Nautical Jewelry- Classic Sailboat Designs in Sterling Silver by Barbara Vincent

The "Schooner" sterling silver nautical sailboat necklace and pendant by Barbara Vincent.

Set sail in style with classic sterling silver sailboat jewelry by Barbara Vincent- the perfect accessory for any night on or off the boat. These distinctive nautical sailboat designs reflect her passion for fine sterling silver jewelry and celebrate the designer's enthusiasm for sailing and coastal lifestyle.

Barbara Vincent's "J boat" in sterling silver

The "sloop" classic sailboat pendant in polished sterling silver.

Choose from Barbara's J boat, sloop, schooner and sailboat racing with spinnaker flying and her most recent design simply titled "Hope." These nautical designs are available individually as pendants for necklaces or as a collection. (see pictured below) Complete the look with matching sterling silver sailboat earrings.

Sailboat "HOPE" sterling silver nautical necklace

The nautical sterling silver sailboat collection by Barbara Vincent available at Skipjack.

The Barbara Vincent sterling silver sailboat collection is available today together with other fine nautical-inspired jewelry at Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Gallery. You can purchase these exceptional and affordable sterling silver sailboat pendants and earrings at Skipjack's webstore by following the link above or at their waterfront showroom located in historic Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia. Either way, you'll sure to sail away with this wonderful collection of sailboat jewelry.

American Folk Art: Joe Marinelli's Colorful Folk Fish Carvings

Folky Grouper three dimensional wall hanging by Joe Marinelli 

Joe Marinelli has carved fish for more than 15 years and his folksy style fish are creations he's developed throughout that time. He loves to carve and paint in a folk art style with exaggerated fins, lips & eyes and decorated with bright Island/ Key West colors. Joe's favorite fish to create is a hanging full scale three dimensional carving of a grouper. What's not to love about these colorful Island inspired fish...they're folksy fabulous!

The Great Marlin Fish cabinet by Joe Marinelli.

"Woodworking is part of me, Joe stated. My grandfather was a cabinet maker from Italy." He started building his own furniture when he was 22 and over the past few years started incorporating fish carvings into his furniture. His inspiration for his fish carvings comes from time spent kayaking bodies of water around his lake community in Millville, New Jersey. He observes nature through his frequent outings and interprets them into his dynamic folk art style.

Joe Marinelli's "Folky Fish" carvings on board and painted in colorful Key West colors.

I first discovered Joe Marinelli's folk carvings in an art magazine article that featured his carvings with other American folk artists. I loved them and had to have them in our gallery. There colorful, folksy, a bit outrageous, contemporary, unique and I love to look at them each and every day. They will fit well  into just about any American folk collection.

Folksy Sailfish carving on board with weathered paint finish by Joe Marinelli.

Joe's folk fish wall art and furnishings is the perfect art creations for the coastal home with it's distinct marine subjects and colorful tropical colors used, indicative of  buildings throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands. I can see these used in so many interior applications. Even though Joe's art style is somewhat defined, each of his pieces are one-of-a-kind originals.

Folksy Grouper by Joe Marinelli can be viewed from the upper entry level at this Virginia Beach coastal home.

You can see more of Joe Marinelli's Folk Fish creations in person at Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Gallery in historic Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia or by visiting  Joe Marinelli on Skipjack's web gallery by following the link above.
For more American folk artists works, visit Skipjack's American Folk Art & Sailor Art.

Handmade Bellropes and Lanyards- A Sailor's Art

Schooner Virginia ship's bell with lanyard. Photo by Diane Murphy.

The bell rope, also referred to as a bell pull or bell lanyard is a piece of fancy work attached to the clanger of a ship's bell. It is a necessary accoutrement to the ship's bell, both for function as a way to ring the bell as well as ornamentation as a symbol of pride.

According to Vince Brennan of Frayed Knot Artworks, the ship’s bell is considered the 'heart' of a ship. Ship's bells are almost mystical objects, especially for as superstitious a lot as are sailors. They are polished before all other items and are the last thing to be removed when a ship is decommissioned or scrapped. US Navy vessels have their names engraved on their bells and when a ship is struck from the list, the last Commanding Officer usually receives the bell for safekeeping.

Bell lanyard made by Vince Brennan for the Zuni Maritime Foundation. Photo by Joe Elder

For information about 12 inch ship's bell bell rope or lanyard by Vince Brennan (pictured above) follow this link to this item at Skipjack Nautical Wares Nautical Hardware.

The bell-rope is a symbol of the Pride in the ship taken by the crew... battleships and other major vessels will usually have the fanciest bell-ropes, often the product of several hundred hours of labor by one or more expert knot tiers. The more detail and embellishments, the more respect it engenders.

Exceptional bell lanyard by Marty Combs.

Crafting fancy rope knot work such as  bell lanyards was mastered by sailors during the height of sea trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. For long extended times, sometimes years, a sailor was at sea.

 On whaling expeditions, little of that time in comparison was actual whaling work and sometimes months would pass between sightings. Sailors had hours upon end of idle time and some chose to create trinkets and art. Examples of sailor’s art work are: scrimshawed whale’s teeth and bone, fancy rope knot work, wood and ivory carvings such as whimsies, cane heads, pie crimpers, pipe tampers, fids (made for splicing rope) swifts (yarn winders), corset busks and many more interesting and beautiful pieces.

Handmade fancy knotwork bellrope or lanyard by Joe McNelis.

For information about handmade fancy knotwork bellrope or lanyard by Joe McNelis, follow this link to the item  at Skipjack Nautical Wares Nautical Hardware.

Whether you desire to dress up your ship's bell on the finely fitted yacht or simply a bell hanging by your door, handcrafted bell lanyards are symbolic as a part of maritime tradition and pride.

 Visit Skipjack Nautical Wares Nautical Hardware for our current selection of handmade fancy knotwork bell lanyards available today for your ship's bell.

Complete Your Nautical Room with a Navigational Chart Lamp Shade from Skipjack

Navigational chart nautical lamp shades- the perfect product to dress up your nautical room.

Nautical chart lamp shade on buoy lamp

Looking for an easy way to dress up and personalize your coastal/nautical interiors? Well here’s a style secret used by designers to create local interest to the finely-fitted nautical room. Replace your old lampshades with a custom-made nautical chart lampshade using a navigational chart from your local or favorite coastline. You can select from 1,000-plus U.S. coastal and Great Lakes nautical charts created and updated by NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration). Nautical chart lampshade not only create a great look to your room, but also becomes a point of conversation as you study the lighted charts, similar to viewing a terrestrial globe! Visit the NOAA site by clicking on this link to find the right nautical chart for your local waters.http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/OnLineViewer.html

nautical chart nightlight

Skipjack offers custom nautical lampshades constructed in our own design center located in Olde Towne Portsmouth, VA. We use only the highest quality materials including authentic NOAA navigational charts. Each shade is trimmed with a muslin-colored grosgrain ribbon and features a washer top for attachment to any standard lamp. We can duplicate the size of your existing lamp with the only limitation being the size of the navigational chart. Visit our website by clicking on this link for additional information and costs of producing your custom nautical chart lampshade. We also produce a nautical chart nightlight and offer a great selection of brass and hand-made nautical lamp finials to adorn your favorite lamps.  Nautical lampshades, lamps and lighting from Skipjack

Skipjack's nautical chart lamp shades is the perfect accessory for the nautical themed room in your coastal home.