SALLY AND BOB

Pioneer potters in Park Slope! Recent graduates from Alfred U.'s Ceramic College --- an abandoned store front offered us the possibility of making and selling pots. - Probably not the most practical "career choice", but from the very beginning, Park Slope has enthusiastically supported The Clay Pot. The business has gone in many different directions over the past 39 years, but who would have thought back when this photo was taken that we would be floating in cyberspace!

TARA'S FAVORITES:

JAMIE JOSEPH- Solid Gold
Pave Meteorite Pendant

Ginette_ny- Medium Lace
Monogram Pendant

MELISSA JOY MANNING- Rutilated
Quartz Triple Drop Pendant

TARA

Q: What TV show do you find yourself rescheduling for?
A: A question written by someone who doesn't have TIVO! I never reschedule, but Sophia (my daughter) and I enjoy Top Chef and History Detectives on our own time and without commercials. I am also a huge LOST fan. Check out my favorite lost Blog http://schlost.blogspot.com/

Q: Do you have a favorite gemstone?
A: I inherited an amazing sterling Scandinavian ring from my grandmother that is set with an amazing cabachon rutilated quartz. It is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. My grandmother (Sophie) had the most amazing style of anyone I have ever met. She wore a necklace made of Paper Mache beads and made it look fabulous.

Q: Recommendations for a rainy day?
A: In this order, bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies, while they are cooking, have a glass of wine and play a game of Rummikub (Turkish tile game based on gin rummy) Who ever wins gets the first cookie and the loser has to clean up the kitchen.

Q: What are you going to add to your collection this season?
A: I am really in love with gold and turquoise this season. I ordered myself an very cool necklace from the new Me&Ro collection that has rosary style chain accented with turquoise beads and two feathers at the bottom. I guess my inner hippie has finally come out. (But did you see the picture of my parents?)

Q: Any piece you are really excited about right now?
A: Ok, anyone who knows me, know this. I am utterly in LOVE with my meteorite necklace by Jamie Joseph. I look forward to days when I can be dressed up enough to wear it. Even my husband has noticed my obsession, it's that obvious.

Q: Best thing you've read recently?
A: I have a little book exchange going on with my neighbor Kris. She is, by the way, the fastest reader on the planet. I give her stacks of books and she finishes them in a week. Anyway the last book she lent me was The Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander. This is an amazing memoir of growing up in an orthodox home in upstate NY. It is incredibly funny, poignant, and very readable.

HEATHER'S FAVORITES:

ANNIE FENSTERSTOCK-
Galaxy Pendant

ALEX SEPKUS - Rosecut
Diamond Ring

ELIZABETH RYLE - Granulated
Round Solitaire

HEATHER

Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: Breakfast at Tiffany’s- Audrey Hepburn is amazing in this movie. The little black dress and oversized sunglasses will forever be part of fashion because of this movie.

Q: Your recommendations for a rainy day?
A: There are two great ways to spend a rainy day. In the winter, watching movies and curling up on the couch are the way to go. In the summer, I either like to take a walk or visit a museum…there is always something interesting to see in the city.

Q: Who are your favorite designers?
A: I would have to say Elizabeth Ryle and Alex Sepkus. Elizabeth Ryle made my engagement ring, which is 18KYellow gold with 22KYellow gold accent granulation. The center stone is a blue-green oval sapphire. It is very special not only because it is my engagement ring but also because it is truly unique. Alex Sepkus is the designer of my wedding band and is an amazing artist. His work in so beautifully detailed and compliments my engagement ring perfectly.

Q: What advice would you impart to customers shopping for engagement and wedding bands?
A: I understand how overwhelming it can be looking for an engagement ring and wedding band since I did it not too long ago. It is good to have an idea of what style you are looking for but also important to be open-minded. There can be a lot of pressure when it comes to weddings but I think people should wear what feels right to them.

PERRY'S FAVORITES:

TODD REED - Raw Rose Cut
Diamond Earring

PYRRHA - Scissors Pendant

JAMIE JOSEPH - Labradorite
Drop Pendant

PERRY

Q: Who are your favorite designers?
A: Jamie Joseph, definitely. She uses the most fantastically colored stones and she really knows how to highlight their beauty with her designs. I have also become a Todd Reed fan recently. He can make a piece with 10 diamonds still feel natural and organic, rather than showy. And I WILL own an Alex Sepkus piece some day…his work feels like a Faberge egg. So intricate and ornate, but will definitely stand the test of time – truly an heirloom.

Q: Best thing you’ve read recently?
A: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And, no, I did not read it because Oprah told me to. It was actually recommended by a fellow Clay Potter and it is heartbreakingly good. I also just started Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. It’s beautiful both visually and conceptually.

Q: Recommendations for a rainy day?
A: Rainy days are the perfect excuse to be lazy. Stay in bed with a crossword, watch a classic musical (Funny Girl is my suggestion, but I guess Singing in the Rain, if you really must), and snuggle with the pooch (Tessica von Sessica, the duchess of Third Avenue). And if you don’t have a dog (or I’ll accept a cat), go get one now! www.petfinder.com

Q: Best new trend?
A: I love layering necklaces! It’s a great way to wear more of your jewelry and makes your pieces much more interesting. I am also really loving natural/raw diamonds, like Todd Reed is using.

Q: Do you have a favorite gemstone?
A: I am always a fan of labradorite – it reminds me of a spectacular thunderstorm. And the nice thing about labradorite is that it’s generally pretty affordable. I recently treated myself to a pair of Melissa Joy Manning checkerboard faceted labradorite earrings and they go with just about everything. I also have always loved opals, slightly more expensive and fragile, but such a special stone. I have a pair of Nava Zahavi chandelier earrings with gold foil wrapped opals and citrines. They are absolutely divine.

DANIELLE

Q: Who are your favorite designers?
A: Becky Kelso! I love her semi-precious stone rings in gold.

Q: Are you noticing any new trends this season?
A: There has definitely been a resurgence of yellow gold. Hammered gold is popular, as is the rose cut diamond. Many designers are combining the two (Annie Fensterstock, Melissa Joy Manning, Me&Ro), having an ancient design influence on modern styles. It's my favorite trend right now.

Q: Favorite thing about working in Park Slope?
A: I'm a native sloper and I've watched the neighborhood evolve. One thing that hasn't changed is its sense of community, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

Q: What TV show do you find yourself rescheduling for?
A: I must be home to watch Lost. I've been a follower since then beginning. I am most eager to find out why the Dharma Initiative (if it's still them) drops cereal of all things on the island--where's the milk?

JENNIE'S FAVORITES:

RICHARD LANDI - Art Deco
Style Engagement Ring

BECKY KELSO- Rosecut
Labradorite Ring Sterling Silver

BO J.C.- Black Garnet
and Onyx Pendant

JENNIE

Q: Do you have a favorite gemstone?
A: I have a great affinity for all things colorful and sparkly, but my personal favorite is the blue diamond (which, coincidentally, was always my favorite marshmallow in the Lucky Charms box). It's genuine but enhanced, and it is a vivid peacock blue with some iridescence due to light refraction. I'm also a big fan of the Montana-mined blue-green sapphire. Labradorite and garnet are among my semi-precious faves.

Q: What's the most unusual metal or ring style you've seen?
A: A wedding ring is a personal symbol, and there was no better evidence of that than my friend who forged his own original band out of an actual railroad spike. Of course, a wedding ring should also be functional for a lifetime, and that one proved to be rather impractical for day-to-day wear, so he soon upgraded to an unconventional design in a more wearable metal.

One of the most unique engagement rings I ever helped design at The Clay Pot was an amazing platinum antique style setting with a cushion-cut sapphire in a very rare shade of olive green, and triangular-shaped white sapphires on the sides. The effect was at once classically beautiful & totally distinctive, and my customers were thrilled with the results.

Q: Summer style you're looking forward to?
A: During the winter I usually default to monochromatic black, but with the darling buds of May come all my brightly colored vintage sundresses with frothy full skirts. Think pre-makeover Sandy in Grease (but, like, twice her age).

Q: What do you like best about working in Brooklyn?
A: Petting all the dogs! I have a very cherished kitty at home, but I get to live vicariously through all the pooch owners of Park Slope. It's also a great luxury to walk to work, and to have so many great & diverse dining options close by.

DARA

Q: Who are your favorite designers?
A: Jamie Joseph and St Kilda are designers that I am always drawn to. Tola Layla is a new one that I am head-over-heals for, their designs look like ancient relics.

Q: Any pieces you are really excited about right now?
A: Marian Maurer’s dot moon bracelet is on the top of my wish list these days- it has a great slinky serpent quality to it that I love!

Q: What are you going to add to your collection this season?
A: I just recently bought the Tola Layla hexagon diamond earrings. They are just so simple and pretty.

Q: Favorite vacation spot?
A: Anywhere that I can’t hear the sounds of the city. My favorite place on earth is Bodega Bay. I spent a lot of time there escaping…

Q: Music that cheers you up?
A: Bob Marley always. Simple as that.

HANNAH

Q: Favorite movie?
A: I would have to say the old Pride and Prejudice.

Q: What inspires you right now?
A: Right now I’m really into the stones, Becky Kelso, Jamie Joseph and Nava Zahavi.

Q: Any pieces you're really excited about right now?
A: The new Jamie Joseph!!

Q: Summer style you are looking forward to?
A: Cydwoq sandals and long skirts, flattered with big chunky jewels.

Q: Best thing you've read recently?
A: Definitely the graphic novel Persepolis; awesome story, amazing illustrations!

HALEY

Q: Must have pieces to get ready for spring?
A: I really like the Rebecca Lankford gold cuff hoops, which fit the ear nicely, and Lisa Ceccorulli's sterling silver and gold pieces.

Q: Summer style you’re looking forward to?
A: I think leather corded necklaces are a cool and casual laid back look.

Q: What are you most looking forward to this summer?
A: Besides a lot of reading and writing under the sun, I would like to also take a metalsmithing class.

Q: Music that cheers you up?
A: The White Stripes, and Madonna remixes.

LILO

Q: Are you noticing any new trends this season?
A: Rings in rose gold, mixing metals, groups of stacking rings as engagement/wedding bands, uncut diamonds!

Q: Is yellow gold or white gold/platinum more popular right now?
A: It's 50:50. I think people are getting over the whole "platinum is superior" myth - sometimes it's the best metal for the ring and sometimes it isn't. At the Clay Pot, we just want what works best for you - your skin color, your hand, your wallet, your ring!

Q: Best thing you've read recently?
A: Every Hendrick Hertzberg's column in The New Yorker! Ann Patchett's Truth and Beauty.

Q: Music that cheers you up?
A: Anything I can hum along with.

JENNY

Q: Have you lived in Brooklyn long?
A: I was born in France, but I have lived in New York for most of my life. While I love living here in Brooklyn, I love to travel.

Q: Favorite movie?
A: My favorite movies include Pride and Prejudice and Casablanca, but I truly like most romantic comedies and Will Ferrell movies.

Q: What TV show do you find yourself rescheduling for?
A: I will change my schedule around if there are new episodes of House, Ugly Betty or Grey's Anatomy on Television.

Q: Are you noticing any new trends this season?
A: I love flowers and things that are nature inspired, which are both really great trends this season. Another great trend I like is that designers are not only using crystals in jewelry but putting them on dresses, shoes, and bags. Lastly, another favorite trend is the use of bold colors.