Katia Rabey Russia / Israel
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters brooch
Piece created for Challenge 2022 Jewelry and Literature
Materials brass, powder coating, stainless steel
Size 100x105x10mm
This small series titled “Footnotes" was born from the fact that certain words and quotes from books are forever roaming around in our minds, even when we sometimes forget what the book itself was about. The brooch “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters” consists entirely from the first sentence of Katia’s favorite passage in J. Salinger’s short story under the same name; pendant “Dharma Bums” puts detailed directions to find famous Kerouac’s quote without actually saying it (“It all ends in tears anyway”), and “Denial” earrings are dedicated to a famous ironic quote ("Denial ain't just a river in Egypt") traditionally attributed to Mark Twain but whose actual origins are unknown.
