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Reprinted with permission
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Rhinestone Annie
A labor of love is always a pleasure to see but a passion, well that can and often does leave us breathless. Rhinestone Annie will not only leave you breathless for the passion and workwomen ship displayed, but the imaginative blending of the glitter and glamour of rhinestones with her otherwise not so glamorous subjects will surely leaving you smiling. And although this is not exactly within the customary definition of jewelry we felt Anne Collens and her "work" belonged in the "Fashion Jewelry History Hall of Fame".
I retired my mannequin when my work with theatre ended in the early 60s. I
decided to use my collection of jewelry parts etc. to make an exotic
"skin" for her. It took over 1,000 hours and lots of intricate work,
custom fitting and forming most pieces of jewelry. I added rhinestones to
enhance the glitter. The mannequin had been on local television and on display
at our local museum attracting interest from people of all ages.
I am currently working on the creation of a carousel house which I have
designed into a floor lamp. Thanks to my jewel buddy Heidi Kulzer who supplies
me with her jewelry cast offs, and inspires me to keep going!
ANNE COLLENS
Kelowna, BC, Canada
Click on
the mannequin
photo to enlarge,
it is well worth the waiting time
!
Here she is in color showing off her true jeweled splendor,
if you'd like to
get up close and personal click the smaller image,
but be patient its really
worth the wait as the detailing and craftsmanship
of this rhinestone and finding
masterpiece is awe inspiring to see.
Rhinestone Annie, Anne Collens from British Colombia. In VFCJ vol. 12, #1 we showed her life-sized Rhinestone Annie mannequin. "She" has since been sold to Pam Claussen of Redmond, Washington, artist of fashion bridal wear. These are some of Anne’s other creations: Jewel #1, a carousel horse with a genuine turquoise saddle, cuffs and bib of fresh water pearls and floral vintage jewelry on head and tail. Below is a trinket box made primarily from vintage brooches.
Click on the image to
enlarge
the trinket box.
The ultimate in jewelry re-cycling.
"Awesome
!"
You must click on this to enlarge,
in our opinion the best yet !
We hope you
enjoyed this story as much as we did posting it,
since we first uploaded this story we have had the chance to meet
Heidi Kulzer on the phone and she assures us that
Anne Collens is "the real deal".
Hats off to you Anne your work has made a lot of people smile.