Silence, after all, is the ultimate question.

Justino Diaz

Photography by Denise Blasor

         BIJOUX WIT

You expect a necklace to be pretty, unique, different. How about witty?

That quality certainly describes a collection of necklaces based on
visual puns currently on sale in San Juan stores.

Sold under the name "Papel Purpura" (Purple Paper), the necklaces
are crafted by Elvia Hernandez and her artist husband Otan Vazquez
and they are wearable works of art sure to elicit attention for the
wearer and delight from the viewer.

"For a long time I wanted to do something that was
original," said Hernandez, whose interest in jewelry
goes back to when she was a kid. "And we wanted
to work with paper."

She chose the name Purpura
because, as she mused over the phone, that is the color of her hair.

As conceived by Hernandez and Vazquez, each necklace features
a central image that, in turn, is embellished with small details referencing the main idea.

Take the necklace pictured on the right: an alien spaceship
dangles aloft as little figures attached to gold chains
appear to ascend towards the mysterious spacecraft.
They practically appear to levitate.

Other necklaces feature famous people or play with
our world at large. A cloud, for example, is decorated with
tiny spears of lightning or Albert Einstein smiles away
while planets circle above him. There's also room for
black humor as with a necklace featuring death all dolled
up in an elegant chapeaux decorated with colorful dangly
skulls.

A small chain is held in place by
Dali's mustache while the
Beatles hang on to their
Yellow Submarine.
Both necklaces at
Moni&Coli on Loiza St.

Hernandez, who moonlights as an artist while holding a
managerial position in a retail store, said the challenge in
creating these necklaces is coming up with the right
montage for the selected image which the duo culls
from magazines or the internet. Some of the necklaces
may feature an exclusive image or several versions are
made using the same image.

Future plans are to add rings and earrings to the line,
she said.

Meanwhile, these clever creations that retail for under $20
can be found at four outlets: Concalma La Tienda in old
San Juan, Colectife in Bayamon, the Museum of Art of 
Puerto Rico store and Moni&Coli, a small boutique on
Loiza Street.

A SIMPLE TIP

The table looks empty, how to liven it up?

Get your prettiest large bowl and fill it with fresh

fruits like oranges, bananas, mandarins and

mangoes. The colorful display will brighten the

room and you can keep an eye on the fruit so

as not to let it spoil once it fully ripens.

THE SHOE'S THE THING

Shoe repairer Sixto Portillo takes a break

Sixto Portillo has been repairing shoes for the past

20 years out of a small space on Calle Flores, off

Loiza Street.

One would think that repairing shoes is a thing of
the past but as far as Portillo is concerned it is
still viable work and one he does with skill and
care.

"Thank God I've always had business," said Portillo,

a portly man with a round friendly face who greets 

you as if he'd known you all your life.

Sure enough, the store is packed to the gills with 

shoes.

They're everywhere.  Shoes in all colors, shoes in all 

sizes, shoes stacked on top of other shoes, shoes bagged

in wait of their owners to reclaim them.

Portillo said people bring him shoes in every kind of

condition and sometimes he has to tell a person

not to waste their money on a shoe beyond repair.

"But as long as you can repair them, you save them,"

he said with a smile.

ZAPATERIA LOIZA, 104 Las Flores Street 

(around the corner from Farmacia Americana)

Monday through Saturday, 8 am - 6 pm

COPYRIGHT ©2015 Lorraine Blasor all rights reserved右