My Studio

Here's my studio in action - the bracelet and cufflinks on the bench are custom orders I plan to finish this weekend. Usually there are 4 or 5 bracelets being assembled, but I just wrapped up several orders and will start some new items on Monday.

On the right is my Foredom drill - my "go to" tool for all my grinding and polishing needs. My "high tech" equipment includes toothpicks and painter's tape.

All the findings (chain, clasps, jumprings, etc.) are on the side table in easy reach. The drawers hold wire, crystals and stones for future projects.

Check out www.HauteKeys.com

I spent some time organizing my Haute Keys website today. Let me know what you think!

I am busy making many new items for the Holiday season - many new styles of bracelets and a different type of earring. I will also be selling cufflinks at both my website and Etsy very soon as well.

Exclamation Point Mystery

So out of all the typewriter keys I have accumulated for my jewelry, I have only come across two sets that have an exclamation point. Anyone who had an old typewriter - or whose mother had one ;) - knows what one did to create the exclamation point: first, you typed an apostrophe, then hit backspace, then typed a period. Voila!!

No Return!

On manual typewriters there was no RETURN key. The typist had to manually return the carriage (more about that in a future post!). How did she know when it was time? A little bell would ring to tell her she was getting close to the end! The typist would have to finish up the current word, then return the page to start typing on the next line.

With the advent of electric typewriters, the RETURN key was added and used whenever the typist wanted to start this new line.

Of course, on today's keyboard this key is called ENTER - word processors don't need a hard return - the words are placed automatically on the next line. Today, ENTER is used only to start a new paragraph.

So, there are no RETURN keys - on the vintage typewriters!

Where's The One??

Recently I saw someone selling some typewriter keys online. The seller described them as great, but "the set was missing the 1 key".

Well, that key wasn't missing, it just never existed! Back in the day of manual typewriters, one had to use the small letter L to make a 1. Try it - it still will work quite well. :-)