Tony: Online Hookup for Jewelry Leads to Unique Local Gift Offerings

It’s nearly impossible for me to find a decent gift for a lady friend during the holidays. Which might be the reason that I like to end all of my intimate relationships with women BEFORE Thanksgiving and not to resume until AFTER Valentine’s Day. It’s important to have a plan.

Dudes with less testicular fortitude might think it’s a badge of honor to die alone and want to explore better options. While I have neither the patience nor the will to endure years of mindless chatter that a long term relationship with a woman demands, I realize there are some timid souls out there who like to give women things in order to make them happy.

Two important notes: Women may only be happy when they are given things, but it never lasts. Still, it’s the X-mas season and we’re supposed to forget that marriage is a dying institution and relationships between men and women are nothing more than a struggle for dominance in a culture which values expediency more than anything. Put simply, the nearly ubiquitous divorce rate has guaranteed there’s no such thing as “The American Family” anymore and Internet dating has digitally confirmed the lesson of the Industrial Revolution: People are easily disposable.

Still, it’s a fact of life that jewelry makes us all happy and Scarlett Garnet Jewelry is a great local retailer of many uniquely hand crafted items.
The story of how this pair got together is pretty interesting.

Kansas City resident Garnet Griebel and Charleston, SC denizen, Katie Miller joined forces in 2006 without so much as seeing each other face to face. They were introduced “virtually” via mutual friends and their relationship blossomed.

“After a year communicating solely through email and cell phone the two finally met in October 2007. They continue to collaborate long distance across the state, allowing for an interesting dynamic in the creative process.”

Of special interest to me was their “Necromantic” line that includes bullet casings, jewel beetle shells, mink jaws, coyote knuckles, and other items associated with death but then transformed into rather cool displays.
It’s kind of fascinating that two people have used the Internet in order to create something worthwhile rather than the usual self-absorbed chatter that defines most self-publishing efforts. Additionally, Scarlett Garnet is now teaching classes in both St. Louis and Kansas City, MO in order to pass on the skills they’ve acquired. Keep up with the duo via their Twitter feed or follow their blog for the latest on the exciting jewelry touring these two undertake in order to publicize their art.

Talking with Garnet for a bit over the weekend made it was obvious she is a tremendously talented person and if I was the kind of guy who admitted the second of weakness that it would take to give a woman a piece of jewelry, buying it from her would be my first choice. And while I’ll probably never offer even a hint of a commitment to any broad, it’s cool to know that Kansas City is the place where two ladies have come together to make so many beautiful things.

Tony Botello