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Fran Blackburn's love affair with jewels began at a very young age when, time and time again, she found herself enchanted at her mother's dressing table, trying on her jewelry. Fran turned to clothing design and construction as her first creative outlet, but with each new outfit came the need for the perfect accessory. This progressed until one day, the perfect accessory was nowhere to be found - so Fran decided to design her own. Thus, "Fancies by Fran" was born! Inspiration is everywhere for this talented craftswoman. Many of her gemstone pieces are inspired by the magnificent colors of nature, using turquoise, lapis, carnelian, garnet, pearl and others to recreate the vibrancy of the world around her. "All my life I have been able to see and discriminate between the differences in colors. My mother used to take me shopping to match scarves with dresses she had previously bought. I could always pick out something that matched perfectly without having the dresses along. I can see the colors 'in my head'." Fran's unique designs materialize through her marriage of brilliant color and sparkle. This is done with the incorporation of precious metal findings, accent beads and crystal. The beads are culled from the world's best bead makers in Czechoslovakia, Venice, Austria, Germany and Japan, and Swarovski© crystal remains her favorite choice due to its captivating color and sparkle. These exceptional quality components, when combined with her phenomenal attention to detail, result in a classically distinctive look with each piece. |
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