The origins of our brand name: “Waxing Poetic”

People often ask us, what does “Waxing Poetic” mean and how did you choose it?  Early on, when the idea struck me to create and cast our first wax seal insignias, a belief and energy came over me through the pieces that, was, well… “poetic” (even though the name Waxing Poetic had not appeared yet. That is part of the wonderful mystery of how these things happen!).The intention of the seals just inspired me – each was a “signature” of sorts, an iconic identifier, that held beliefs and intention and much more. I was so moved to somehow channel the humble and potent energy of these imperfect, handmade pieces.  Just like the artifacts of ancient cultures, which were not just for adornment, but carried information, there was a through line there that piqued my curiosity.

So I went about exploring how to authentically craft a palette of expression for our community – pieces that express the freedom that we can combine and “author” this jewelry in our own way.  I was searching for the right name, and wasn’t satisfied until my husband (who is a genius wordsmith) said something like “these are Waxing Poetic.” It just came out, like a gift from beyond, and that was IT. Aha!  Waxing Poetic - a name that embodies both the process of how we make the jewelry (the lost wax method) and also the intention behind it (to become more of who were truly are… the “poetic” and harder to describe quality behind these pieces that our customers are drawn to, and that we seek to uncover).We both recognized “Waxing Poetic” as the name of the path we wanted to be on – the path these pieces and our customers were showing us.  Since then, we our brand has stayed true to what these words mean: a “becoming” (waxing) more connected to the expressive and emotional (poetic).

That’s Waxing Poetic! Thank you to all who have shopped, gifted, worn, and loved our jewelry. We hope we continue to meet your inspiration with pieces that you recognize and embrace as your own.

Love to all,

Patti

GOOD MEN DESERVE GOOD GIFTS.

 (LET US HELP.)

Father’s Day fast approaches. Shop our favorite, Dad-worthy designs!

Now through June 6th, receive 20% off all POET Men's Collection. Use Code: POET20

START WHERE YOU ARE KEY FOB

All rad dads do one thing very well well: improvise joyfully. Celebrate that resourceful spirit with this useful (and handsome) key fob.

BOAT CLEAT WRAP BRACELET - STERLING SILVER

STERLING SILVER BOAT CLEAT CHAIN BRACELET

SYMBOL SIGNET RING

COMPASS KEY FOB - STERLING SILVER

SMALL CROSS TAG NECKLACE - 22"

UNIFIED FRONT LEATHER BRACELET

The MOST ____ Mom.

 Everyone’s Mom is the MOST [something they know] –
every day, all the time.

Thank you for sharing your Most ____ Moms. See some of the stories shared below.

My mom is the most compassionate, loving, patient woman I know. She has sacrificed so much for me and I would love to be able to show her how much I love her and how proud I am of her.

I have attached a picture of us on my wedding day. She is beautiful everyday, but on this day I think she was glowing.

- Kayle Garcia

My mom is the most Kind Mom - every day, all the time.   My mom (parents) live between Arizona and Wisconsin while her three adult children are spread between Arizona, Wisconsin, and (me, pictured), Maryland.  I'm the oddball.  But my mother always makes time to call her kids in all 3 states to check in on us, tell us she loves us and makes sure we are well.  This has been through her own bout with breast cancer and my father's bout with prostate cancer.  She is 78 and carries herself like she is 50.  Her kindness is beyond words.  She worries about my medical condition of epilepsy.  In fact just hours after this photo was taken I had a tonic clonic seizure with my mother and she cared for me until help could arrive.

My mom is a nurse by training.  A newborn nursery nurse.  Kindness and gentleness are requirements of her job.  Now retired, my mom has retained those qualities in life and cares for everyone she encounters in life the same way.  My dad, my siblings, my aunts/uncle's, cousins, my mother's friends, everyone she cares about.  Simply said - My mom is the most Kind Mom.

- Sheri Ferguson

My mom is the most inspiring person I know. She has inspired me to be the best mom that I can be to my 2 children. Now since I am older, I have realized, all she has sacrificed to give me a good life. She has worked countless hours, and still had time to spend quality time with me.

-Lindsay

My mom is the most giving person that I know. During health ailments with my dad, her ex-husband, she has been a constant support and caretaker for the family. She has given the most to our family and my father to make sure that he receives excellent care and that we are all getting the care that we need as family. She has sacrificed so much of her own time and life to be an amazing mother.

- KathrynMy mom is the most reliable person I know. Ever since I went away to college in 2007 I have been calling my mom everyday, sometimes multiple times a day to chat or share stories. We have lived in different states the majority of the years since I turned 18. In over ten years my mom has never not returned a call that same day, usually within the hour. She is an excellent listener and the first person I want to share good news with. She always jokes that she isn’t world’s best mom, but the fact that I can call her and know she will be on the other end of the line is invaluable to me. I love her more than she will ever know. Now that I am a mom myself I have been calling more than ever with “is this normal?” “should I take her to the doctor?” “should I stop breastfeeding?” questions and I know she will be that reassuring voice on the other end of the line and in my head all the time. She is truly the most best friend a girl could ask for.

- Emily

Welcome Springtime

Springtime summons our wandering selves

Restored by good rest and nurtured by hope and care

 we, like trailing vines or sweetpeas, extend our tendrils outward --

Everreaching towards the light,

Towards something worth entangling --

Towards our soon-to-be-known joys

We wend our way (winsomely)

Towards wonder

Towards beauty

Towards our best and brightest lives

Towards love

Grow Well, Darlings

We see you -- and gather all the beauty you can.

Initial Observations: Moms Love Being Noticed. Give Yours Proof.

This Mother’s Day, show the one who told you

That details

And noticing them matter.

How the act of paying attention

Can be a gift

more valuable

than most things.

& How

giving attention

with care about who, or what, receives it

Is a kind of everything that matters…

That she

& her particular details (in this case, her initials)

Matter beautifully

And warrant generations worth

Of love

Mamas, like heirlooms, Become.

A life is made of moments and stories,

A name is made of letters and meaning,

A monogram is made of initials

The first letter of each part of

One Particular Name

(a record of beginnings, of becoming)

…

Hers.

SHOP CUSTOM GIFTS FOR MOM

WAXING POETIC SAYS GIVE A *&%$: Elephant Edition

Giving A Damn

Means knowing

In the most central part of your heart

That while you cannot fix everything alone

You can be part of what will fix everything eventually

And what will right now

Help whatever it is

That you Give a Damn about.

And then you do

Your best.

Here’s why we’re giving a damn on Save the Elephant Day:

Elephants

Value the importance

Of close bonds

Of female familial ties

Of learning between generations

Elephants

Value the importance

Of respect and devotion

Of being in community

Of love, wonder, and seizing moments of joy

Elephant values should be ours.

*

All Elephants deserve our respect, wonder, love, and when necessary, our protection.

Historically, humans haven’t done so well in this regard. Elephants worldwide are in trouble because of poaching, habitat fragmentation or fragmentation, and other careless human actions. But we can help change this. We can choose to Give A Damn.

By hand, by heart, and always true

A Story of MakingBy Hand

Each Waxing Poetic design begins and ends, quite literally, by hand.

By Hand? Really? Yes.

All our designs start by hand. As in drawn, sketched, outlined, doodled, painted (really, it has happened more than once) or even described with words, written out or otherwise rendered by hand, on the drawing board. Or notebook. Or sometimes sketchbook. Or even possibly a napkin. Or tablet. Or iPad. Whatever it is, we draw it out first.  Once we like where a concept is going, we refine the design and send it to our dear friends and artisans in Bali.By Heart

In addition to being one of the most overwhelmingly beautiful places in all the world, Bali is a jewelry designer’s dreamland, home to a tradition of metalsmithing that can be traced back centuries, if not a millenium. Silversmithing is a revered practice and valued trade, and most artisans come from families who have been part of the practice for generations. There is an implicit poetry to the work -- from carving detailed designs into wax to casting pieces to painstaking attention to detail in finishing a design that was apparent to us from our very first collaboration. We are honored to have our designs felt, understood, and translated into being by such beautiful spirits. Balinese silversmiths, or “pandai parak” in Indonesian, are incredibly skilled and internationally regarded as some of the most dextrous, gifted silver artisans in the world. The term “pandai” itself reflects this truth -- it translates as both a noun (metalsmith) and a host of adjectives (clever, skillful, gifted, proficient, resourceful, ingenious and versed, to name a few), and their work itself is proof. Speaking of proof, ‘proof’ is another word for a prototype or sample design. The proof-process feels pretty magical on our end. We send concepts and drawings digitally across the globe and a few weeks later, wonderful little packages containing realized jewelry dreams arrive. What happens in between though is even more magical -- designs literally become jewelry with the help of many sets of hands and hearts.

There’s an old saying that wax, as a material, always tells the truth. It makes sense -- wax impressions catch uncanny details, early sound recording technology relied on wax, and wax document seals were the standard of trust for centuries. Waxing Poetic isn’t just our name, in a way, it describes the very process by which our designs become.Once a Waxing Poetic design arrives in Bali, it soon makes its way to artisan wax carvers, who interpret the 2D rendering into wax with precision tools , translating and our lines and shapes into physical reality. Next, casting artisans take over, a cast gets made, molten Silver poured, cooled, and then the piece is almost ready. Another team of wondrous people refine the next phase of work, adding proprietary treatments which give Waxing Poetic jewelry its particular and recognizable finish, and then, with great care, each new piece is gently wrapped and sent back to California for inspection and approval. Sometimes a proof sample is everything we hoped for in one go, other times we open a package and realize an idea needs to evolve before it makes its entrance as a finished piece of Waxing Poetic jewelry.We trust our artisans implicity, and work together in joyous community to realize our creations. It literally takes a village (if not more accurately a few) to make our jewelry, and we hope the hearts and hands who help make it possible resonate with every piece.

International Women's Day

Waxing Poetic is a company founded by women and inspired by women, and we’re always on board for International Women’s Day, and to celebrate who we are in the balance equation. In our business, it is an absolute honor to employ and and collaborate with women the world over, especially our beautiful Balinese cohorts, with whom we have been working for almost 20 years.Head over to our Story today to meet some of these soul-sisters and heroines who balance motherhood, artistry, and a dedication to their communities. They join us on the daily in bringing Waxing Poetic pieces to life in a way no one else ever could. Everyone benefits from gender balance -- (not just our girls) and we are HERE. FOR. ALL. OF. IT. Celebrating #InternationalWomen’sDay2019  #BalanceforBetter  #motherswhobalance #creativeswhobalance #bosseswhobalance #beautyinbalance #lovetobalance #IWD19 #internationalwomensday Balance is an ongoing quest. Coffee helps.#waxingpoetic #balanceforbetter Balance is independence. #waxingpoetic #balanceforbetter Balance is having a safe work environment where her co-workers feel like family. #waxingpoetic #balanceforbetter Balance is a steady wage #waxingpoetic #balanceforbetter Balance is having the opportunity to help provide for her family. #waxingpoetic #balanceforbetter Balance is a beautiful thing. #waxingpoetic #balanceforbetter

Little Goes Far Violet Collection

We’ve been in love with violets for a long time. Their shape, their associated symbolism (memory, devotion, faithfulness, innocence, emotional depth, empathy, and spiritual yearning) , and the fact that they’re probably the most irrefutably feminine of flowers (sorry peonies, we love you too) would be enough to inspire us, but when we read poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman’s book Natural History of the Senses and learned that violets have an almost magical quality that distinguishes them from all other flowers, we got swoony. Simply put -- nature gave violets a unique and memorable gift -- there is a chemical property in violets that causes a delay in human scent perception. When you smell a violet, your brain can’t process it for a few seconds, and so every time you inhale their fragrance, you are actually inhaling a memory.

We hope these little wearable reminders, like the violets which inspired them, go far and long in your hearts and memory.