OUR STORY
JANINE BLAND
Jewelry designer
Janine learned to appreciate the beauty of culturally diverse artwork during her childhood in France and her travels around the world with her diplomat husband. But it wasn’t until the age of 60 that Janine began custom designing jewelry, working with semi-precious stones, along with antique and ethnic beads and centerpieces from around the world. Her creations include African, Asian, and antique continental pieces, designed in vintage and modern settings. Each piece is unique; each expresses the passion Janine feels for her art. Her jewelry has been sold in museum gift shops, boutiques, and art shows and is worn and appreciated by hundreds of patrons from Europe to America. Her creations have been worn at the Oscars, 2013 Emmys, and events at the Whitehouse. Janine is like no other. Créations par Janine is like no other.
Janine, mother of five and retired French instructor at the Foreign Service Institute, resides in the DC Metro area. During her thirty-plus years as a jewelry designer she has crafted over 3000 pieces.
INTERVIEW
by Robin Rose Parker
“The way that it started was really like an accident. I had a necklace that kept breaking. I never thought I was an artist because I learned on my own. I do everything: I do the looking: I do the designing: I do the making: and I’m trying to sell. That’s the part I like the least.It’s not so much when someone purchases it, but when people admire what I am doing—and rave about it—that’s my reward.
I spend a lot of time looking for that special thing. I find some fantastic things: 2,000 year old Roman glass, opals from Australia. I was also excited to find ancient glass from Afghanistan. I always loved to pick up stones, just collecting them. Once I picked up a fancy stone. I was so proud, I showed it to my mother. But something came out of the pretty stone—it was a snail coming out of its shell. I learned my lesson not to pick up things all the time.
I bring things back from all around the world. I used to be French. I am still a little bit French. I had to become an American for my husband, who joined the Foreign Service. I have been an American citizen much longer than I ever was French. But I go back to France to be recycled from time to time. It definitely added to my life that I could be that creative in my old age—I was over 60. I had stage four cancer five years ago. I continued to do jewelry when I was very sick. I was able to put together some necklaces. Not heavy pieces. I was doing all of my knotting when I was having the chemo. And I had my show that same year.
So now each time I go back to my oncologist, I usually go to the big room—where all the patients aree getting their treatment—and I usually stand by somebody who is having a treatment, usually a lady, a little bit older, if I find one. I stop and say ‘ You know, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I had stage four cancer. Look at me now.’—Cause you need to give people hope.”