At long last! Limited Edition BAY AREA mini-collection launches next week!! These beauties - Oakland, the Bay Bridge and The Golden Gate Bridge are newly finished! Each is made from a vintage teaspoon sculpted into a pendant in recycled sterling silver or bronze. Every piece has a unique history with deep roots in California and the complex stories and beautiful people that have created the beautiful Bay Area.
Did you know the "Golden Gate" is the name of the strait that connects the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Here it is before the bridge construction started in 1933.
Construction began in 1933. Finished in 1937 with paint inspired by red lead primer, the bridge is held together by 1.2 million steel rivets and built by the ironworkers’ union local 377.
The Halfway to Hell Club was established by the 19 workers who fell into the construction safety nets. Imagine their stories!
Six Generations of Mohawk Ironworkers helped build the nation's most famous structures including the Empire State, the Chrysler Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. Listen to the Kitchen Sisters Podcast "Walking High Steel" to learn more.
The history of Bay Area bridges is intimately connected to railroad history. The transcontinental railroad reached the West Coast in 1869 at Alameda Terminal, which is now the corner of Pacific Avenue and Main Street in Alameda. Two months later, the station moved to the Oakland Pier, shown here in 1871.
The railroad had crossed the entire country, yet San Francisco remained only reachable by boat or horse wagon. In 1872, self-proclaimed Emperor Norton declared the need for a Bay Bridge. Here is the Oakland Wharf in 1909.
Planning began in 1929 and was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs to bring the country out of the Great Depression. Here is the bridge under construction in 1935.
Wear history. Shop these limited Edition Pieces!
