Twitter at; you should see Barry Zalma's videos on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg; or videos on https://rumble.com/zalma. Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims–library/ The last two issues of ZIFL are available at https://zalma.com/zalmas-insurance-fraud-letter-2/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/barry-zalma/support

At one time almost every cemetery had a chapel, magnificent buildings by famous architects, why did this happen and why did they eventually go out of favor?Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.comFacebook: Tomb with a View PodcastInstagram: tombwithaviewpodcast

It's the dog days of summer and we are here to deliver some Wikipedia! We kick it off (pun intended) with the BRISTOL CITY WFC. From there we move over to STRIKER, and then to RONALDO. Let's face it, we're not sports people; we do our damndest to get out of this sports trap and head on over to BARCELONA! From there it's off to God's Architect, ANTONI GAUDI, who utilized much STAINED GLASS. We move from Spain over to the US with the help of LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY, who did custom stained glass for the MARK TWAIN HOUSE! From the thrill of the pitch to the intricacy of Tiffany lamps this episode has something for literally everyone! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow WikiFreakz IG and Twitter @wikifreakzz ————————————————————————————————————- Follow Jill Weiner on IG and Twitter @jill_lives www.jilllives.com Venmo @jill-weiner-1 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Connor Creagan on IG and Twitter @connorcreagan www.connorcreagan.info Venmo @connor-creagan

This episode spotlights Tracey Robertson, a nonprofit leader and community organizer who was tired of hearing her neighbors repeat stereotypes she knew were not true. She figured that to change the narrative, people needed to be able to see each other more clearly, as complex individuals each with a story to share. In this episode, we learn about a project called Color-Brave that evolved from conversations in a coffee shop to a traveling exhibit and book. You'll meet Mushe and Shawn, featured in Color-Brave, and the photographer and museum curator who made it possible.Voices in this episode:Tracey Robertson co-founded and directed Fit Oshkosh, Inc from 2014-2020. Fit Oshkosh, Inc. was a non-profit social justice organization with the mission to promote social transformation, race equity, and justice through Color-Brave conversations, education, advocacy, and research. Tracey specializes in anti-racist curriculum development and has delivered workshops to clients across the United States and Canada. Her 2017 TedX Oshkosh Talk, “Black Girls Aren't Magic,” received a standing ovation and has been viewed worldwide. She is currently a trainer with Quad Consulting DEI Consultants.Colleen Bies was born and raised in Wisconsin. Prior to her role as Regional Project Director for Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), Colleen served in the Army National Guard, worked in finance, and created 2 businesses as an entrepreneur. Married for 14 years and a big believer in community, her work is dedicated to servicing her community and supporting her family. You can find Colleen's 2019 TEDxOshkosh talk on Why Children of Immigrants Work so Hard here and her photography here.Mushe Subulwa is the Director of SEPO Zambia, a non-profit dedicated to sustainability, education, and progress in western Zambia. Subulwa received the Daisy Frazier Social Justice Award in 2019 for his work with SEPO Zambia.Shawn Anthony Robinson, Ph.D. is a leading scholar on African American boys with dyslexia. Dr. Robinson has over 40 publications and is a public speaker, consultant, and educator. He is affiliated with Wisconsin's Equity & Inclusion Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison Area Technical College, American University, and an active Board member with the International Dyslexia Association. His goal is to change the narrative around dyslexia. His website can be found here.Aaron Sherer has served as the Executive Director of the Paine Art Center and Gardens since 2002. Sherer leads a varied exhibitions program, including shows by artists such as Dale Chihuly, Normal Rockwell, and Ansel Adams, as well as lamps by Louis Comfort Tiffany and costumes from the television show Downton Abbey. Sherer also initiated the annual Nutcracker in the Castle holiday presentation, now preparing for its 15th year, and he has overseen more than $10 million of historic preservation and capital improvements to the historic estate. Sherer lives in Oshkosh with his husband and four sons.

Tiffany lampshades — made of leaded glass — are icons of American art. Louis Comfort Tiffany showed them to the public for the first time in the 1890s. It was always assumed Tiffany designed all his lamps. But it took a century to recognize the contributions of the women who designed many of them — thanks to some long-lost letters.

Hello! Today will be marked as a historic day in America. Kamala Harris made history by becoming get first woman and person of color to serve as a Vice President. She and Biden were sworn in today. Ezra will give you a report on what happened at the ceremony, and what Biden plans to do with his first few days in office. He's already signed 17 executive orders! President Trump was absent from the ceremony, because of his refusal to acknowledge his loss in the election. I also get a perspective from from a small art museum in Florida called the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum. I talk to Emily Sujka who is the director of community relations at the museum. The Morse Museum is known to hold the world's most comprehensive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany's glass creations. We also have new updates in the geographical location challenge. A new country joins the international challenge. And you get to listen to the clarinet! (No, not from a professional player, from ME) I play two Christmas songs even though Christmas was last month. LINK TO THE NEWS NERDS WEBSITE --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/newsnerds/message

  Today's episode examines the life of an eccentric, possibly mentally ill woman and the incredible house she built. We‘ll talk about possible hauntings, impossible architecture and the delusion of a heart broken woman. We are discussing Sarah Winchester and what some less than creative people have dubbed The Winchester Mystery House!      Her birth name was Sarah Lockwood Pardee. She was the fifth of seven children born to Leonard Pardee and Sarah Burns. There are no existing records or any other form of factual information to establish Sarah’s date of birth—even the year remains unknown. The scarce information that survives from the historical record indicates her birth must have occurred somewhere between 1835 and 1845. At the time of Sarah’s birth, the Pardee’s were a respectable, upper middle class New Haven family. Her father Leonard was a joiner by trade whose shrewd sense of business found him moving up the ladder of polite society as a successful carriage manufacturer. Later, during the Civil War, he made a fortune supplying ambulances to the Union Army. Young Sarah’s most distinguishing characteristic was that she was everything but ordinary. She was a child prodigy… a fire starter. Ok, no… By all accounts, she was also considered to be quite beautiful. By the age of twelve, Sarah was already fluent in the Latin, French, Spanish, and Italian languages. Furthermore, her knowledge of the classics (most notably Homer… no, not Simpson, and Shakespeare) along with a remarkable talent as a musician was well noticed. It is no wonder that New Haven Society would eventually dub her “The Belle of New Haven.” In addition to Sarah’s brilliance and respectable place in society, there were several factors about New Haven that presented a unique influence on her upbringing. To begin, there was Yale University (originally known as Yale College). From its inception, Yale (and New Haven) was a hub of progressive, Freemasonic-Rosicrucian thinking and activity. By the way, we’ll most definitely be taking a train ride on the Freemasons. As a result, Sarah was raised and educated in an environment ripe with Freemasonic and Rosicrucian philosophy. Several of Sarah’s uncles and cousins were Freemasons. But more importantly, at an early age, she was admitted to Yale’s only female scholastic institution known as the “Young Ladies Collegiate Institute.” Two of the school’s most influential administrators and professors, Judson A. Root and his brother N.W. Taylor Root were both Rose Croix Freemasons. In addition to the liberal arts, the Roots set forth a strict curriculum consisting of the sciences and mathematics. Sounds super fucking boring. Furthermore, two of Sarah’s schoolmates Susan and Rebecca Bacon were the daughters of New Haven’s highly respected Reverend Dr. Leonard Woolsey Bacon (no relation to Francis Bacon, who was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. His works are credited with developing the scientific method and remained influential through the scientific revolution, just in case you nerds were wondering.). While Sarah and the Bacon girls were attending the school, Dr. Bacon’s sister Delia, also a New Haven resident, attracted considerable fame and attention for writing her famous treatise that Sir Francis Bacon (with the aid of a circle of the finest literary minds of the Elizabethan-Jacobean Age) was the actual author, editor, and publisher of the original works of Shakespeare. Ah ha! See! Her work was sponsored by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne and was later supported by the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mark Twain! Good ol Samuel Clemens. In addition to her writing, Delia Bacon gave numerous public lectures to the citizens of New Haven; thus, New Haven, Connecticut was the actual birthplace of the “Bacon is Shakespeare” doctrine. We’re here to learn ya, folks! Given her direct exposure to the Baconian Doctrine, along with her passion for the Shakespearean works, it was inevitable that Sarah was drawn like an irresistible force to a more than passing interest in the new theorem. Moreover, the Baconian-Masonic preoccupation with secret encryption techniques using numbered cipher systems most certainly influenced young Sarah’s world view. This unique backdrop to Sarah’s early development played a crucial role which, in essence, defined what would become her life’s work. So much smarts! As we’ll see, the Belle of New Haven became a staunch Baconian for the rest of her life. She just LOOOVED HER BACON! BLTs, Canadian bacon, pancetta… she loved it all! A completely strict diet of fucking bacon! Except turkey bacon. Fuck that fake shit. No, but seriously, She also acquired a vast and uncanny knowledge of Masonic-Rosicrucian ritual and symbolism… SSSYMBOLISM. Additionally, she gravitated to Theosophy. Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late nineteenth century. It was founded primarily by the Russian immigrant Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings.Author and historian Ralph Rambo (who actually knew Sarah and is a direct descendant of American bad ass and war hero John J Rambo) wrote “it is believed that Mrs. Winchester was a Theosophist.” Rambo didn’t elaborate on the matter, making him and his statement one of the more boring we’ve heard, but since he was close to Sarah he was certainly in a position to know some things about her. It should be noted that most Rosicrucians are theosophists. Sarah adhered both to Bacon’s Kabbalistic theosophy, which is the eternal belief in the Mortal Kombat franchise no matter how bad their movies are… ok, that was stupid. Anyway, she was also super into the theosophical perspective held by Rudolph Steiner (1861- 1925). Steiner viewed the universe as a vast, living organism in which all things are likened to individually evolving units or cells that comprise a greater universal, synergistic body that is “ever building.” As we shall further see, the “ever building” theme was at the core of Sarah’s methodology. William Wirt Winchester was born in Baltimore, MD on July 22, 1837. He was the only son of Oliver Fisher Winchester and Jane Ellen Hope. In keeping with a popular trend of the day, he was named after William Wirt, the highly popular and longest serving Attorney General of the United States . Soon after William’s arrival, the Winchesters moved to New Haven where the enterprising Oliver, along with his partner John Davies, founded a successful clothing manufacturing company. Gradually, the Winchester patriarch amassed a considerable fortune. Later, Oliver channeled his efforts into a firearms manufacturing venture that eventually (1866) evolved into the famous Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Fuckin’ Winchester! Woo!! According to historical documents, the Winchesters and the Pardees were well acquainted, particularly through the auspices of New Haven’s First Baptist Church. Additionally, Sarah Pardee and William’s sister Annie were classmates at the Young Ladies Collegiate Institute. Not far away, William attended New Haven’s Collegiate and Commercial Institute—another arm of Yale College. Here, William’s teachers included N.W. Taylor Root (one of Sarah’s instructors) and Henry E. Pardee who was another of Sarah’s cousins. Thus, Young Sarah and William found themselves studying virtually the same curriculum under very similar circumstances. Moreover, like the Pardees, the Winchester family was not lacking in members who were Freemasons. Sarah and William were married on September 30, 1862. Their only child, Annie Pardee Winchester came into the world on July 12, 1866. Unfortunately, due to an infantile decease known as Marasmus (a severe form of malnutrition due to the body’s inability to metabolize proteins), Annie died 40 days later. In 1880, Ol Oliver Fisher Winchester died, leaving the succession of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company to his only son. One year later, William died of fucking Tuberculosis at the age of 43. Dammit, TB! The double loss of Annie and William was a staggering blow to Sarah. However, the loss did leave the widow Winchester with an inheritance of 20 million dollars (510 million today) plus nearly 50% of the Winchester Arms stock—which, in turn earned her approximately $1,000 dollars per day (25,000 today)  in royalties for the rest of her life—the result of which made her one of the wealthiest women in the world. Get it, girl!  According to Ralph Rambo, john j rambo’s great great uncle, Sarah went on a three year world tour with her new band “Rifles and Posies”, who sold 3 million records worldwide and had a huge hit with their single “fuck tuberculosis” before settling in California in 1884.   “The New Haven Register,” dated 1886, lists Sarah as having been “removed to Europe.” No other information has survived to tell us exactly where Mrs. Winchester went during those years or what her activities consisted of. But we can project some well educated theories. Although Freemasonry has traditionally barred women from its membership, there are numerous documented cases in which some head-strong women have gained admittance into liberal, Masonic Lodges as far back as the 18th Century. A movement in France called Co-Freemasonry, which allows for male and female membership was already underway when Sarah arrived in that country. Given her social status, a predilection towards Freemasonic tenets, and a mastery of the European languages, Sarah could easily have been admitted into any of the permissive French Masonic lodges. Another possible scenario involving Mrs. Winchester’s activities while abroad could well have included visits to esoteric, architectural landmarks such as the French Cathedral of Chartres. Sarah’s Masonic-Rosicrucian interest in labyrinths would have drawn her to Chartres with its 11 circuit labyrinth, a puzzle-like feature that stresses the discipline of the initiatic tradition of the ancient mystery schools. Likewise, she would also have found inspiration in the Freemasonic symbolism and the mysterious structure (including a staircase that leads nowhere) of Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland . In 1884, Sarah took up residence in the San Francisco Bay area—eventually moving inland to the Santa Clara Valley (now San Jose) to buy an eight room farmhouse from one Dr. Robert Caldwell. Her apparent motive for the move was to live in close proximity to her numerous Pardee relatives, most of whom had come to California during the 1849 Gold Rush, and were scattered from Sacramento to the Bay area. One of these Pardee relatives, Enoch H. Pardee, had become a highly respected physician and politician while living in Oakland. Later his son George C. Pardee followed in his father’s footsteps rising to the office of Governor of California (1903- 1907. It is interesting that Wikipedia makes particular note of Enoch Pardee having been “a prominent occultist.” Most likely the occult reference has to do with the fact that both Enoch and his son George were members of the highly secretive and mysterious ( California based) Bohemian Club which was an offshoot of Yale’s Skull and Bones Society. Moreover, Enoch and George were Knights Templar Freemasons. Also interesting, is the fact that President Theodore Roosevelt (another member of the Bohemian Club) came to California in 1903 to ask Governor Pardee to run as his Vice Presidential candidate in the 1904 national election. The offer was turned down. During the same trip, Roosevelt attempted to visit Sarah Pardee Winchester. Again, Roosevelt’s offer was turned down.  THE STORY BEHIND THE HOUSE         The story goes that after the death of her child and her husband she moved to California and bought the 8 room farmhouse and began building. It is said once construction started it was a continuous process. Workers in the area would work in shifts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  We're going to explore the stories about her mental state,  the construction of the house, and the reports of ghosts and spooky stuff.     The story supposedly starts like this: There was no plan – no official blueprints were drawn up, no architectural vision was created, and yet a once-unfinished house took shape on a sprawling lot in the heart of San Jose, California. Inside, staircases ascended through several levels before ending abruptly, doorways opened to blank walls, and corners rounded to dead ends. The house was the brainchild of Sarah Winchester, heir by marriage to the Winchester firearms fortune, and since the project began in 1884 rumors have swirled about the construction, the inhabitants, and the seemingly endless maze that sits at 525 South Winchester Blvd.Today, the house is known as the Winchester Mystery House, but at the time of its construction, it was simply Sarah Winchester’s House. Newly in possession of a massive fortune and struggling with the loss of her husband and daughter, she sought the advice of a medium. She hoped, perhaps, to get advice from the beyond as to how to spend her fortune or what to do with her life. Though the exact specifics remain between Sarah Winchester and her medium, the story goes that the medium was able to channel dearly departed William, who advised Sarah to leave her home in New Haven, Connecticut, and head west to California. As far as what to do with her money, William answered that too; she was to use the fortune to build a home for the spirits of those who had fallen victim to Winchester rifles, lest she be haunted by them for the rest of her life. So there's that… Spirits from beyond told her to build! After this is when she ended up in San Jose and purchased the farm house. Winchester hired carpenters to work around the clock, expanding the small house into a seven-story mansion. The construction of the House was an “ever building” enterprise in which rotating shifts of workers labored 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. the House gradually mushroomed outward and upward,By the turn of the century, Sarah Winchester had her ghost house: an oddly laid out mansion, with seven stories, 161 rooms, 47 fireplaces, 10,000 panes of glass, two basements, three elevators, and a mysterious fun-house-like interior. It was built at a price tag of the $5 million dollars in 1923 or $71 million today. Due to the lack of a plan and the presence of an architect, the house was constructed haphazardly; rooms were added onto exterior walls resulting in windows overlooking other rooms. Multiple staircases would be added, all with different sized risers, giving each staircase a distorted look. Gold and silver chandeliers hung from the ceilings above hand-inlaid parquet flooring. Dozens of artful stained-glass windows created by Tiffany & Co. dotted the walls, including some designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany himself. One window, in particular, was intended to create a prismatic rainbow effect on the floor when light flowed through it – of course, the window ended up on an interior wall, and thus the effect was never achieved. Even more luxurious than the fixtures was the plumbing an electrical work. Rare for the time, the Winchester Mystery House boasted indoor plumbing, including coveted hot running water, and push-button gas lighting available throughout the home. Additionally, forced-air heating flowed throughout the house. Adding further to the mysterious features, the prime numbers 7, 11, and 13 are repeatedly displayed in various ways throughout the House—the number 13 being most prominent. These numbers consistently show up in the number of windows in many of the rooms, or the number of stairs in the staircases, or the number of rails in the railings, or the number of panels in the floors and walls, or the number of lights in a chandelier, etc. Unquestionably, these three prime numbers were extremely important to Sarah. In 1906 something happened that would change the landscape of california and the Winchester house. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18 with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). High-intensity shaking was felt from Eureka on the North Coast to the Salinas Valley, an agricultural region to the south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Devastating fires soon broke out in the city and lasted for several days. More than 3,000 people died. Over 80% of the city of San Francisco was destroyed. The events are remembered as one of the worst and deadliest earthquakes in the history of the United States. The death toll remains the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history and high on the lists of American disasters. Although The impact of the earthquake on San Francisco was the most famous, the earthquake also inflicted considerable damage on several other cities. These include San Jose and Santa Rosa, the entire downtown of which was essentially destroyed. Since if the damage in San Jose was located at, you guessed it, the Winchester house. Standing 7 stories at the time, the house was damaged badly and the top three floors were essentially reduced and the house said at for stories from then on due to the damage.  Aside from its immense size and Victorian style architecture, the House has a number of unique characteristics. To begin, it is undeniably a labyrinth. There are literally miles of maze-like corridors and twisting hallways, some of which have dead ends—forcing the traveler to turn around and back-up. There are also some centrally located passages and stairways that serve as shortcuts allowing a virtual leap from one side of the House to the other. Traversing the labyrinth is truly dizzying and disorienting to one’s sensibilities. The House abounds in oddities and anomalous features. There are rooms within rooms. There is a staircase that leads nowhere, abruptly halting at the ceiling. In another place, there is a door which opens into a solid wall. Some of the House’s 47 chimneys have an overhead ceiling—while, in some places, there are skylights covered by a roof—and some skylights are covered by another skylight—and, in one place, there is a skylight built into the floor. There are tiny doors leading into large spaces, and large doors that lead into very small spaces. In another part of the House, a second story door opens outward to a sheer drop to the ground below. Moreover, upside-down pillars can be found all about the House. Many visitors to the Winchester mansion have justifiably compared its strange design to the work of the late Dutch artist M.C. Escher. Practically a small town unto itself, the Winchester estate was virtually self sufficient with its own carpenter and plumber’s workshops along with an on-premise water and electrical supply, and a sewage drainage system. On September 5, 1922, she died in her sleep of heart failure. A service was held in Palo Alto, California, and her remains lay at Alta Mesa Cemetery until they were transferred, along with those of her sister, to New Haven, Connecticut.  She was buried next to her husband and their infant child in Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut. She left a will written in thirteen sections, which she signed thirteen times.  In accordance with her will Sarah had her entire estate divided up in generous portions to be distributed among a number of charities and those people who had faithfully spent years in her service. Her favorite niece and secretary, Marian Marriott, oversaw the removal and sale of all of Sarah’s furnishings and personal property. Roy Lieb, Mrs. Winchester’s attorney of many years, had been named in her will as executor to her estate. He sold the House to the people who, in 1933, preserved it as a “living” museum—today, it is known as the Winchester Mystery House also known as California Historical Landmark #868. Although no mention has ever surfaced as to any specific guidelines or special instructions by which Mr. Lieb would select a buyer for the property, one gets the distinct impression that Sarah wanted the House to stand intact and perpetually preserved… and so it does. SOME OF THE FOLKLORE Some of this stuff we've touched on already but here's a rundown of the folklore behind the house.  Despite the fact that Sarah Winchester was extremely secretive about herself, nearly all of what the public thinks it knows about her reads like a mish-mash of gossip out “The National Enquirer.” some refer to this body of misinformation as “The Folklore.” Indeed, on a research visits to the Winchester Mystery House, a senior tour guide informed one writer that “in the old days, the tour guides were encouraged to make up stuff just to give some spice to the story.” The Folklore about Sarah says that, after William’s death in 1881, the highly distraught Mrs. Winchester sought the advice of the then famous Boston medium Adam Coons. During a séance with Coons, Sarah was told that because of the many people who had been slain by the Winchester Rifle, she was cursed by the Winchester fortune. Coons further instructed Sarah that the angry spirits demanded that she move to California and build them a house. Upon her arrival in California, Sarah began holding her own séances every midnight so that she could receive the next day’s building instructions from the spirits. Her séances allegedly involved the use of a Ouija board and planchette, and 13 various colored robes she would ritualistically wear each night (for the edification of the spirits) within the confines of her “Séance Room.” To further appease the angry spirits, Mrs. Winchester made sure the construction of the House went on, nonstop, 24 / 7, 365 days a year for fear that should the building ever stop, she would die. For some inexplicable reason, however, Mrs. Winchester took precautions in the building design so as to incorporate all of the strange features of the House to “confuse the evil spirits.” Moreover, she would ring her alarm bell every night at midnight to signal the spirits that it was séance time, and then again at 2:00 am, signaling the spirits that it was time to depart. Which begs the question “who was in charge of whom?” And, why would spirits’ have an inability or need to keep track of time? Whenever people make mention of Sarah Winchester the typical response you get from people is “Oh yeah…wasn’t she the crazy lady who built that weird house because she was afraid the spirits would kill her?” Many of these people have never been to the Winchester House. Their source is usually television. “ America ’s Most Haunted Places” tops the list of TV shows that grossly reinforces the Folklore of the house. The misinformation is further compounded by the “Haunted House” tour business thriving in San Jose as the commercial enterprise known as the “Winchester Mystery House” which profits by perpetuating the Folklore myth. In fairness to the management of the “WMH,” they try to present Mrs. Winchester in a positive light. However, their Halloween flashlight tours, along with booklets, postcards, coffee mugs and other sundry items being sold in the WMH souvenir shop displaying the title “The Mansion Designed By Spirits” only enhances the Folklore version of Sarah Winchester’s life. You’ve got to hand it to them, they’ve created a highly effective marketing strategy for a very lucrative commercial enterprise. These are good people who mean well—but this is hardly the legacy Sarah wanted to leave to posterity.  Even in more recent times the house keeps giving up secrets. In 2016, a secret attic was discovered. Inside the attic were a pump organ, a Victorian-era couch, a dress form, a sewing machine, and various paintings. There was a rumour that Sarah had a secrecy room full of undisplayed treasures and large amounts of cash, it was thought this attic may have been that room but there is no concrete proof of this.  So these are the stories about Sarah Winchester and her house, now comes the sad news, most of what you think you know, and most of what you've just heard, are myths. Stories that have grown over the years about the woman and the house. Early on we talked about president roosevelt trying to visit Sarah and the house. If you forgot, the story goes that Theodore Roosevelt attempted to visit Sarah at home in 1903, but was turned away. This is used as an example of her alleged weirdness. It is said the rumors likely started about Sarah because in life she was extremely private, refused to address gossip and did not engage much in the community.  This infamous presidential visit never occurred. Eyewitness accounts state that the President's carriage never stopped at the Winchester place. Furthermore, Winchester had rented a house near San Francisco that year to prepare for the wedding of her niece. She was not at home. There is another myth that Sarah would spy on her employees. It is said that some employees believed Sarah could walk through walls and closed doors. The claims are that Sarah had elaborate spying features built into the house. There is no evidence she spied on her workers. Would a suspicious employer retain the same workers for decades? Would she name them in her will? Would she buy them homes? Would they name children after her? All these things happened. In short, there is no evidence that she ever spied on her employees. Then there is the fascination with the number 13 and several other numbers. Since websites detail the occurrences of 13 in the house: 13 robe hooks in the seance room, 13 panes of glass in several windows, a stairway with 13 steps, just to name a few. These facts are used as evidence to prove the woman was ruled by superstition. References to the number 13 were added after Sarah's death, according to workers at the time. The 13 hooks were added not long ago.  Then we have some of the crazy architecture. The story goes that she built crazy things like hallways to nowhere, stairs to nowhere, doors that lead to walls, and doors that lead to several story drops, to confuse spirits. Some websites make much of the architectural "oddities" of the house, such as doors and flights of stairs leading into walls, and how they were supposedly built to confuse vengeful ghosts. Some say there is a more natural explanation—the 1906 earthquake.  Research uncovered the fact that there was massive damage to the house in the trembler and that Sarah never fully repaired it. The stairs and doors that lead to "nowhere" are merely where damage has been sealed off or where landings have fallen away. After the earthquake she moved to another house. She did not want to make the necessary repairs—it had nothing to do with spirits. Not to mention she herself admitted that with her being the architect and having no formal training, things often did not go as planned. "I am constantly having to make an upheaval for some reason,” Winchester wrote to her sister-in-law in 1898. “For instance, my upper hall which leads to the sleeping apartment was rendered so unexpectedly dark by a little addition that after a number of people had missed their footing on the stairs I decided that safety demanded something to be done." Far from an exercise in spiritualism, Winchester’s labyrinth arose because she made mistakes — and had the disposable income to carry on making them. It didn’t help her reputation that she was naturally reserved. While most Bay Area millionaires were out in society, attending galas and loudly donating to charities, Winchester preferred a quiet life with the close family who occasionally lived with her. In the absence of her own voice, locals began to gossip. One of the biggest myths however is the stories of how construction started and kept in going 24-7. There were actually many instances of Sarah sending workers away. Many times in the summer months she would send them away for a couple months because it got too hot. And in the winter she would send them away for a little break for everyone. This has been uncovered in Sarah's own writings. The Feb. 24, 1895 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article that almost single-handedly laid the foundation for the Winchester Mystery House legend."The sound of the hammer is never hushed,” it reported. “... The reason for it is in Mrs. Winchester's belief that when the house is entirely finished she will die." So aside from appeasing spirits with the continued building this article states that she believes that if she ever finished the house that's when she would die, so that's why she kept building.  "Whether she had discovered the secret of eternal youth and will live as long as the building material, saws and hammers last, or is doomed to disappointment as great as Ponce de Leon in his search for the fountain of life, is a question for time to solve,” the story concludes. Some modern-day historians speculate one of the reasons Winchester kept building was because of the economic climate. By continuing construction, she was able to keep locals employed. In her unusual way, it was an act of kindness. "She had a social conscience and she did try to give back," Winchester Mystery House historian Janan Boehme told the Los Angeles Times in 2017. "This house, in itself, was her biggest social work of all." As far as all of the supernatural talk, most of it started after her death. The famed Winchester mansion fell into the hands of John H. Brown, a theme park worker who designed roller coasters. One of his inventions, the Backety-Back coaster in Canada, killed a woman who was thrown from a car. After her death, the Browns moved to California. When the Winchester house went up for rent, Brown and his wife Mayme jumped at the chance and quickly began playing up the home’s strangeness. Less than two years after Sarah Winchester’s death, newspapers were suddenly beginning to write about the mansion’s supernatural powers. “The seance room, dedicated to the spirit world in which Mrs. Winchester had such faith, is magnificently done in heavy velvet of many colors,” the Healdsburg Tribune wrote in 1924. “... Here are hundreds of clothes hooks, upon which hang many costumes. Mrs. Winchester, it is said, believed that she could don any of these costumes and speak to the spirits of the characters of the area represented by the clothing.” (It is worth noting here: There are no contemporary accounts of Winchester holding seances in the home, and “Ghostland” writes that the “seance room” was actually a gardener’s private quarters.) The myth took hold, though, and the home, with its dead ends and tight turns, is easy to imagine as haunted. Although the spirits are fun, the ghosts shroud the real life of a fascinating, creative woman. Winchester was "as sane and clear headed a woman as I have ever known,” her lawyer Samuel Leib said after her death. “She had a better grasp of business and financial affairs than most men." Speaking of supernatural, let's get into the haunted history. Dozens of psychics have visited the house over the years and most have come away convinced, or claim to be convinced, that spirits still wander the place. It was even named one of the “Most Haunted Places in the World” by Time magazine. Here are just a few tales, courtesy of Winchester tour manager Janan Boehme. The Case of the Ghostly Handyman Some of Sarah Winchester’s loyal workmen and house servants may still be looking after the place, according to sightings of figures or the “feeling of a presence” reported many times over the years, by tour guides and visitors alike. One frequent apparition is a man with jet-black hair believed to have been a former handyman. He’s been seen repairing the fireplace in the ballroom, or pushing an equally spectral wheelbarrow – if wheelbarrows indeed linger in the beyond — down a long, dark hallway. The Secret of the Invisible HandSeveral years ago, a man working on one of the many restoration projects in the mansion started his day early in a section with several fireplaces, known as the Hall of Fires. The house was dead quiet before tours got underway, and he was working up on a ladder when he felt someone tap him on the back. He turned to ask what the person wanted. No one was there. Reassuring himself he’d just imagined the sensation, he went back to his work, only to experience what felt like someone pushing against his back. That was enough. He hurried down the ladder, crossed the estate and started on another project, figuring that someone — or something — didn’t want him working in the Hall of Fires that day. The Sign of the Heavy SighA tour guide named Samantha recently led visitors to the room the Daisy Bedroom, where Sarah Winchester was trapped during the 1906 quake. Samantha was about to begin her spiel when a very clear “sigh” came from the small hallway outside the bedroom door. Thinking one of her guests had merely fallen behind, Samantha turned to call the person into the room but saw no one. Then, as her eyes adjusted to the darkened hallway, she did see something. The form of a small, dark person slowly emerged, gliding around a corner. Samantha quickly stepped around the corner and again saw nothing but heard yet another deep sigh. She felt sure it was the tiny form of Sarah Winchester herself, perhaps peeved to find people in her favorite bedroom. You can find a surveillance video that seems to show a ghost or something moving around in a balcony late ate night on the fourth floor. Just as unexpected things turn up on video, the same is true of photographs. The Winchester Mystery House's own Public Relations Coordinator reports that he took several photos of the mansion in 2015. When he downloaded the photos he deleted what he didn't need. But, one caught his eye. In one window of the house, Tim O'Day spotted something. Was it a shadow? A reflection of a cloud? Or something else? Visitors to the Winchester Mystery House also report taking photos with strange shapes in the windows. A few even shared their snapshots on Facebook. If you visit, study all photos carefully before hitting the delete button. You never know what you will find! Top haunted house movies from ranker.com https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-haunted-house-movies/ranker-film?ref=collections_btm&l=367358&collectionId=2164

New York Times bestselling author M. J. Rose talks about her novels Cartier's Hope and Tiffany Blues, her writing process, and marketing advice every author needs to hear. The Washington Post describes M. J. Rose as "an unusually skillful storyteller. Her polished prose and intricate plot will grip even the most skeptical reader."Highlights of the interview:Inspiration for Cartier's Hope and Tiffany BluesDiscussion of the role of women journalists played in Gilded Age New York, the setting for Cartier's HopeDiscussion of Louis Comfort Tiffany and how his fabulous glassworks and Lauralton Hall mansion are portrayed in Tiffany BluesWriting and making a livingExcellent marketing advice based on M. J. Rose's experience as the owner of AuthorBuzz, a marketing service that helps authors reach readersPress Play right now and don't forget to check out M. J. Rose's novels on Art In Fiction.M. J. Rose's Website: www.mjrose.com Link to AuthorBuzz: Mention Art In Fiction and receive a discount on book marketing services

Benjamin Macklowe joined Macklowe Gallery in 1994 and became its president in 2012. Under Ben’s leadership, Macklowe Gallery has become the world’s most respected dealer of antique and estate jewelry, French Art Nouveau decorative arts and the entire oeuvre of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Ben is a sought-after expert in his field and has served as a lecturer for museum groups and scholarly organizations throughout the United States. Ben has appeared on television to discuss Tiffany lamps with Martha Stewart, lectured on the art glass of Emile Gallé at Taft Museum of Art and has taught about Art Nouveau jewelry at Christie’s Auction House on multiple occasions. He helped expand the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, selling important decorative works of art to each. In recent years, Ben has sought to shed light on areas of collecting that have never been fully explored, spearheading the publication of two books: Dynamic Beauty: Sculpture of Art Nouveau Paris and Nature Transformed: Art Nouveau Horn Jewelry. What you’ll learn in this episode: How the Macklowe family recognized the potential in antique and vintage pieces and came to establish Macklowe Gallery. What types of collectors exist and how Macklowe Gallery advises on purchasing antique and estate jewelry. The importance of unsigned jewelry and the role collectors play in bringing the pieces justice. Why Macklowe Gallery chose to represent designer Neha Dani and the inspiration behind her work. How Macklowe Gallery is positioning antique and estate jewelry to potential millennial buyers. Additional resources: Website Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube Twitter

It's time to learn about Louis Comfort Tiffany, the Gilded Age glassware mogul who contributed almost no creativity to the company that bears his name!

The story behind this episode started with the high-profile heist in 1991 of a stained-glass window from the nineteenth century mausoleum of a New London industrialist. The window was designed by world-famous artist Louis Comfort Tiffany.  But the thieves hadn’t counted on a persistent detective. Tiffany, best known for his brilliant innovations in glass, had deep Connecticut roots. A new permanent exhibition about his work, including 100 fine- and decorative-arts objects, is now on view at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London. Join host Mary Donohue and curator Tanya Pohrt and museum director Sam Quigley to discover more about Tiffany’s career, his family ties to New London, and his life-long pursuit of beauty. Read our story about Louis Comfort Tiffany in the Winter 2018-2019 issue online at ctexplored.org. For more information about the Lyman Allyn’s exhibition “Louis Comfort Tiffany in New London” and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum visit lymanallyn.org.  To see a fantastic interior designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his firm Associated Artists, visit the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford. This episode was hosted and produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan with music by Miles Elliot. To hear more episodes of Grating the Nutmeg subscribe on itunes, iHeartRadio, GooglePlay,, Sound Cloud or at gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com. And for more great Connecticut history stories, subscribe to Connecticut Explored, the magazine of Connecticut history,  at ctexplored.org. Through May 31, 2019, we’ve got a special offer for Grating the Nutmeg listeners. For just $20, you’ll receive 6 issues for the price of 4 with coupon code GTNSpring19. That’s 2 free issues added to a one-year subscription with coupon code GTNSpring19 when you subscribe by May 31, 2019.

My conversation with Darin Ronning and Travis Messinger from Bantam Tileworks.Handcrafted tiles and myriad of colors makes Bantam Tile Works a unique and sought after company. I want to explore the techniques that give each and every tile it own unique quality. I want to hear all about the sensational range of available colors inspired by Louis Comfort Tiffany!Darin and Travis have a wonderful story of dedication to their craft, remarkable journey from the Lower Manhattan to Bantam CT. Join us for a fascinating conversation about the Heart and Soul of Bantam Tileworks

Kathranne Knight is a visual artist and co-editor of Correspondence Publishing. Her drawings speak in the packed way of a symbol-- elemental, but ricocheting with associations and metaphoric possibilities. Impermanence, multiplication, and issues of representation are plumbed through materials as various as fly paper, silver, tears, and graphite. The action and materiality of drawing are stretched, performed, and reconfigured in her series of tracings and contour studies, where she draws around her own body and that of her daughter, trying to glean the actual now of existence in their form. Poetry and Poets are important collaborators as well and her drawings are found on the covers of books by Nate Klug and James Cagney. Knight has been artist in residence at Donald Judd’s Chinati Foundation and the Connemara Conservancy Foundation, Dallas, Texas. Her work has been shown in museums and galleries including: Mass MoCA, The Des Moines Art Center, Carroll and Sons Gallery, Geoffrey Young Gallery, and Muriel Guepin Gallery (New York, NY) among others. Her work is included in several private and public collections such as: The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, and the private collection of A.G. Rosen. Knight was an Iowa Artist Fellow in 2014, awarded an Iowa Artist Grant in 2015 and has been nominated for both a Louis Comfort Tiffany and Joan Mitchell award. Two color pencil on paper 30” x 41 ¼” Like Breath on a Mirror, Single channel video still

Kelly Conway, curator of American glass at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, discusses the understudied aspect of Tiffany’s virtuosity. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Louis Comfort Tiffany directed an artistic empire in the design and creation of stained glass windows and lamps, blown glass vases, and other objects of luxury. But his innovations in glass mosaics represented perhaps his most expressive mastery of the medium.

In der der heutigen Folge geht es um Charles Lewis Tiffany den Gründer von Tiffany & Co und den Jugendstil Künstler Louis Comfort Tiffany der durch die berühmten Tiffany Lampen und Vasen bekannt wurde. Es sind zwei wichtige Künstler des 19. Jh. die eine gemeinsame Beziehung verband. Zu dieser Folge gibt es auch wieder viele Bilder auf meiner Facebook-Seite und bei Instagram. Blog: http://rodensteinskunstkabinett.podspot.de Louisrodenstein@gmx.de Facebook: Louis Rodestein.

Five window panels: Flower, Fish and Fruit; Bowl with Fruit and Flowers; Vase with Flowers; Red Apples on a Branch; Autumn Leaves

With the [Park Avenue] Armory, New York City is finally getting the kind of cultural space that just a handful of other cities have," noted the New York Times in 2011. Like the Arsenale in Venice or the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern in London, the voluminous Upper East Side drill hall can uniquely accomodate large-scale artwork and performances. The ongoing renovation/restoration by Herzog & de Meuron and executive architects Platt Byard Dovell White reveals layers of history within the five-story, 210,000 square-foot regimental building—uncovering work by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Herter Brothers and other key American designers in its collection of 19th century period rooms—while activating the Wade Thompson Drill Hall and interiors for dance, opera, theater, and visual arts presentation curated by the Park Avenue Armory. Moderated by Historic Preservation and Urban Planning Program Associate Director Janet Foster, this conversation with architects Ascan Mergenthaler and Charles Platt, and Park Avenue Armory President and Executive Producer Rebecca Robertson will illuminate the relationship between site and cultural programming, and the way that preservation fosters change.

Reyne & Martin record an informational podcast together on one of Reyne’s specialties, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s art glass.  They talk about the beginnings to when it had fallen out of favor in the 1930s to the 1960s. They discuss Lillian …