Author and Connecticut native Kathryn Orzech writes mystery, suspense,
and thrillers set in New England “and other exotic locations” where everyday
women confront chilling situations, flirt with romance, and brush with the
supernatural. Today she joins us to talk about how her first real job out of
art school formed the basis for her one of her novels. Learn more about
Kathryn and her books at her website.
Designing Costume Jewelry at The Napier Co.
Before my life as an author,
before my graphic design career, and before my ad agency art director job, I
designed costume jewelry at The Napier Company in my hometown. Costume Jewelry
is defined as jewelry made with inexpensive materials or imitation gems. Napier
was once one of the leading brands worn by celebrities like Grace Kelley and
Marilyn Monroe. We competed with Monet and Trifari.
A brief history of The Napier Company
Originally The E. A. Bliss
Company in Massachusetts, it relocated to Meriden, Connecticut in 1890, was
re-named The Napier-Bliss Co. in 1920, and again re-named The Napier Co. in
1922. Newer owners, Victoria & Company, closed the Meriden plant in 1999.
However, Napier jewelry continues under the Jones Apparel Group umbrella and can
be found at Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Boscov’s department stores. Numerous online
retailers offer vintage designs from Napier’s glory days.
Soon after art school, I began
work at Napier in 1969. Wowed by the fancy, carpeted executive offices on the
second floor, I was directed to my workroom—a different world of drafty windows
and creaky wooden floors that seemed closer to circa 1900 yet farther from
constant corporate oversight. As I recall, we passed through an Assembly Room
where rows of women, 20 to 30 in all, were busy with handwork. I came to learn
the women were piece workers, while I was paid an hourly minimum wage of about
$1.50.
The fun begins
My new domain was located in the
far left corner of that second floor. Small cardboard boxes and bags of beads,
filigree stampings, rings and clasps, and spools of chains stored on shelves
and in drawers encircled a sturdy wooden worktable in the center of the room.
Assembly tools included round and flat-nosed pliers, wire cutters, and a
yardstick affixed to the table.
I was free to design what I
wanted, sometimes within parameters and always approved by the head designer
who hired me.
What fun! Necklaces, bracelets,
ring-bracelets, chain belts, and even a Juliet cap. I drew inspiration from an
art background and interests in fashion, ancient Egypt, and the hippie
era—which pretty much encompassed most of human history. The arrival of new
beads, chains, tassels, and stampings, many from Providence, Rhode Island,
formerly known as the Jewelry Capital of the World, sparked excitement and new
ideas. I would artfully choose beads by size, shape, and color; and select
accent beads, and a chain style to match.
When a piece was finished, six
duplicate samples routed through departments for estimates of assembly and
production time, component costs, and pricing. Depending on all that, the item
was either added to the line or trashed.
From grime to shine
Responsibility for the gold
plating process—and the gold—was above my pay grade. But I’d watched the preparation
by others often enough as they removed oil and grime, and thought I’d give it a
go. When my dirty piece needed its sparkle restored, I took it to a
rectangular, industrial-size sink in a production area for an acid bath. Three
shallow trays fit side-by-side in the sink: the first tray held acid; the
second, a solution of neutralizer; and lastly, rinsing water. I’d loop my item,
most often a filigree stamping, with a safe eight to twelve inches of copper
wire. A quick acid dip turned grime to shine, then a swish in neutralizer and
water. I didn’t realize acid had splashed until I felt my legs burn, smelled an
acrid odor, looked down and saw smoke coming off my trousers. I was too
embarrassed to seek first aid. Spotty scars have long since faded.
Napier design job inspires fiction
Several years of work experience
at The Napier Co. inspired both the protagonist and the fictional family
jewelry business in Asylum, a dark
suspense saga. The real life acid accident served as the basis for a dramatic
scene.
Designing for Napier was my first
real job and one of the most fun, but I suspected early on that I’d never get
out of that magical room. I seized an opportunity to work at a Hartford
advertising agency on Constitution Plaza where carpets were thicker and
skyscraper views offered a boundless world to this small town girl.
Asylum
In 1899 while her father
travels abroad, twelve-year-old Maggie Delito, daughter of the wealthy
industrialist, unwittingly witnesses a shocking scandal. The next day,
she's dragged from her family's estate and locked in an asylum to ensure her
silence. Beneath the noted asylum's polish of respectability, a wicked villainy
hides in dank shadows--and Maggie fears she will be its next victim.
Seventy-five years
later Laura Delito inherits more than assets when her prestigious
family's mysterious past comes knocking--a strange old
woman, cryptic messages, and a rare antique key that might unlock the
truth. As she pursues clues from the Northeast to North Africa, she fails to
see danger looming close to home.
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